Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 7h

Remains of the Mary Rose - Henry VIII’s warship that sunk in July 1545 at the Battle of the Solent. Raised in 1982, the ship is located and preserved at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard site. 📸 My own. #Woodensday #MaryRose #Portsmouth

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 7h

Some of the remains of Wolvesey Castle in Winchester. Mostly 12th century in date, the castle was the main residence for the Bishops of Winchester. 📸 My own. #WallsOnWednesday #WolvesleyCastle #Winchester

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Reposted by Kevin Wilbraham

Paul Robichaud @pjrobichaud.bsky.social · 1d

West Kennett Long Barrow, July 2023. #TombTuesday

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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 1d

🚴John Betjeman said that it was worth cycling 40 miles in a headwind to see them.
🪽The early C16th Angel Roof at St Wendreda in Cambs is adorned with over 100 oaken angels.

View along the nave of St. Wendreda’s Church, March, showing the magnificent medieval angel roof with carved wooden angels soaring above the slender stone arcades.

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Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 1d

A 6th century pillar at St Llawddog's #Cilgerran #SirBenfro with a Latin inscription:

TRENEGUSSI FILI MACUTRENI HIC IACIT

'Trenegussus son of Ma(r)cus Treni, here he lies’

and one in og(h)am:

TRENAGUS MAQI MAQITRENI

'Trenagus son of Mac-Treni’

📷 Aug 2015

#EpigraphyTuesday #TombTuesday

A stone grave marker inscribed in Latin stands in a grass covered cemetery

A stone grave marker with church in the background

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Dr Crom @doccrom.bsky.social · 8d

#EpigraphyTuesday – A pretty damn fabulous copper alloy 'tabula ansata' with an inscription for Mars Medocius, discovered in Camulodunum (Roman Colcehester): ca. AD 222-235. #Latin 🧵🏺

Image: British Museum (1892,0421.1). Link – britishmuseum.org/collection/o...

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Reposted by Kevin Wilbraham

Trimontium Trust & Museum @trimontiumtrust.bsky.social · 1d

This rare #Roman hat from #Trimontium, made of hair moss & straw using basketry techniques, shows the creativity of ancient artisans.

To learn more join our Iron Age Textiles Workshop to explore the skills, techniques & natural materials of textile making in the ancient world! 🏛️✨
zurl.co/hSFhM

Image of the hat described, over a white background

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Reposted by Kevin Wilbraham

Malcolm Stoneman @malcolmstoneman.bsky.social · 1d

“Bear with a banner” medieval tile -
14th Century

In 1382, Jean de Berry employed Spanish craftsmen to decorate his residences with armorial floor tiles at Mehun-sur-Yivre, Bourges & Poitiers. A skill then unknown in France.

#TilesOnTuesday

Caption “Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry” exhibition -
“In the spring of 1382, Jean de Berry obtained permission from the Duke of Girona, his relative, to send three craftsmen from the Valencia region to Spain to work, under the leadership of Jean de Valence, on the construction sites of his fabulous castle of Mehun-sur-Yivre, as well as on those of the palaces of Bourges and Poitiers. The innovative program consisted of decorating the state rooms and apartments with armorial floors made of earthenware tiles produced locally, thanks to the temporary importation of this expertise, then unknown in France”.

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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 1d

A stunning head of Medusa, the mythical creature whose sight turns everyone to stone. Medusa’s head was a popular motif used to ward off any evil.
The #Roman bronze fitting was found in Xanten, dating 1st century AD

On display at Römermuseum Xanten.

📷 me

🏺#archaeology

A detailed bronze sculpture of a face with wide eyes and flowing, wavy hair radiating outward resembling snakes, displayed in a glass case under museum lighting.

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 1d

The remains of Cairn Holy II - one of two Neolithic chambered cairns which overlook Wigtown Bay in Dumfries & Galloway. The Clyde-type chambered cairn was traditionally thought to be the tomb of Caldus, the mythical Scottish King. 📸 My own. #TombTuesday #Prehistory #CairnHoly

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 1d

A Roman votive stone to Asclepius and Hygiaea which was built into one of the north isle windows of the Church of St. John the Baptist at Tunstall in Lancashire. It probably came from the nearby Over Burrow Roman Fort. 📸 My own. #EpigraphyTuesday #RomanBritain #Tunstall

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 1d

Roof tile of the Sixth Legion from Roman York (Eboracum). The Sixth replaced the Ninth Legion at York in around AD 122. The tile is part of the museum collections at York Minster. 📸 My own. #TilesOnTuesday #RomanBritain #York

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Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 2d

The powerful face of Winter on a mosaic discovered by George Tupper in 1811 @bignorvilla.bsky.social in West #Sussex

Wrapped in a hooded cloak, this mid 4th century portrait is the only one of the 4 Seasons on the summer dining room floor to survive

📷 Nov 2023

#MosaicMonday #Roman #WinterIsComing

A mournful personification of Winter, tightly wrapped in a cloak, depicted on a Roman mosaic floor

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Reposted by Kevin Wilbraham

Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday & the mosaics at Rockbourne Roman Villa

See more of Ancient Hampshire & Wiltshire in our Hillforts Episodes >>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldg...

