Orbe-Boscéaz, also named Boscéay, is an archaeological site in Switzerland, located at the territory of the town of Orbe (Vaud). It includes a vast Roman villa measuring over 200 m long comprised of about 100 rooms, some heated by hypocaust, colonnaded porticoes, and ornamental ponds.  Nine of the rooms featured intricate mosaics depicting gods, trompe l’œil geometric shapes or figurative scenes of Greek mythology, such as the famous labyrinth of Theseus and the Minotaur.

Excavations have [...]

Ruins of the outer wall and the “Damascus Gate” at Ebla. Ebla was an important trading empire throughout the 3rd millennium B.C.E. until it was destroyed during the 23rd century B.C.E. At its height, Ebla controlled an area roughly half the size of modern Syria. Ebla’s vast trading network is evidence from artifacts from Sumer, Cyprus, Egypt, and as far as Afghanistan have been recovered from the city’s palaces.
Credit: Mappo, [...]

All Greek and Etruscan metal rings with engraved bezels ultimately derive from Egyptian and Phoenician cartouche-shaped rings. The cartouche-shaped ring was especially popular in Etruria in the later 500s B.C., where immigrant Greek goldsmiths from Ionia introduced it.

This example features an intricate scene of two men approaching a fountain where water gushes into a vessel from a lion's head spout. Behind the fountain, a man squats as if hiding, holding a sword. These details identify [...]