| Last additions - Joe Sermarini |
Turkey, Sart - Sardis, Lydia, Remains of the Temple of Artemis with the acropolis visible in the backgroundTurkey, Sart - Sardis, Lydia, Remains of the Temple of Artemis with the Acropolis visible in the background.
The Temple of Artemis, originally built in 300 B.C., renovated by the Romans in the 2nd century A.D., Sardis, Lydia.
Photo by Carole Raddato from Frankfurt, Germany, 2 April 2015.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.Joe SermariniFeb 29, 2024
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Turkey, Dinar - Ruins of Apamea Cibotus (Apameia ad Maeandrum)Ruins of Apamea Cibotus (Apameia ad Maeandrum)
Apameia in Phrygia (or Apamea, Apamea Cibotus, Apamea Kibotos, or Apamea ad Maeandrum) was an ancient city founded in the 3rd century B.C. by Antiochus I Soter, who named it after his mother Apama. It was in Hellenistic Phrygia, but became part of the Roman province of Pisidia. Apamea is mentioned in the Talmud (Ber. 62a, Niddah, 30b and Yeb. 115b). Christianity was very likely established early in the city. Saint Paul probably visited the place when he went throughout Phrygia. The mid third century A.D. coins of Apamea Kibotos with scenes of Noah and his ark are among the earliest biblical scenes in Roman art. Apamea continued to be a prosperous town under the Roman Empire. Its decline began with the local disorganization of the empire in the 3rd century and when trade routes were diverted to Constantinople. Although a bishopric, it was not an important military or commercial center in Byzantine times. Its ruin was completed by an earthquake.
Photo by Haubi Gerhard Haubold, 20 October 1994, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.Joe SermariniFeb 25, 2024
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Sudan, Island of Meroe - Archaeological Site - Pyramids of Meroe - Northern CemeterySudan, Island of Meroe - Archaeological Site - Pyramids of Meroe - Northern Cemetery
by Ron Van Oers, 2017 © UNESCO
https://whc.unesco.org/en/documents/114973
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mero%C3%ABJoe SermariniJan 17, 2024
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Greek, Phoenicia, Tyre, 91 - 90 B.C., Half Shekel, The Temple Tax Coin, Year 37SH15316. Silver half shekel, BMC Phoenicia p. 242, 129 var. (beth between legs); Cohen DCA 919; HGC 10 358; Baramki AUB -, gVF, Phoenicia, Tyre (Lebanon) mint, weight 7.082g, maximum diameter 24.1mm, die axis 0o, 90 - 89 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Melqart right, lion's skin knotted around neck; reverse TYPOY IEPAΣ KAI AΣYΛOY (of Tyre the holy and inviolable), eagle standing left, head left, wings closed, right talon on war galley ram, palm frond transverse right behind, date ZΛ (year 37) over club & palm left, Δ (control) right, Phoenician letter samekh between legsJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Roman Empire, Tiberius, 19 August 14 - 16 March 37 A.D., Tribute Penny of Matthew 22:20-21, Giard Lyon, group 1SH85106. Silver denarius, Giard Lyon, group 1, 144; RIC I 26 (C); BMCRE I 34; RSC II 16; Hunter I C3691; SRCV I 1763, Mint State, extraordinary!, centered, light golden toning on luster, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, weight 3.826g, maximum diameter 18.8mm, die axis 0o, early 'plain' fine style, c. 15 - 18 A.D.; obverse TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right; reverse PONTIF MAXIM (high priest), Pax (or Livia as Pax) seated right on chair with plain legs set on base, long scepter vertical behind in her right hand, branch in left hand, no footstoolJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Roman Empire, Tiberius, 19 August 14 - 16 March 37 A.D., Tribute Penny of Matthew 22:20-21, Giard Lyon, group 2SH84743. Silver denarius, Giard Lyon, group 2, 146; RIC I 28 (S); BMCRE I 44; RSC II 16b; SRCV I 1763, Choice Mint State, as struck mint luster, excellent centering and bold strike, slightest die wear, tiny light scratch on cheek, weight 3.925 g, maximum diameter 18.9 mm, die axis 135o, Lugdunum (Lyon, France) mint, early