The legendary capital of Lycia had always been the most important city of the country. Strabo describes it as the biggest city in Lycia. "Then one comes to the Xanthus River, which the people of earlier times called the Sirbis. Sailing up this river by rowboat for ten stadia one comes to the Letoüm; and… Continue reading Exploring Xanthos – images from the biggest city in Lycia
Category: Archaeology Travel
The Gladiator Mosaic at Nennig, Germany
When the Romans arrived and settled in the Moselle valley over 2,000 years ago, they brought many things with them, including underfloor heating, winemaking, aqueducts, and road networks. The remains of the rural farmsteads contain luxurious installations, some of which were almost palace-like in dimensions and decorated with splendid mosaics. A famous example of Roman… Continue reading The Gladiator Mosaic at Nennig, Germany
Picture of the day: the Roman theatre at Augusta Raurica (Augst, Switzerland), the best-preserved ancient complex north of the Alps
Last week, I was fortunate enough to visit the archaeological site of Augusta Raurica, the Roman town on the river Rhine at Augst (Switzerland). 2000 years ago, Roman army veterans and local Celts established a large town there. At that time Augusta Raurica was located on the edge of the Roman Empire on the border… Continue reading Picture of the day: the Roman theatre at Augusta Raurica (Augst, Switzerland), the best-preserved ancient complex north of the Alps
Wandering along the Appian Way – images from milestone I to VI
"O Appian way, which Caesar consecrates under the form of Hercules, and renders the most celebrated of Italian roads..." Martial, Spectacula 9.101 Via Appia Antica, ancient Rome's "Queen of Roads", was once one of the world's most important roads. It was originally built in 312 BC by Appius Claudius Caecus, the then-censor of Rome, who began… Continue reading Wandering along the Appian Way – images from milestone I to VI
The Temple of Venus and Roma, Upper Via Sacra, Rome
The Temple of Venus and Roma (Latin: Templum Veneris et Romae) was the largest temple in Ancient Rome. It was located at the far east side of the Forum Romanum, near the Colosseum. It was dedicated to the goddesses Venus Felix (Venus the Bringer of Good Fortune) and Roma Aeterna (Eternal Rome). The designer was… Continue reading The Temple of Venus and Roma, Upper Via Sacra, Rome
The Gladiator Mosaic at Bad Kreuznach, Germany
Last November, I visited the Römerhalle at Bad Kreuznach, Germany. It is a museum that displays finds from a late 2nd century Roman villa as well as other Roman finds from the district of Bad Kreuznach. Around 58 BC, the Rhineland-Palatinate region became part of the Roman Empire, with a Roman vicus named Cruciniacum, forming a supply station… Continue reading The Gladiator Mosaic at Bad Kreuznach, Germany
Picture of the day: Cat among the ruins of the Prytaneion at Ephesus (Turkey)
Ephesus is teeming with cats. I happen to love cats and this is my best cat shot from Ephesus. The reason I chose this photo today is that I just caught Cat Scratch Disease, an infection following the scratch of a cat, not from Ephesus, but from the ancient city of Olympos in Lycia. I never knew such… Continue reading Picture of the day: Cat among the ruins of the Prytaneion at Ephesus (Turkey)
Exploring the Limes Germanicus – images from Rome’s Germanic Frontier
From one end of the empire to another! The Roman empire encircled the Mediterranean Sea, and beyond that, lay its frontiers. At its height, the empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea, through the deserts of the Middle East to the Red Sea, and across North Africa. The “Limes” represents the border line… Continue reading Exploring the Limes Germanicus – images from Rome’s Germanic Frontier
Picture of the day: Los Milagros Aqueduct, Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Spain)
The Los Milagros Aqueduct (Acueducto de Los Milagros) is an incredibly well-preserved Roman water supply system in Mérida in Spain. Augusta Emerita was a Roman city in western Spain, modern Mérida, capital of the province of Lusitania. It was a very large city, which needed three aqueducts. The most impressive of these is the Los Milagros aqueduct "Miraculous Aqueduct".… Continue reading Picture of the day: Los Milagros Aqueduct, Augusta Emerita (Mérida, Spain)
Picture of the day: The Temple of Apollo at Claros, Ionia
The Temple of Apollo at Claros (also called Klaros) was a very important center of prophecy as in Delphi and Didyma. The temple, which probably replaced an earlier one, is dated to the third century BC and is the only temple built in Doric style in Ionia. It was built upon a stepped platform measuring 26… Continue reading Picture of the day: The Temple of Apollo at Claros, Ionia