Dr Pat Witts
LightNews LightNews
banner
wittspat.bsky.social
Dr Pat Witts
@wittspat.bsky.social
1.5K followers 46 following 2.6K posts
Specialist in Roman mosaics, with particular interests in iconography and antiquarian illustrations; also hedgehogs in any medium. Author. Membership Secretary asprom.org (posting personally).
Posts Replies Media Videos
wittspat.bsky.social
Cute #hedgehog alert. (Makes you hibernate?)
theduncanmackay.bsky.social Duncan Mackay @theduncanmackay.bsky.social · 14h
This bottle of porter has a hedgehog in a top hat drinking a pint, so I’m already about as invested in this as I could be, and I haven’t even opened it yet.
Beer bottle label for Winter Porter, featuring a hedgehog in a top hat drinking beer.
November 25, 2025 at 10:41 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
This post should probably be captioned 'serving suggestion' as refreshments are photographer's own (though definitely 😋.)
Late/early for #MosaicMonday.
(If you are not a member of ASPROM and would like a copy of your own, I can help with that!)
romanpalace.bsky.social Fishbourne Roman Palace @romanpalace.bsky.social · 1d
Huzzah! Our favourite journal has landed! 🤩

If anybody needs us for the rest of the day, then tough cheese.
A cup of coffee and a Tunnocks wafer biscuit on a desk next to a publication called "Mosaic - The journal of ASPROM, the Association and Study of the Preservation of Roman Mosaics".
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
romanpalace.bsky.social
knitfarious.com/art-of-mosai...
The Art of Mosaic Knitting
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to knit with two colors, mosaic knitting might be a great colorwork technique to try first.  Haven’t heard of
knitfarious.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
A bonus post for this #MosaicMonday. Ever puzzled over why Neptune has crab claws and Oceanus has a trident in some RB mosaics? My thoughts have just been published in the latest Journal of Mosaic Research. Open access, so feel free to enjoy! 1/2

dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jmr/i...
Journal of Mosaic Research » Makale » Neptune and Oceanus in Romano-British Mosaics: A Special Case?
dergipark.org.tr
November 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
For this #MosaicMonday, a couple of examples of elephants in the Piazzale delle Corporazioni in Ostia. One in close-up but another included in a wider view to show the context for those who aren't familiar (yet?) with the wonders of Ostia.
📷2022
#AncientBlueSky 🏺
A Roman mosaic showing an elephant in black tesserae on a plain white background. The animal stands facing left with an impressively long trunk. At the top of the photo is an inscription in Latin, in black lettering on a white background. An oblique photograph of a black and white Roman mosaic. In the right foreground is an elephant seen upside down; the elephant's trunk is to our left. The image is set within plain black and white borders with a strip of simple guilloche. To the rear, the borders narrow slightly between two brick piers, with further animals depicted in this area. To the rear are the remains of brick walls and a grassy bank, with trees in the distance on the left.
November 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
wittspat.bsky.social
Early for #MosaicMonday.
November 21, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
fellranger.bsky.social
Ideal Christmas presents for lovers of Hadrian's Wall and walking in the historic landscapes of northern England.
November 18, 2025 at 5:52 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
A feast of facilities!
November 19, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
gregwoolf.bsky.social
Delighted that from January 2026 all research articles published in the Journal of Roman Archaeology @cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org will be Open Access

view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=85c24bbd7...
Cambridge University Press
view.updates.cambridge.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:54 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
Following last week's monochrome elephant, this is another common type of depiction in Roman mosaics. From the Great Pavement at Woodchester, moving around Orpheus. 1/2
#MosaicMonday
@classicalalan.bsky.social
Part of a coloured engraving of a Roman mosaic showing an elephant moving towards the left. There are crossed lines on the animal's body.
November 17, 2025 at 2:36 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
Reposting for #SundaySheep - some very appealing specimens mingling with the stones. 🐑🐑🐑
theduncanmackay.bsky.social Duncan Mackay @theduncanmackay.bsky.social · 9d
And now, live from Orkney for #StandingStoneSunday, the Stenness 360.
November 16, 2025 at 8:46 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
For this #HillfortsWednesday, it's a favourite one: Eildon Hill North near Melrose, seen here from the road to Newstead (Trimontium). It's on the left in this picture, with one of its companions - Eildon Mid Hill - on the right, and can be seen for miles. 1/2
Two hills, the one on the left taller and wider, stand out prominently against a blue sky. There is a hedgerow in the foreground and a field between the hedge and hills, with a few houses on the far side of the field.
November 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
kpw1453.bsky.social
Snail’s pace - 15th century floor tile from St. Andrew’s Church at Wormingford in Essex. Now part of the collections at Colchester Castle. 📸 My own. #TilesOnTuesday #ColchesterMuseum
November 11, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
uonclassarch.bsky.social
Don’t miss Prof Alex Mullen’s free webinar on November 26th at 7pm!

She’ll be presenting the Joan Pye lecture on ‘Tales from the Tablets: recovering the voices of Roman Britain’.