ornate style, 15 - 18 A.D.; obverse TI CAESAR DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS, laureate head right; reverse PONTIF MAXIM (high priest), Pax (or Livia as Pax) seated right on chair with ornately decorated legs set on base of two lines above exergue, reversed spear vertical behind in her right hand, branch in left hand, no footstool; even better in hand, the finest Tribute Penny Forum has ever offered (and we have handled hundreds over the last 20 years), from the Marcelo Leal Collection; scarceJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Roman Empire, Licinius I, 11 November 308 - 18 September 324 A.D., Billon argenteus, RIC VI Treveri 825SH34997. Billon argenteus, RIC VI Treveri 825 (R3), Cohen 99 (3 Fr.), Choice gVF, 1st officina, Treveri (Trier, Germany) mint, weight 2.306g, maximum diameter 18.5mm, die axis 125o, c. 310 - 313 A.D.; obverse IMP LICI-NIVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left, mappa in right, spear over shoulder in left; reverse IOVI CONSERVATORI AVG (to Jupiter the protector of the emperor), Licinius borne aloft by eagle right, wings spread, head left, emperor holds scepter in left and thunderbolt in right, PTR in exergue; near perfect centering, some softness as is typical on this series, good metal; very rareJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Roman Empire, Faustina Sr., Augusta 25 February 138 - Early 141, Wife of Antoninus Pius, gold aureus, RIC III AP356dFaustina Sr., Augusta 25 February 138 - Early 141, Wife of Antoninus Pius
SH33181. Gold aureus, SRCV II 4553 (same dies), Cayon 1765 (same), RIC III AP356d, Cohen II 98, BMCRE IV AP398, Choice EF, Rome mint, weight 6.923g, maximum diameter 19.8mm, die axis 180o, 147 - 161 A.D.; obverse DIVA FAVSTINA, diademed, draped and veiled bust left; reverse AVGVSTA, Ceres standing left, torch in right hand, scepter in left hand; very light hairline scratches; ex Numismatik Lanz auction 135, lot 745 (misattributed); ex Goldberg auction 44, lot 3704 (ICG AU 50); hints of red toning, bold and beautiful, struck with elegant dies!; scarceJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Medieval, Crusaders, Principality of Antioch, Bohemond III, 1163 - 1201Crusaders, Principality of Antioch, Bohemond III, 1163 - 1201
Cover Coin - book cover coin for Malloy, Preston and Seltman's Coins of the Crusader States.
SH45453. Billon denier, Malloy Crusaders p.211, 53b (book cover coin), Choice EF, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, weight 0.994g, maximum diameter 17.3mm, die axis 135o, obverse + BOAMVNDVS, elongated bearded head right wearing helmet and chain-mail, crescent left, star right, A ornamented with pellets; reverse + AMTIOCNIA (sic), cross pattée, crescent in upper right angle, A's ornamented with pellets; buyer will receive a free copy of Coins of the Crusader States signed by Alex Malloy; scarce; from the collection of Alex G. Malloy, former dealer for 40 years. Ex A.J. Seltman Collection. Joe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Greek, Ptolemaic Ammanitis, Tobiads, Hyrkanos of Jerusalem, c. 200 - 169 B.C., Silver Tetradrachm Imitative of Ptolemy II, Aumaitre-Lorber 49 (O35/R34)GP112789. Silver tetradrachm, Aumaitre-Lorber 49 (O35/R34); Lorber CPE 700; Svoronos 776, pl. lxiv, 1-2; BMC Ptolemies p. 33, 116; for prototype see Lorber CPE 649, Svoronos 775, EF, high relief, flow lines, light marks, Tyros (Qasr al-Abd palace, Jordan) mint, weight 13.311g, maximum diameter 29.0mm, die axis 0o, c. 169 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I right wearing aegis; reverse ΠTOΛEMAIOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ, eagle standing left on thunderbolt, wings closed, head left, ΠT over ΛΕ monograms left, AB over Θ rightJoe SermariniDec 25, 2023
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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 SermariniDec 25, 2023
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Turkey, Antiocheia in PsidiaRemote view of the ancient city called Antioch located in Yalvaç district of Isparta province, in Turkey.
