Ancient Sites Photo Gallery
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Italy, Rome, Porticus OctaviaeBuilt by Augustus in the name of his sister, Octavia Minor, after 27 BC.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Pyramid of Cestiusbuilt in 12 BC by Gaius Cestius Epulo
base: 29.6 m (100 Roman feet)
high: 37 m (125 Roman feet)
inscription:
C · CESTIVS · L · F · POB · EPULO · PR · TR · PL
VII · VIR · EPOLONVM
OPVS · APSOLVTVM · EX · TESTAMENTO · DIEBVS · CCCXXX
ARBITRATV
PONTI · P · F · CLA · MELAE · HEREDIS · ET · POTHI · L
inscription from 1663: INSTAVRATVM · AN · DOMINI · MDCLXIIIJ. B.
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Italy, Rome, Republican templesLargo di Torre Argentina
Wikipedia: "Temple of Juturna built by Gaius Lutatius Catulus after his victory against the Carthaginians in 241 BC. It was later rebuilt into a church, whose apse is still present.
Circular temple with six columns remaining, was built by Quintus Lutatius Catulus in 101 BC to celebrate his victory over Cimbri; it was Aedes Fortunae Huiusce Diei, a temple devoted to the "Luck of the Current Day"."
J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian)The baths of Diocletian were monumental in size. Much of the original building remains today, thanks in large measure to the church converting a large portion of the building into the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
The entrance to the building, which is used for Italian state religious functions, was originally the frigidarium. Admission to the building is free, and this is a MUST stop when in Rome for fans of the Ancient Roman Empire.Ron C2
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Italy, Rome, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri (The Baths of Diocletian)The baths of Diocletian were monumental in size. Much of the original building remains today, thanks in large measure to the church converting a large portion of the building into the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.
This is only one transept in what is a colossal building, but it gives an idea of the grandeur that was imperial Rome. The columns and ceiling stonework are original, but much of the wall decoration is 16th century, attributed to Michealangelo who restored the buildings to a church after centuries of looting. This is perhaps the largest standing western Roman building in the world with intact ceilings, it gives you a sense of what the height of Roman civilization might have looked like at its best.Ron C2
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Antoninus and FaustinaTemple was build in 141 AD and dedicated to Faustina. In 161 temple was re-dedicated jointly to Antoninus and Faustina.
Temple was later converted to a church, known as San Lorenzo in Miranda.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, with the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda, view from Palatine Hill, May 2005.Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, with the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda, view from Palatine Hill, May 2005. The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, adapted as a Roman Catholic church, Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda. It is in the Forum Romanum, on the Via Sacra, opposite the Regia. The temple was begun by Antoninus Pius in 141 and was initially dedicated to his deceased and deified wife, Faustina the Elder. When Antoninus Pius was deified after his death in 161 AD, the temple was re-dedicated jointly to Antoninus and Faustina at the instigation of his successor, Marcus Aurelius. The ten monolithic Corinthian columns of its pronaos are 17 metres high. The rich bas-reliefs of the frieze under the cornice, of garlanded griffons and candelabri, were often copied from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Antoninus_and_Faustina Photograph released to the public domain. Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Apollo SosianoBohemian
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Apollo SosianusName derives from its final rebuilder: Gaius Sosius.
Construction begun in 34 BC.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Hadrianbuilt by Antoninus Pius in 145 AD
now occupied by the Borsa bankJ. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Hercules VictorForum Boarium
built in the later second century BC
In 1132 the temple was converted to a church, known as Santo Stefano alle Carozze.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of PortunusForum Boarium
built in 75 BC
converted to church in 872J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Saturnfounded between 501 BC and 498 BC.
The present ruins are from last incarnation in 283 AD.
Silver and gold was stored there in republic times.