#archaeology #classics #roman 🏺

Book your tickets here: tinyurl.com/Romanvoices
Poster for a free webinar - the Joan Pye annual lecture to be presented by Alex Mullen. November 26th, 7pm. Hosted by Cotswold archaeology and the Roman Research Trust. The image is of lots of people in togas in a market place.
November 10, 2025 at 4:58 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
There's been a request for elephants in mosaic, and we always like to oblige! To start with, here is the splendid beast from the Horkstow Orpheus mosaic. 1/2
#MosaicMonday
#AncientBlueSky 🏺
@classicalalan.bsky.social
Part of a coloured engraving of a Roman mosaic showing a radial design with the 'spokes' drawn in simple guilloche. In the main compartment in this photo, a dark-coloured elephant is shown in profile walking to the right. The animal is depicted against the backdrop of a tree. In the smaller compartment above are two birds in profile, facing one another but with their heads turned away to look behind them. Between them is a triangular object with a vertical line above it, probably a stylised bunch of grapes on a stem.
November 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM
wittspat.bsky.social
By amazing coincidence, my offering for #HillfortsWednesday was already lined up when I saw the post below: the opposite view of the bench on which @pottedhistory.bsky.social is sitting! I believe there is a hillfort lurking in the distance on the right (Lordenshaws).
A metal bench with its back fashioned from leaf-shapes, seen from behind. The bench is flanked by green shrubs and faces a view of hills in the distance.
November 5, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
romanroads.bsky.social
Thursday 13 Nov is our next talk. This one is a bit special because our Chair, Mike Haken, is talking about A New Digital Map of Roman Britain: how to access it, how to use it and what comes next.

It's a huge step forward that's taken a decade to develop
November 3, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
archaeohawke.bsky.social
A 2,000-year-old 'Tomb of Cerberus' with stunning frescoes discovered in #Italy

The fresco portrays the moment in the #myth of Heracles, where he captures Cerberus as part of his twelve labors.

📸 Credit: Ministry of Culture, Italy

#TombTuesday #Archaeology #art
November 4, 2025 at 7:28 AM
wittspat.bsky.social
For this #MosaicMonday, continuing to look at the fascinating fragments from Dinnington. A bird's head above centre is easy to recognise, but what is in the fragment below left? Seems to be figured work with two tiny red triangles. Ideas very welcome! 1/2
#AncientBlueSky 🏺
A tray of small fragments of mosaic nestling in tissue paper. Above centre is the head of a bird shown in profile facing right. Its red beak is prominent. Below right is part of a black and white triangular design. Below left is a fragment which is plain white in its upper part (as seen in this photo) but with a feature in its lower part bordered by grey and buff curved lines. There are two small red tesserae above the upper lines, protruding into the white. The lower lines have a sharper change of direction and below them are tesserae in a darker colour.
November 3, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
nataliehaynes.bsky.social
Happy Halloween, Cerberus!
October 31, 2025 at 2:01 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
For #AdoorableThursday, doors don't come any more adorable than this! Spotted at the top of Castle Street (wonder where they got that name ...) in Warkworth. A quick look online suggests that this is one of many fairy doors in the town. 🧚🪄
On the right, a large tree in a pavement has a tiny door at the bottom of the trunk. In the centre background is an imposing castle on a grassy mound, surrounded by a low wall. Two cars are parked in front of the wall beside a road which curves across the lower left part of the photo. To the left of the cars is an ornate lamppost silhouetted against a pale blue evening sky with wispy clouds. The bottom of a tree trunk is set in a pavement. It has a small red door which is pointed and has a round window in the top. The door is set within a wooden surround with a pointed top. A tiny rope ladder descends from the threshold of the door to the tree roots which are surrounded by bare earth. The roots have small leaves and beside them, at left and right below the ladder, are two bricks.
October 30, 2025 at 12:13 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
#HillfortsWednesday wasn't on my mind when taking these photos last month, but it transpires that Dunbar Castle started life as a hillfort. Takes some imagination, especially as the harbour entrance was blasted through the ruins in 1844! 1/2
A harbour with castle ruins on a headland just left of centre. In the left foreground are stacks of blue fishing pots, and in the right foreground is a red boat. In the distance a headland juts out into the sea, just above left of the centre of this photograph; this is Dunbar Castle. The seashore curves from upper right to lower left with many red rocks. The sea only has a few white waves. Above the cliffs on the right are houses.
October 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM
wittspat.bsky.social
A certain site in Dorset has been in the news this week for its imminent TV appearance, so for #EpigraphyTuesday here is evidence that those Durotriges got everywhere! In the wonderful museum at Chesters on Hadrian's Wall, recording their building work. 1/3
A carved stone with two lines of an inscription sits on a shelf in a museum. The first line of the inscription reads 'C DVR[O]TR[I]G'. Red lettering on the plinth reads: 'Record of building work by the civitas of the Durotrigian people of Lindinis (Ilchester).' At bottom left is the word 'Cawfields' [where this piece was found]. At top right is 'RIB 1672' and at bottom right is 'B263' and 'CH267'.
October 28, 2025 at 11:16 AM
wittspat.bsky.social
A splash of colour for the first Monday after the clocks went back (in the UK). Wells Cathedral (with blue sky) from the Bishop's Palace Garden and from the Market Place (with rainbow), taken on Friday.
#MedievalMonday
A tree with vivid red leaves is at the end of a broad path, with Wells Cathedral behind. Its square tower is prominent. The tree is flanked by hedges and trees in different shades of green and the sky is blue. A rainbow crosses a dark grey sky. Underneath are some historic buildings in pale-coloured stone lit up by the sun. The building on the left of these is Wells Cathedral. The scene is glimpsed from a road flanked by buildings.
October 27, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Dr Pat Witts
cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org
Cambridge’s #Archaeology journals are publishing an increasing amount of #openaccess (OA) #research. Read the latest articles here: ▶️ https://cup.org/3We1oBR

@antiquity.ac.uk @saa-aap.bsky.social @archaeologyeaa.bsky.social @prehistoricsociety.bsky.social
Promotional image from Cambridge, featuring a landscape view of an archaeological site with text stating 'Open access Archaeology publishing from Cambridge'.
October 27, 2025 at 10:04 AM