Photo by Maderibeyza at Turkish Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch_of_PisidiaJoe SermariniDec 03, 2023
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France, Nimes - Maison CarreeThe Maison carrée is an ancient Roman temple in Nîmes, southern France; it is one of the best-preserved Roman temples to survive in the territory of the former Roman Empire. It is a mid-sized Augustan provincial temple of the Imperial cult, a caesareum.
The Maison carrée inspired the neoclassical Église de la Madeleine in Paris, St. Marcellinus Church in Rogalin, Poland, and in the United States the Virginia State Capitol, which was designed by Thomas Jefferson, who had a stucco model made of the Maison carrée while he was minister to France in 1785.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maison_carr%C3%A9e
In September 2023, the Maison carrée of Nîmes was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.Joe SermariniOct 29, 2023
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Israel, Ancient ruins of Beit She'anAncient ruins of Beit She'an
Public Domain - PikiWiki - Israel free image collection project 2009Joe SermariniAug 23, 2023
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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 SermariniOct 23, 2022
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Turkey, Iasos, View of the agora from the bouleuterionTurkey, Iasos, View of the agora from the bouleuterion
Iasos or Iassos, Latinized as Iasus or Iassus, was a Greek city in ancient Caria located on the Gulf of Iasos (now called the Gulf of Gulluk), opposite the modern town of Gulluk, Turkey. It was originally on an island, but is now connected to the mainland, near the village of Kiyikislacik, about 31 km from the center of Milas. Iasos was a member of the Delian League and was involved in the Peloponnesian War, 431–404 B.C. After the Sicilian expedition of the Athenians, Iasos was attacked by the Spartans and their allies; it was governed at the time by Amorges, a Persian chief, who had revolted from Darius II. It was taken by the Spartans, who captured Amorges and delivered him up to Tissaphernes. The town itself was plundered on that occasion. It became part of the Hecatomnid satrapy in the 4th century and was conquered by Alexander. We afterwards find it besieged by Philip V, king of Macedon, who, however, was compelled by the Romans to restore it to Ptolemy V of Egypt. It seems to have been abandoned in about the 15th–16th century, in the Ottoman period. Part of the city walls still exist, and are of a regular, solid, and handsome structure. In the side of the rock a theater with many rows of seats still remains, and several inscriptions and coins have been found there.
Photo source: By AlexanderVanLoon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47358665Joe SermariniOct 09, 2022
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England, London, British Museum, Nereid Monument from Xanthos LyciaLondon, British Museum, Partial reconstruction of the Nereid Monument at Xanthos in Lycia, ca. 390–380 BC. Main floor, room 16: Nereid Monument.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XanthosJoe SermariniOct 08, 2022
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Ukraine - Olbia, Sarmatia, Black Sea AreaRuins of Olbia, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AncientTownOlvia.jpg (Image in public domain)
Pontic Olbia is an archaeological site of an ancient Greek city on the shore of the Southern Bug estuary (Hypanis) in Ukraine, near the village of Parutyne. The archaeological site is protected as the National Historic and Archaeological Preserve. The preserve is a research and science institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The Hellenic city was founded in the 7th century BC by colonists from Miletus. Its harbor was one of the main emporium on the Black Sea for the export of cereals, fish, and slaves to Greece, and for the import of Attic goods to Scythia.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olbia_(archaeological_site)
Joe SermariniAug 30, 2022
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LABORS OF HERCULESA Roman sarcophagus from 250-260 A.D. depicting the labors of Hercules found at Pappa Tiberiopolis, Pisidia in the Archaeological Museum, Konya.
Photo by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada.Joe SermariniJan 30, 2022
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Spain, Bilbilis (Augusta Bilbilis)Photo by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20367699
Augusta Bilbilis was a city (or municipium) founded by the Romans in the province of Hispania Tarraconensis. It was the birthplace of famous poet Martial c. 40 AD. The modern town of Calatayud was founded near this Roman site.