J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Venus and RomaThis is largest roman temple and it was designed by emperor Hadrian himself. Temple was finished by Antoninus Pius and repaired by Maxentius after fire. In 850 after earthquake pope Leo IV built Santa Maria Nova over ruins. In 1612 after renovation church was renamed to Santa Francesca Romana.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Venus Genetrixchurch of Santi Luca e Martina; curia; arch of Septimius Severus
... I think so many different types of building in the one picture you can find only in Rome.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Temple of VestaWhat remains of the temple of Vesta in the Roman forum. The structure was actually restored to the condition now seen. Photo taken in 2005Jay GT4
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Italy, Rome, Temple of Vesta in the Forum Romanum.Temple of Vesta in the Forum Romanum in Rome. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Vesta. All temples to Vesta were round, and had entrances facing east to symbolize connection between Vesta’s fire and the sun as sources of life. The Temple of Vesta represents the site of ancient cult activity as far back as 7th century BCE. Numa Pompilius is believed to have built this temple along with the original Regia and House of the Vestal Virgins in its original form. Around the Temple stood The Sacred Grove, in which also there was a graveyard for the priests and virgins. It was one of the earliest structures located in the Roman Forum although its present reincarnation is the result of subsequent rebuilding. Instead of a cult statue in the cella there was a hearth which held the sacred flame. The temple was the storehouse for the legal wills and documents of Roman Senators and cult objects such as the Palladium. The Palladium was a statue of Athena (Roman Minerva) believed to have been brought by Aeneas from Troy; the statue was felt to be one of the Pignora Imperii, or pledges of imperium, of Ancient Rome. According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the Romans believed that the Sacred fire of Vesta was closely tied to the fortunes of the city and viewed its extinction as a portent of disaster. The sacred flame was put out in 394 by Theodosius I after he won the Battle of the Frigidus, defeating Eugenius and Arbogast. The Temple of Vesta remained reasonably intact until the Renaissance. However, in 1549 the building was completely demolished and its marble reused in churches and papal palaces. The section standing today was reconstructed in the 1930s during the dictatorship of Benito Mussolini.
By Wknight94, 26 April 2008. Source: Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Rome, The Column of FocasThe Column of Phocas at Rome was erected before the Rostra and dedicated to the Emperor on 1 August 608. It was the last addition made to the Forum Romanum. The Corinthian column has a height of 13.6 m (44 ft). Both the column and the marble socle were recycled from earlier use. It still stands in its original location. An English translation of the inscription follows: To the best, most clement and pious ruler, our lord Phocas the perpetual emperor, crowned by God, the forever august triumphator, did Smaragdus, former praepositus sacri palatii and patricius and Exarch of Italy, devoted to His Clemency for the innumerable benefactions of His Piousness and for the peace acquired for Italy and its freedom preserved, this statue of His Majesty, blinking from the splendor of gold here on this tallest column for his eternal glory erect and dedicate, on the first day of the month of August, in the eleventh indiction in the fifth year after the consulate of His Piousness. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Column_of_Phocas. Image released to public domain.Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Rome, The Column of Marcus Aurelius with Detail Memorializing the "Miracle in the Rain"The Column of Marcus Aurelius in Piazza Colonna. The five horizontal slits (visible in the middle photo) allow light into the internal stairway. The photo on the right shows detail memorializing the "Miracle in the Rain."
On June 11, 173, during the Marcomannic Wars (166–180), the Roman army in Moravia was outnumbered and surrounded by the Quadi, suffering from the extreme heat, out of water, and on the verge of defeat. Dio writes, "many clouds gathered and a mighty rain, not without divine interposition, burst upon them...when the rain poured down, at first all turned their faces upwards and received the water in their mouths; then some held out their shields and some their helmets to catch it, and they not only took deep draughts themselves but also gave their horses to drink...while those on the one side were being drenched and drinking, the others [the Quadi] were being consumed by fire [lightning] and dying." The Romans were soon victorious. Marcus was saluted imperator for the seventh time and the "miracle of the rain" was memorialized on Marcus Aurelius' column. In 174, Marcus Aurelius officially conferred the title Fulminata (Thundering) to the Legio XII Fulminata.
Photos by Adrian Pingstone released to the public domain.
Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Rome, The Painted Garden of LiviaThe painted garden of Livia Augusta was located at her country residence in Prima Porta, 15km north along the Via Flaminia. It was decorating the walls of a windowless underground room which was probably used as a summer room.
