On 15 October 117, Hadrian crossed the Cilician Gates (Pylae Ciliciae), the most famous mountain pass through the Taurus Mountains. The new Emperor was travelling northward into Cappadocia along the Via Tauri, which runs across the mountain chain. We know from a fragment of an itinerary found in Rome that Hadrian left Antioch at the… Continue reading 15 October AD 117 – Hadrian crosses the Cilician gates and arrives in Cappadocia (#Hadrian1900)
At the beginning of October AD 117, Hadrian departed from Antioch, leaving the command of the province of Syria to Catilius Severus, who had just been installed as a legate. However, the Emperor could not return directly to Rome. He had received news of the uprising of the Sarmatian tribes who lived beyond the lower… Continue reading 13 October AD 117 – Hadrian travels back to Rome and reaches Mopsucrene (#Hadrian1900)
On 8 August AD 117, after a 19-year reign of military glory, Emperor Trajan died at the coastal town of Selinus in western Cilicia (present-day Gazipaşa, about 180 km East of Antalya on the southern coast of Turkey). According to Cassius Dio, Trajan fell seriously ill after an unsuccessful siege of the Mesopotamian city of… Continue reading 8 August AD 117 – Trajan dies at Selinus (#Hadrian1900)
The Temple of Hadrian at Ephesus is regarded as one of the most famous monuments of the ancient city of Ephesus. It lies on the south side of Curates Street, one of Ephesus' main arteries connecting the Gate of Hercules with the Library of Celsus. The remains of the Temple were unearthed in 1956 during… Continue reading The Temple of Hadrian at Ephesus, Ionia (Turkey)
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the accession of Trajan to the imperial throne (28 January 98 AD). As a tribute, here is a selection of images from the Temple of Trajan at Pergamon, an ancient Greek city in Aeolis. The Temple of Trajan (Trajaneum) was one of the most spectacular structures built on the… Continue reading Photoset: The Temple of Trajan on the Upper Acropolis of Pergamon (Turkey)
It is one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. The temple of Hadrian was built before 138 A.D by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 129 A.D. The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a… Continue reading Picture of the week: Curetes Street and the Temple of Hadrian, Ephesus (Turkey)
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
Ahead of tonight's programme about Caligula (BBC Two 21:00) presented by Mary Beard, here is a picture of a bronze fitting head of Medusa that decorated one of the Nemi Ships. The vessels were built on the orders of emperor Caligula around AD 37-41. The bronze fittings are the most important set of objects found… Continue reading Picture of the week: Head of Medusa, bronze fitting of the Nemi Ships built by Caligula at Lake Nemi
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
The ancient city of Seleukeia (or Lyrbe) is located 15 km north of Manavgat and was only rediscovered by archaeologists in the early 1970s. The city is known to have been founded as a fortified acropolis, serving as a final defence and protection in the event of an attack on Side. Upon the pirates' capture… Continue reading Exploring Seleukeia (Lyrbe) – images from a forgotten city in Pamphylia