Recent excavations have uncovered many of the impressive remains visible today which dominate the surrounding area and are testament to the city's rich past.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilbilis_(Augusta_Bilbilis)
Joe SermariniJan 27, 2022
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Heracles and the Stymphalian birds. Detail of a Roman mosaic from Llíria, Spain.The Stymphalian birds are man-eating birds with beaks of bronze, sharp metallic feathers they could launch at their victims, and poisonous dung.
"These fly against those who come to hunt them, wounding and killing them with their beaks. All armour of bronze or iron that men wear is pierced by the birds; but if they weave a garment of thick cork, the beaks of the Stymphalian birds are caught in the cork garment, just as the wings of small birds stick in bird-lime. These birds are of the size of a crane, and are like the ibis, but their beaks are more powerful, and not crooked like that of the ibis." — Pausanias. Description of Greece, 8.22.5
These birds were pets of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt; or had been brought up by Ares, the god of war. They migrated to a marsh in Arcadia to escape a pack of wolves. There they bred quickly and swarmed over the countryside, destroying crops, fruit trees, and townspeople.
The Sixth Labour of Heracles. The Stymphalian birds were defeated by Heracles (Hercules) in his sixth labour for Eurystheus. Heracles could not go into the marsh to reach the nests of the birds, as the ground would not support his weight. Athena, noticing the hero's plight, gave Heracles a rattle called krotala, which Hephaestus had made especially for the occasion. Heracles shook the krotala (similar to castanets) on a certain mountain that overhung the lake and thus frightening the birds into the air. Heracles then shot many of them with feathered arrows tipped with poisonous blood from the slain Hydra. The rest flew far away, never to plague Arcadia again. Heracles brought some of the slain birds to Eurystheus as proof of his success.
The surviving birds made a new home on an island of Aretias in the Euxine Sea. The Argonauts later encountered them there.
According to Mnaseas, they were not birds, but women and daughters of Stymphalus and Ornis, and were killed by Heracles because they did not receive him hospitably. In the temple of the Stymphalian Artemis, however, they were represented as birds, and behind the temple there were white marble statues of maidens with birds' feet.Joe SermariniOct 25, 2021
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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 SermariniOct 11, 2021
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Cybele enthroned, with lion, cornucopia, and mural crown. Roman marble, c. 50 AD. Getty MuseumCybele enthroned, with lion, cornucopia, and mural crown. Roman marble, c. 50 AD. Getty Museum
Cybele is an Anatolian mother goddess. Phrygia's only known goddess, she was probably its national deity. Greek colonists in Asia Minor adopted and adapted her Phrygian cult and spread it to mainland Greece and to the more distant western Greek colonies around the 6th century BC.
In Greece, Cybele met with a mixed reception. She became partially assimilated to aspects of the Earth-goddess Gaia, of her possibly Minoan equivalent Rhea, and of the harvest–mother goddess Demeter. Some city-states, notably Athens, evoked her as a protector, but her most celebrated Greek rites and processions show her as an essentially foreign, exotic mystery-goddess who arrives in a lion-drawn chariot to the accompaniment of wild music, wine, and a disorderly, ecstatic following. Uniquely in Greek religion, she had a eunuch mendicant priesthood. Many of her Greek cults included rites to a divine Phrygian castrate shepherd-consort Attis, who was probably a Greek invention. In Greece, Cybele became associated with mountains, town and city walls, fertile nature, and wild animals, especially lions.