The painted garden runs along the four walls depicting plants and trees in different periods of time with overlapping flowering and mature fruits. Plant species depicted include: umbrella pine, oak, red fir, quince, pomegranate, myrtle, oleander, date palm, strawberry, laurel, viburnum, holm oak, boxwood, cypress, ivy, acanthus, rose, poppy, chrysanthemum, chamomile, fern, violet, and iris. Birds are present almost everywhere.
In 1950 the frescoes were detached from the villa and transferred to the Museo Nazionale Romano di Palazzo Massimo, close to Stazione Termini, and located at the third floor.
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Italy, Rome, The temple of the Divine Antoninus Pius, Roman ForumThis is what remains of the Templs of the Divine Antoninus Pius. It was constructed by the Emperor Antoninus Pius, beginning in 141 AD in honor of his deified wife, Faustina the Elder. Faustina was the first Roman empress with a permanent presence in the Forum Romanum. When Antoninus Pius was deified in 161 AD, the temple was re-dedicated to both Antoninus and Faustina by Marcus Aurelius.
Apart from the baroque church facade that replaced the ancient roof the building is remarkably intact compared to the rest of the Forum.Ron C2
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Italy, Rome, Theatre of MarcellusTheatre was built in 13 BC and was named after Marcus Marcellus, Emperor Augustus's nephew, who died five years before its completion.J. B.
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Italy, Rome, Trajan's Column
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Italy, Rome, Trajan's Markets 1The first mall in history.
Posted by Strength And Honour.
Photo taken by my friend Hebe.
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Italy, Rome, Trajan's Markets 2Posted by Strength And Honour.
Photo taken by my friend Hebe.
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Italy, Rome, Trajan's Markets 3Posted by Strength And Honour.
Photo taken by my friend Hebe.
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Italy, Rome, Trajan's Markets 4The modern bronze statue of Trajan, which stands near this emperor's Forum.
Posted by Strength And Honour.
Photo taken by my friend Hebe.
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Italy, Rome, Unidentified Bust, Museum on PalatineMuseum on PalatineJ. B.
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Italy, Rome, Vatican Museums, Marble bustsVatican MuseumsJ. B.
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Italy, Rome, View from the ColosseumOn the left the Palatine Hill, the Via Sacra and Titus' Arch.
On the right Maxentius' Basilica
Posted by Strength And Honour.
Photo taken by my friend Hebe.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - remains of city wallJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Castor and Polluxbuilt +- 450 BCJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Concordiagreek colony - Akragas
temple from 5. century BC
6 x 13 columns built over a basament of 39.44 x 16.91 m
temple was turned into church in the 6th century ADJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Concordiagreek colony Akragas
temple from 5. century BCJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Heraclesbuilt in 5. century BCJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Junobuilt in the 5. century BC and burnt in 406 BC by the Carthaginians
used for the celebration of weddingsJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento - Temple of Juno LaciniaThis temple was constructed on a mostly artificial spur. It dates to c. 450 BC, measuring 38.15 x 16.90 m: it is in Doric style, peripteros 6 columns wide by 13 long, preceded by a pronaos and opisthodomos. The basement has four steps.
Current remains (including anastylosis from the 18th Century onwards) consist of the front colonnade with parts of the architrave and of the frieze. Only fragments of the other three sides survive, with few elements of the cella. The building was damaged in the fire of 406 BC and restored in Roman times, with the substitution of clay marble roof tiles with ones and the addition of a steep rise in the area where today can be seen the remains of the altar.
Nearby are arcosolia and other sepultures from Byzantine times, belonging to the late 6th century AD renovation of the Temple of Concordia into a Christian church.
Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento, Temple of ConcordiaDue to its good state of preservation, the Temple of Concordia is ranked amongst the most notable edifices of the Greek civilization existing today. It has a peristatis of 6 x 13 columns built over a basement of 39.44 x 16.91 m; each Doric column has twenty grooves and a slight entasis, and is surmounted by an architrave with triglyphs and metopes; also perfectly preserved are the tympani. The cella, preceded by a pronaos, is accessed by a single step; also existing are the pylons with the stairs which allowed to reach the roof and, over the cella's walls and in the blocks of the peristasis entablature, the holes for the wooden beam of the ceiling. The exterior and the interior of the temple were covered by polychrome stucco. The upper frame had gutters with lion-like protomes, while the roof was covered by marble tiles.
When the temple was turned into a church the entrance was moved to the rear, and the rear wall of the cella was destroyed. The spaces between the columns were closed, while 12 arched openings were created in the cella, in order to obtain a structure with one nave and two aisles. The pagan altar was destroyed and sacristies were carved out in the eastern corners. The sepultures visible inside and outside the temple date to the High Middle Age.
Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Sicily, Agrigento, Valley of the TemplesThe Valle dei Templi (English: Valley of the Temples, Sicilian: Vaddi di li Tempri) is an archaeological site in Agrigento (ancient Greek Akragas), Sicily, southern Italy. It is one of the most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art and architecture, and is one of the main attractions of Sicily as well as a national monument of Italy. The area was included in the UNESCO Heritage Site list in 1997. Much of the excavation and restoration of the temples was due to the efforts of archaeologist Domenico Antonio Lo Faso Pietrasanta (1783–1863), who was the Duke of Serradifalco from 1809 through 1812.
The term "valley" is a misnomer, the site being located on a ridge outside the town of Agrigento.
Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Sicily, Casale - roman villa - Basin at the entrancebuilt 301-325 AD
it was centre of huge latifundium but later it was used for holiday in byzantine and arabic times. It was abandoned in twelfth century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_CasaleJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Syracuse - amphitheatreJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Syracuse - Ear of Dionysiuscave in stone quarries, also used as prisons in ancient timesJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Syracuse - greek theatrebuilt in the 5. century BC
15000 spectrators
one of the largest greek theatresJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Syracuse - temple of Apollofrom 6. century BC
adapted to a church in Byzantine times and to a mosque under Arab ruleJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Syracuse - temple of Athenabuilt in 480 BC
in 7. century AD adapted to basilicaJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Taormina - theatreJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Taormina - theatre - Etna in the backgroundcalled Greek theatre but was built by Romans - maybe greek foundationsJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, View of Solanto from the ruins of Soluntum (aka Solus, Solous, and Kefra)View of Solanto from the ruins of Soluntum (aka Solus, Solous, and Kefra), Sicily
Solus (or Soluntum, near modern Solanto) was an ancient city on the north coast of Sicily, one of the three chief Phoenician settlements on the island, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) east of Panormus (modern Palermo). It lay 183 meters (600 ft) above sea level, on the southeast side of Monte Catalfano 373 meters (1,225 ft), in a naturally strong situation, and commanding a fine view. The date of its founding is unknown. Solus was one of the few colonies that the Phoenicians retained when they withdrew to the northwest corner of the island before the advance of the Greek colonies in Sicily. Together with Panormus and Motya, it allied with the Carthaginians. In 396 B.C. Dionysius took the city but it probably soon broke away again to Carthage and was usually part of their dominions on the island. In 307 B.C. it was given to the soldiers and mercenaries of Agathocles, who had made peace with the Carthage when abandoned by their leader in Africa. During the First Punic War it was still subject to Carthage, and it was not until after the fall of Panormus that Soluntum also opened its gates to the Romans. It continued to under Roman dominion as a municipal town, but apparently one of no great importance, as its name is only slightly and occasionally mentioned by Cicero. But it is still noticed both by Pliny and Ptolemy, as well as at a later period by the Itineraries. Its destruction probably dates from the time of the Saracens.