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Jon Hawke @archaeohawke.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday

As we move into Winter proper. A final look at summer 👀

Lullingstone floor mosaic depicts the mythical figure of Summer wearing a garland of corn.

#AncientBlueSky🏺
#Archaeology #History

Lullingstone Roman Villa is a villa built during the Roman occupation of Britain, situated in Lullingstone near the village of Eynsford in Kent, south-eastern England. The villa is located in the Darent Valley, along with six others, including those at Crofton, Crayford and Dartford. Constructed in the 1st century, perhaps around AD 80–90, the house was repeatedly expanded and occupied until it was destroyed by fire in the 4th or 5th century. The villa was occupied over various periods within the Romano-British period, but after its destruction, it is only thought to have been reoccupied during the medieval period. The occupants were most likely wealthy Romans or native Britons who had adopted Roman customs.

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Paul B 〓〓 @whatsmellslikeblue.bsky.social · 2d

Went to Bignor on Saturday, and saw many fine mosaics, one of which was of Venus. The text for the room says how her eyes follow you around the room. My sister and I agreed that she just looks bored. #MosaicMonday

A mosaic of the goddess Venus, rolling her eyes.

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 2d

Spectacular googly-eyed octopus does battle with a lobster in this 2,000 year-old Roman mosaic from Pompeii! 🐙 🦞

Fantastic fishy onlookers too! 👀

From the House of the Geometric Mosaics. Now at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.
📷 by me

#MosaicMonday
#Archaeology

My photo shows a polychrome mosaic depicting Mediterranean marine life using earthy-coloured tesserae (mosaic tiles) against a black tessarae background. At the centre of the mosaic is a pale-coloured octopus composed of off-white and light brown tesserae with some of its writhing tentacles wrapped around the body of a lobster composed of light red, and pinky-brown tesserae. The octopus has an egg shaped body/head and it stares at the viewer with large eyes made of brown and pink circles with black centres.

The octopus and lobster are surrounded by various species of large and small Mediterranean fish and a mollusc, including an eel and a flat fish. On the left hand side of the scene there is a small kingfisher bird on top of a rock. Some of the fish appear to be watching the fight between the octopus and the lobster

This mosaic comes from the House of the Geometric Mosaics in Pompeii. Now on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

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Fishbourne Roman Palace @romanpalace.bsky.social · 2d

Thought we should do one of our own for #MosaicMonday this week.

Our favourite: the Box and Crosses mosaic, along with a drawing so you can see what you could have won.

An overhead photo of a black and white geometric mosaic with a wall running through it and several fragments missing

A drawing of a black and white geometric mosaic with missing elements filled in.

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Reposted by Kevin Wilbraham

Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 2d

#MosaicMonday: colourful #Roman glass tesserae found in Geneva/Switzerland, dating 3rd/4th c. AD.

Mosaic cubes were made of stone, pottery, tile, or glass. Glass tesserae were rather fragile. They were used rather rarely in floor mosaics to provide colours that...🧵1/2

#archaeology 🏺

A pile of small glass mosaic cubes in shades of blue, green, and yellow, on a white surface.

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Dr Wendy Morrison @hillfortian.bsky.social · 1d

#MosaicMonday

Spotted last week in my travels into the southwest. Originally covering a 2 chambered room in a 4thC building, this hunting dog fragment now lives in the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes.

📸Mine 26/09/25

More details after description in Alt text

Fragment of mosaic with geometric border and animal central subject, hanging on a wall near a label

Museum label reads
CHERHILL ROMAN MOSAIC
the panel shows a hunting dog bounding past a leafy tree, evidently in pursuit of a stag or hind. The subject matter and style of the mosaic are so similar to the Christian mosaics from Hinton tSt.Maryand Frampton in Dorset,that they may all have been the work of the same mosaic craftsmen, perhaps based in or near Dorchester around the 4th Century AD.

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Hedley Thorne @hedleythorne.bsky.social · 1d

Wittenham Clumps at sunset yesterday. This is the view from the steps on the iron age hillfort of Castle Hill, looking towards Round Hill. #Oxfordshire

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North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 2d

The first recorded British sea battle took place #OTD in 719. Donnchad Becc, king of Cenn Tíre (Kintyre), brought to a halt the ascendancy of the Lorn king of Dál Riata, Selbach mac Ferchair. The standard Dál Riatan naval ship was the ‘seven-bencher’. 📸Gary Sutherland #medievalsky

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Andy Marshall @fotofacade.bsky.social · 2d

✨The literacy of light — through colour and form. In Norwich Cathedral’s north aisle, John McLean’s Trinity windows unfold like a line of visual prose. Unseen but powerfully present..

The north aisle of Norwich Cathedral glows in vivid hues from John McLean’s stained glass windows, bathing medieval stone arches in a radiant gradient of gold and violet.

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 2d

Some of the medieval roof bosses from the Church of St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. This remarkable church has over 1200! 📸 My own. #MedievalMonday #StMaryRedcliffe #Bristol

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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 2d

Mosaic fragment from Roman Cirencester (Corinium). The fragment was discovered at Victoria Road in 1947, and would have been part of a larger mosaic pavement. Now on display at Corinium Museum in Cirencester. 📸 My own. #MosaicMonday #RomanBritain #Cirencester

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