In Rome, Cybele became known as Magna Mater ("Great Mother"). The Roman state adopted and developed a particular form of her cult after the Sibylline oracle in 205 BC recommended her conscription as a key religious ally in Rome's second war against Carthage (218 to 201 BC). Roman mythographers reinvented her as a Trojan goddess, and thus an ancestral goddess of the Roman people by way of the Trojan prince Aeneas. As Rome eventually established hegemony over the Mediterranean world, Romanized forms of Cybele's cults spread throughout Rome's empire. Greek and Roman writers debated and disputed the meaning and morality of her cults and priesthoods, which remain controversial subjects in modern scholarshipJoe SermariniSep 19, 2021
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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 SermariniJun 28, 2021
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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 SermariniJun 27, 2021
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Apollo kitharoidos (holding a lyre). Marble, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE, influence of Hellenistic statuary of the 2nd century BC. From the Temple of Apollo at Cyrene (modern Libya).The Apollo of Cyrene is a colossal Roman statue of Apollo found at the ancient city of Cyrene, Libya. This enormous sculpture was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century at the Temple of Apollo at Cyrene in Libya, where it was probably the main cult image. It was excavated by the British explorers and amateur archaeologists Captain Robert Murdoch Smith and Commander Edwin A. Porcher. The statue was found broken into 121 pieces, lying near the large plinth where it originally stood. The fragments were later reassembled in the British Museum to create a relatively intact statue with only the right arm and left hand missing.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_of_CyreneJoe SermariniJun 20, 2021
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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 SermariniJun 19, 2021
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Turkey, Metropolis, Ionia, the Roman TheaterMetropolis was on the road between Smyrna and Ephesus. Neolithic, Hittite, Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods are represented at the site. Metropolis was a part of the Kingdom of Pergamum during the Hellenistic period, the time when the city reached a zenith of cultural and economic life. Metropolis had a temple dedicated to Ares, one of only two known dedicated to the war god. Strabo wrote that the district produced excellent wine. The ruins are of a Hellenistic city heavily Romanized, with Byzantine remains laid across it – a church to the east of the city, and fortification walls laid across city that connect to the Hellenistic defenses on the Acropolis. Excavations began in 1989. A Hellenistic marble seat of honor with griffins was found in the Ancient Theater. The original seat is in the Ä°zmir Archeological Museum and a replica has been placed at the site.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(Anatolia)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amph_theatre_Metropolis.JPG
By David Hill (DiaboloDave), 2007.
Released to the public domain.Joe SermariniSep 23, 2020
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Turkey, Metropolis, Ionia from the EastMetropolis was on the road between Smyrna and Ephesus. Neolithic, Hittite, Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods are represented at the site. Metropolis was a part of the Kingdom of Pergamum during the Hellenistic period, the time when the city reached a zenith of cultural and economic life. Metropolis had a temple dedicated to Ares, one of only two known dedicated to the war god. Strabo wrote that the district produced excellent wine. The ruins are of a Hellenistic city heavily Romanized, with Byzantine remains laid across it – a church to the east of the city, and fortification walls laid across city that connect to the Hellenistic defenses on the Acropolis. Excavations began in 1989. A Hellenistic marble seat of honor with griffins was found in the Ancient Theater. The original seat is in the Ä°zmir Archeological Museum and a replica has been placed at the site.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(Anatolia)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metropolis_from_the_east.jpg
By David Hill (DiaboloDave), 2003.
Released to the public domain.
Joe SermariniSep 23, 2020
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Turkey, Ephesos, Façade of the Celsus library, in Ephesus, near Selçuk, west Turkey.Turkey, Ephesos, Façade of the Celsus library, in Ephesus, near Selçuk, west Turkey.
The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, Anatolia, now part of Selçuk, Turkey. The building was commissioned in the 110s A.D. by a consul, Gaius Julius Aquila, as a funerary monument for his father, former proconsul of Asia Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, and completed during the reign of Hadrian, sometime after Aquila's death. The library is considered an architectural marvel, and is one of the only remaining examples of a library from the Roman Empire. The Library of Celsus was the third-largest library in the Roman world behind only Alexandria and Pergamum, believed to have held around twelve thousand scrolls. Celsus is buried in a crypt beneath the library in a decorated marble sarcophagus. The interior measured roughly 180 square metres (2,000 square feet). The interior of the library and its contents were destroyed in a fire that resulted either from an earthquake or a Gothic invasion in 262 C.E., and the façade by an earthquake in the tenth or eleventh century. It lay in ruins for centuries until the façade was re-erected by archaeologists between 1970 and 1978.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ephesus_Celsus_Library_Fa%C3%A7ade.jpg