Excavations have brought to light considerable remains of the ancient town, belonging entirely to the Roman period, and a good deal still remains unexplored. The traces of two ancient roads, paved with large blocks of stone, which led up to the city, may still be followed, and the whole summit of Monte Catalfano is covered with fragments of ancient walls and foundations of buildings. Among these may be traced the remains of two temples, of which some capitals and portions of friezes, have been discovered. An archaic oriental Artemis sitting between a lion and a panther, found here, is in the museum at Palermo, with other antiquities from this site. An inscription, erected by the citizens in honor of Fulvia Plautilla, the wife of Caracalla, was found there in 1857. With the exception of the winding road by which the town was approached on the south, the streets, despite the unevenness of the ground, which in places is so steep that steps have to be introduced, are laid out regularly, running from east to west and from north to south, and intersecting at right angles. They are as a rule paved with slabs of stone. The houses were constructed of rough walling, which was afterwards plastered over; the natural rock is often used for the lower part of the walls. One of the largest of them, with a peristyle, was in 1911, though wrongly, called the gymnasium. Near the top of the town are some cisterns cut in the rock, and at the summit is a larger house than usual, with mosaic pavements and paintings on its walls. Several sepulchres also have been found.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soluntum
Photo by Allie Caulfield from Germany.Joe Sermarini
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Italy, Sicily, Villa Casalebuilt 301-325 AD
it was centre of huge latifundium but later it was used for holiday in byzantine and arabic times. It was abandoned in twelfth century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_CasaleJ. B.
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Italy, Sicily, Villa Casale - room of the 10 girls in bikinisbuilt 301-325 AD
it was centre of huge latifundium but later it was used for holiday in byzantine and arabic times. It was abandoned in twelfth century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Romana_del_CasaleJ. B.
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Italy, St. Peter's gate in the Basicilica of St. Mark in Venice.This is one of the frontal (western facade) portico entrances to St Mark's basilica in Venice. The church was founded in 1063 and is an fine example of byzantine architecture. Many of the columns, reliefs, and sculptures were spoils stripped from the churches, palaces, and public monuments of Constantinople as a result of the Venetian participation in the Fourth Crusade. Among the plundered artefacts brought back to Venice were the four ancient bronze horses that were placed prominently over the entry.
The mosaic depicts the arrival St Mark's body in Venice.
St Mark the Evangelist's body is buried here, after the Venetians plundered if from Alexandria.
Not shown, but sitting just above this mosaic, were the 4 bronze horses that adorned the main gate to Constantinople. Since 1974, these are exact replicas - the originals are in a nearby museum. The venetians carried them off as plunder when the 4th crusade sacked Constantinople in 1204.Ron C2
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Italy, Sybaris, Planning assumptions of Sybaris (Lucania)Planning assumptions of Sybaris by Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide (Sibari, Cs, Italy)
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Italy, The Temple of Venus and Rome, Velian Hill, RomeThought to have been the largest temple in Ancient Rome, the temple of Venus and Rome is located on the Velian Hill, between the eastern edge of the Forum Romanum and the Colosseum. It's built partially on the site of Nero's Domus Aureus. It was dedicated to the goddesses Venus Felix ("Venus the Bringer of Good Fortune") and Roma Aeterna ("Eternal Rome"). The amount of porphyry in this temple was notable, even for Rome.Ron C2
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Italy, Thurium, Planning assumptions of Thurium (Lucania)Planning assumptions of Thurium, by Archaeological Museum of Sibaritide (Sibari, Cs, Italy).
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Italy, Venice - Grand Canal and St. MarksVeiw from the ferry 1999Randygeki(h2)
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Italy, Venice, Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta Torcello interior mural showing the last judgementthis church is a notable example of Late Paleochristian architecture, one of the most ancient religious edifices in the Veneto, and containing the earliest mosaics in the area of Venice. The basilica was founded by the exarch Isaac of Ravenna in 639. The mosaic pieces are 24kt gold cabochons and the colors are largely semi-precious stone. It was built when the area was still very much under the influence of the Byzantine empire.
Sadly, this building is WAY off the beaten path and is almost never visited.
The skull of Saint Cecilia is kept as a relic here.Ron C2
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Italy, Volterra - Roman theatre first century BCJ. B.
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Italy, Vulci - brick edificeremains of Roman thermal complexJ. B.
