Five ways science conquered our beliefs about the Roman Empire in the year MMXXIII

December 28, 2023

More than 1000 years since its fall, researchers continue to uncover new knowledge about the Roman Empire by deploying a legion of modern tools.

This year, ancient DNA analysis, spectroscopy, satellite imagery and ground-penetrating radar revolutionised our understanding of the ancient civilisation, which dominated Europe and beyond Roman aqueduct in Viminacium, a large Roman city / Credit: Carles Lalueza-Fozfrom BC into the common era.

Here’s how science conquered our understanding of the Roman Empire in the year MMXXIII.

I. Surprise discovery about Roman Empire found in ancient DNA

Ancient DNA from the rise and fall of the Roman Empire revealed Italian ancestry had little detectable influence on Balkan Peninsula populations, despite the Empire’s cultural supremacy in the region.

Research drawing on the triumvirate of genetics, archaeology and history uncovered new insights into the social and demographic history of the Balkan Peninsula.

II. Roman Empire forts in Cold War imagery topple north-south axis theory
Analysis of declassified Cold War satellite imagery revealed 396 previously undocumented Roman forts in the Middle East. The discovery of hundreds of Roman forts constructed east to west between Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq overturns previous theories that forts aligned north-south along the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire.

III. 2000-year-old Roman engineering could solve colossal climate problem
As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. And as the construction industry grapples with concrete’s climate problem, some engineers think a technology dating back to Roman times might hold the answer.

Durability engineer Miles Dacre says switching to ‘calcined clay’ a type of concrete used by the Romans might reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional concrete. He says the switch needs to be made urgently.

More:
https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/civilisations/five-ways-science-conquered-our-beliefs-about-the-roman-empire-in-the-year-mmxxiii/