Benh LIEU SONG, 21 June 2010
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Joe SermariniSep 03, 2020
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Spain, Segovia, AqueductThe Aqueduct of Segovia (Spanish: Acueducto de Segovia; more accurately, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. It is one of the best-preserved elevated Roman aqueducts and the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms. As the aqueduct lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in the structure's attic, or top portion[citation needed]), the date of construction cannot be definitively determined. The general date of the Aqueduct's construction was long a mystery, although it was thought to have been during the 1st century AD, during the reigns of the Emperors Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan. At the end of the 20th century, Géza Alföldy deciphered the text on the dedication plaque by studying the anchors that held the now missing bronze letters in place. He determined that Emperor Domitian (AD 81–96) ordered its construction and the year 98 AD was proposed as the most likely date of completion. However, in 2016 archeological evidence was published which points to a slightly later date, after 112 AD, during the government of Traianus or in the beginning of the government of emperor Hadrianus, from 117 AD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduct_of_Segovia
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AcueductoSegovia_edit1.jpg
Manuel González Olaechea y Franco, 21 March 2004Joe SermariniSep 02, 2020
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Crimea, Kerch, Prytaneion of PanticapaeumThe prytaneion of Panticapaeum, second century BC. Kerch's Obelisk of Glory is visible in the background. Panticapaeum was an ancient Greek city on the eastern shore of Crimea, which the Greeks called Taurica. The city was built on Mount Mithridat, a hill on the western side of the Cimmerian Bosporus. It was founded by Milesians in the late 7th or early 6th century BC. The ruins of the site are now located in the modern city Kerch.
Joe SermariniAug 27, 2020
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Bronze age monumental bas-relief of Warpalawas, king of Tyana (on right), praying to the sky/storm god Tarhunta (on left).Teshub was the Hurrian god of sky, thunder, and storms. Taru was the name of a similar Hattic Storm God, whose mythology and worship as a primary deity continued and evolved through descendant Luwian and Hittite cultures. In these two, Taru was known as Tarhun / Tarhunt- / Tarhuwant- / Tarhunta, names derived from the Anatolian root *tarh "to defeat, conquer." Tarhunta was assimilated into and identified with the Hurrian Teshub by the religious reforms of Muwatalli II, ruler of the Hittite New Kingdom in the early 13th century BCE. Teshub reappears in the post-Hurrian cultural successor kingdom of Urartu as Tesheba, one of their chief gods; in Urartian art he is depicted standing on a bull. The depiction on this coin is from a monumental relief found at Tyana, an ancient city in the Anatolian region of Cappadocia, in modern Kemerhisar, Niğde Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey. It was the capital of a Luwian-speaking Neo-Hittite kingdom in the 1st millennium BC.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tarhunta_Warpalawas_IstArchMu.jpg
Photographer: QuartierLatin1968Joe SermariniJun 05, 2020
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Turkey, Yalvac, Antioch of Pisidia, St. Paul'sSt. Paul’s Church (Great Basilica). The building reflects all the elements of basilical plan and consists of three naves and a semicircular apse. The exterior surface of the apse is encircled with a hexagonal wall. The apse has a diameter of 10,8 m and a depth of 9,2 m. The central nave is separated from the narrow naves on the sides by two rows of columns each having 13 columns and these columns test on hexagonal bases. The 27 x 13 m narthex (entrance) on the west of the building, which measures 70 x 27 m, lies in the east west direction and leans on the city walls. The ground of the central nave is composed of red, yellow, white and black tesserae and is covered with a mosaic decorated with geometric and floral motifs. The name of Archbishop Optimus, represented Antiocheia in the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD and one of the founders of Orthodoxy takes place in an inscription on the mosaic in front of the apse. This name forms a basis for dating the building construction to the late 4th century AD. This date is the beginning date for the monumental churches in Anatolia. The Great Basilica of Antiocheia is one of the two earliest example of Early Christian churches. The church visible today is the 5th – 6th century AD church, which was a restored version from the late 4th century AD and placed on the 1st floor of the church of Optimus. St. Paul, regarded as the most famous and efficient missionary of Early Christianity together with St. Pierre, had three visits to Antiocheai between the years 46-62 AD and preached in the synagogue under the foundations of the current church. He announced Christianity to the world from here. In his preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath he read texts from Holy Law and writings of the prophet. This is considered as St. Paul’s first preaching as a missionary. On the picture: The semicircular apse of the basilica, situated at its east side. It is encircled by an exterior hexagonal wall.Joe SermariniApr 09, 2020
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Turkey, Antalya, The ruins of the Temple of Apollo at SideThe ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Side, Antalya, Turkey
21 October 2011
Photo by:
Saffron Blaze, via http://www.mackenzie.co
This file was a finalist in Picture of the Year 2012.