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Italy, Vulci - cryptoporticohall in the basement of magnificent aristocrat's residence from the late 2nd century BCJ. B.
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Italy, Vulci - Great TempleEtruscan temple was at this site since 6th century BC, rebuilt by Romans.J. B.
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Jordan, Amman - AcropolisAmman in Jordan was ancient Philadelphia, a Decapolis town. Not much remains of the (second-century CE) Temple of Heracles which once dominated the city's acropolis, but the surviving columns are impressively large. Heracles also features prominently on Philadelphia's coinage.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, GadaraPart of an early Byzantine church complex at Umm Qais in north-west Jordan. Umm Qais is ancient Gadara of the Decapolis (as in the 'Gadarene swine' of Matthew 8:28-34). The city is built from a mixture of white limestone and dark basalt, often mixed together, which gives some of the buildings a curious chess-board look.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Jerash - NymphaeumGerasa’s Nymphaeum is quite well preserved and must have been spectacular in its prime. Originally there would have been a half-dome covering the top and each niche would have contained a statue. Note the holes in the lower level niches: the sculptures here would have also served as decorative water conduits to fill the basin underneath. Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Jerash - Oval PlazaJerash is ancient Gerasa in Jordan, one of the Decapolis cities. The superb Oval Plaza stands at one end of the Cardo.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Jerash - Temple of ArtemisArtemis was the patron goddess of Gerasa, and the temple dedicated to her was one of the city’s grandest monuments. It was reached by ascending an imposing processional Sacred Way, starting from the Cardo. The temple was built during the mid 2nd-century CE and worship continued there until suppressed by Theodosius around 391. Afterwards, in Byzantine times, part of the Sacred Way was converted into a church (the ‘Propylaeum Church’) and the temple courtyard was used as a pottery workshop, while the naos itself was left to crumble quietly away. Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Jerash, (Gerasa, Decapolis)Ancient Greek inscriptions from the city support that the city was founded by Alexander the Great and his general Perdiccas, who allegedly settled aged Macedonian soldiers there during the spring of 331 BC, when he left Egypt and crossed Syria en route to Mesopotamia. However, other sources, namely the city's former name of "Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas, point to a founding by Seleucid King Antioch IV, while still others attribute the founding to Ptolemy II of Egypt.
After the Roman conquest in 63 BC, Jerash and the land surrounding it were annexed to the Roman province of Syria, and later joined the Decapolis league of cities. The historian Josephus mentions the city as being principally inhabited by Syrians, and also having a small Jewish community. In AD 106, Jerash was absorbed into the Roman province of Arabia, which included the city of Philadelphia (modern day Amman). The Romans ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and encouraged civic building activity.
Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. And is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East" or of Asia, referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation.
Jerash was the birthplace of the mathematician Nicomachus of Gerasa (Greek: Νικόμαχος) (c. 60 – c. 120 AD).
In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, the Emperor Trajan constructed roads throughout the province, and more trade came to Jerash. The Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in AD 129–130. The triumphal arch (or Arch of Hadrian) was built to celebrate his visit.
The city finally reached a size of about 800,000 square meters within its walls. The Persian invasion in AD 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash. Beneath the foundations of a Byzantine church that was built in Jerash in AD 530 there was discovered a mosaic floor with ancient Greek and Hebrew-Aramaic inscriptions. The presence of the Hebrew-Aramaic script has led scholars to think that the place was formerly a synagogue, before being converted into a church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerash
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Place_ovale_de_Gerasa_new.JPG
Azurfrog, 2 November 2013
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Joe Sermarini
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Jordan, MachaerusMachaerus is in central Jordan, not far from the Dead Sea. It's one of Herod the Great's hilltop desert fortresses. Not as well-known or impressive as Masada perhaps, but Machaerus has it's own claim to fame: according to Josephus, Machaerus is where John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - 'Little Petra'This is Al-Barid (often called 'Little Petra') which is about 5 km distant from the central parts of Petra which attract all the tourists. By contrast, Little Petra is not often visited, but it's very atmospheric (with its own mini-Siq!) and an excursion here can also take in the nearby and fascinating Neolithic site of Beidha.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - Ed DeirThis is Ed Deir, one of the 'high places' of Petra. There's a rock cut path, you have to climb about 800 steps above Cardo level to get there, but worth it. Early Western visitors called it 'the Monastery', which perhaps it was during Byzantine times, originally though, a Nabataean temple (not a tomb).Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - Gate of TemenosPetra, Gate of Temenospax
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Jordan, Petra - KhasnehOK, it’s the photograph every visitor to Petra takes: the first sight of the Kasneh framed by the dark canyon of the Siq. But the view is breathtaking, so who can resist? Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - Qasr al-BintIt’s known locally by the name of Qasr al-Bint al-Faroun, ‘the Palace of Pharaoh’s Daughter’, but it’s really a Nabataean temple, probably originally dedicated to Dushrat. The Qasr al-Bint is one of the best preserved free-standing buildings in Petra and stands in a sacred precinct at the far end of the city’s Cardo. In front of the temple steps is a substantial open-air altar platform. The area still further in the foreground of the picture is now used as a Bedouin taxi rank, where the tired tourist who no longer wishes to walk can hire a camel or donkey for the trip back to the start of the Siq. Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - Roman Soldier's TombIt's popularly called the "Roman Soldier's Tomb" because the central headless figure on the facade is clearly wearing a cuirass. The trouble is that the tomb can't really be dated later than the early years of Rabbel II, i.e. at least 30 years before the Roman annexation in 106 CE. That makes a Roman officer's burial highly questionable. The interior layout is elaborate - a tomb intended for someone of quite high status.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - Silk TombThe 'Silk Tomb' is hard to photograph and is best visited near sunrise or sunset. Depending on the time of day (i.e. on the angle at which the sunlight strikes the rock) the colours either look vibrant and alive or flat and dull.Abu Galyon
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Jordan, Petra - The collonaded streetThis is the centre of the lower city and divides it in north and south.
This is the road that leads to the Semenos gate (at our back)
You can also see the following tombs (from left to right)
Corinthian tomb, Silk tomb and the Urn tomb.pax
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Jordan, Petra - The TreasuryI visited the ancient city of Petra in 1999, it is located in Jordan.
The Nabateers "build" this city in the dessert, all the temples and houses are carved in the soft rock.
When you have passed the Siq, the first temple you see is the Al-Khazneh Farun, or The Treasury.pax
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Jordan, Petra - The Treasury 2Al-Khazneh Farun - The Faro treasure
This was build in 84-85 b.c., by king Aretas IV.pax
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Jordan, Petra - TheaterA vieuw on some graves and on the left side a theater.pax
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Jordan, Petra - Theater 2The remains, the side were the artists stood.
The theater was build in 100 a.c., and expanded in 106 when the Romans came.pax
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Jordan, Petra - Theater 3pax
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Jordan, Petra, Al-Khazneh" or The TreasuryAl-Khazneh is one of the most elaborate temples in Petra, a city of the Nabatean Kingdom. As with most of the other buildings in this ancient town, including the Monastery, this structure was carved out of a sandstone rock face. The structure is believed to have been the mausoleum of the Nabatean King Aretas IV in the 1st century A.D. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in both Jordan and the region. It became known as "Al-Khazneh", or The Treasury, in the early 19th century by the area's Bedouins as they had believed it contained treasures. Many of the building's architectural details have eroded away during the two thousand years since it was carved and sculpted from the cliff. The sculptures are thought to be those of various mythological figures associated with the afterlife. On top are figures of four eagles that would carry away the souls. The figures on the upper level are dancing Amazons with double-axes. The entrance is flanked by statues of the twins Castor and Pollux who lived partly on Olympus and partly in the underworld. Joe Sermarini
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Jordan, Petra, The TheaterAt the end of the narrow gorge, the Siq, stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, popularly known as Al-Khazneh ("the Treasury"), hewn into the sandstone cliff. While remaining in remarkably preserved condition, the face of the structure is marked by hundreds of bullet holes made by the local Bedouin tribes that hoped to dislodge riches that were once rumored to be hidden within it. A little farther from the Treasury, at the foot of the mountain called en-Nejr, is a massive theater, positioned so as to bring the greatest number of tombs within view. At the point where the valley opens out into the plain, the site of the city is revealed with striking effect. The theater was cut into the hillside and into several of the tombs during its construction. Rectangular gaps in the seating are still visible. Almost enclosing it on three sides are rose-colored mountain walls, divided into groups by deep fissures and lined with knobs cut from the rock in the form of towers.
Date: 26 October 2006
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/douglaspperkins/286630893/
Author: Douglas Perkins
Joe Sermarini
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Jordan, Qasr Al-Abd, Hellenistic palace dating from approximately 200 BCJordan, Qasr Al-Abd, Hellenistic palace dating from approximately 200 B.C.
Photo by by Carole Raddato from Frankfurt, Germany, 18 April 2017.
Qasr al-Abd (Arabic: 'Castle of the Slave') is a large Hellenistic palace from the first quarter of the second century BCE. Its ruins stand in modern-day Jordan in the valley of Wadi Seer, close to the village of Iraq Al-Amir, approximately 17 kilometers west of Amman.
Qasr al-Abd is believed to be Tyros, the palace of a Tobiad notable, Hyrcanus of Jerusalem, head of the powerful Tobiad family and governor of Ammon in the 2nd century BCE. The first known written description of the castle comes down to us from Josephus, a first-century Jewish-Roman historian:
He also erected a strong castle, and built it entirely of white stone to the very roof, and had animals of a prodigious magnitude engraved upon it. He also drew round it a great and deep canal of water. He also made caves of many furlongs in length, by hollowing a rock that was over against him; and then he made large rooms in it, some for feasting, and some for sleeping and living in. He introduced also a vast quantity of waters which ran along it, and which were very delightful and ornamental in the court. But still he made the entrances at the mouth of the caves so narrow, that no more than one person could enter by them at once. And the reason why he built them after that manner was a good one; it was for his own preservation, lest he should be besieged by his brethren, and run the hazard of being caught by them. Moreover, he built courts of greater magnitude than ordinary, which he adorned with vastly large gardens. And when he had brought the place to this state, he named it Tyre. This place is between Arabia and Judea, beyond Jordan, not far from the country of Heshbon.
— Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, translated by William Whiston, Book XII, Chapter IV, 11.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qasr_al-AbdJoe Sermarini
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Jordan, Tell HesbanJordan, Tell Hesban. In Numbers and Deuteronomy Esbus is the capital of Amorite king, Sihon (also known as Sehon). The biblical narrative records the Israelite victory over Sihon during the time of the Exodus under the leadership of Moses. Moses died soon after the victory, after viewing the "promised land" from the top of Mount Nebo. Restored under the name of Esboús or Esboúta, it is mentioned among the towns of the Roman Arabia Petraea by Ptolemy.
Photo by Bashar TabbahJoe Sermarini
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Libya, The theatre of the Roman city of SabrathaPhoto made by the author (duimdog) of the theatre of the Roman city of Sabratha in Libya. For more images of Sabratha See also my Sabratha photoset on Flickr.Source: http://flickr.com/photos/duimdog/127614169/in/set-72057594105577693/
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.Joe Sermarini
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Lybia, Kyrene (Cyrene) City RuinsCyrene was an ancient Greek and later Roman city near present-day Shahhat, Libya. It was the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region. It gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica that it has retained to modern times. Cyrene lies in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar uplands. The city was named after a spring, Kyre, which the Greeks consecrated to Apollo. It was also the seat of the Cyrenaics, a famous school of philosophy in the fourth century B.C., founded by Aristippus, a disciple of Socrates. Joe Sermarini
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Lybia, Sabratha - Detail of Scaenae FronsA relief in one of the niches of the theatre frontSyltorian
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Lybia, Sabratha - Scaenae FronsThe scaenae frons of the theatre of Sabratha, modern Libya. The sea is visible behind, through the central gate. Note the great reliefs under the stage itself. Syltorian
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