This is a featured picture on Wikimedia Commons (Featured pictures) and is considered one of the finest images.Joe SermariniApr 08, 2020
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Iberian-Celtic HelmetIberian-Celtic HelmetJoe SermariniMar 16, 2020
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Israel, Hamat Gadar, inscription of the Empress Eudocia's poem about the Hamat Gader bathsIsrael, Hamat Gadar, inscription of the Empress Eudocia's poem about the Hamat Gader baths, 5th Century AD
The Hamat Gader Poem inscribed on the baths at Hamat Gader was very short, and can be included here, as evidence of her hexameter writing style. The poem was inscribed so visitors could read it as they went into the pool.
I have seen many wonders in my life, countless,
But who, noble Clibanus, however many his mouths, could proclaim
Your might, when born a worthless mortal? But rather
It is right for you to be called a new fiery ocean,
Paean and parent, provider of sweet streams.
From you the thousandfold swell is born, one here, one there,
On this side boiling-hot, on that side in turn icy-cold and tepid.
Into fountains four-fold four you pour out your beauty.
Indian and Matrona, Repentius, holy Elijah,
Antoninus the Good, Dewy Galatia, and
Hygieia herself, warm baths both large and small,
Pearl, ancient Clibanus, Indian and other
Matrona, Strong, Nun, and the Patriarch's.
For those in pain your powerful might is always everlasting.
But I will sing of a god, renowned for wisdom
For the benefit of speaking mortals.
The inscription of the poem
The line "Of the Empress Eudocia" flanked by two crosses is set above the poem. This title line was added after the carving of the main inscription, making room for some doubt whether the poem was indeed authored by Eudocia. Clibanus is the name given to the source of the hot water. After praising his qualities and those of his many springs ("the thousandfold swell"), the poem enumerates "four-fold four", thus sixteen different parts of the bath complex, fourteen of which bear a name; these names include Hygieia (the pagan goddess of health), a whole range of pagan personal names, "holy Elijah" referring to the prophet, and two refer to Christians – a nun and a patriarch.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eudocia's_poem_Hamat_Gader.png
Greek Inscriptions from Ḥammat Gader: A Poem by the Empress Eudocia and Two Building Inscriptions Author(s): JUDITH GREEN and YORAM TSAFRIR
Source: Israel Exploration Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2/3 (1982), pp. 77-96Joe SermariniNov 27, 2019
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Israel, Hamat Gadar, Ruins of the Roman BathsHamat Gader was already a well known health and recreation site in Roman times, mentioned in Strabo, Origen and Eunapius, as well as the Rabbinic literature. Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in nearby Gadara (modern Umm Qais). The ancient Hebrew name means hot springs of (the ancient city of) Gadara. The Arabic name El-Hamma preserves this, and the name of the tel located near the site, Tel Bani, is a corruption of the Latin word meaning "baths." The empress Aelia Eudocia composed a poem praising the qualities of the multiple springs which was inscribed so that visitors could see it as they went into the pool.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamat-gader_25.jpg
Photo by Daniel Ventura
Joe SermariniNov 27, 2019
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Israel, Hamat Gadar, Ruins of SynagogueHamat Gader was already a well known health and recreation site in Roman times, mentioned in Strabo, Origen and Eunapius, as well as the Rabbinic literature. Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in nearby Gadara. The ancient Hebrew name means hot springs of (the ancient city of) Gadara. Gadar today is nearby modern Umm Qais. The Arabic name El-Hamma preserves this, and the name of the tel located near the site, Tel Bani, is a corruption of the Latin word meaning "baths." The empress Aelia Eudocia composed a poem praising the qualities of the multiple springs which was inscribed so that visitors could see it as they went into the pool. The mosaic pavement recovered from the 5th century Hamat Gader synagogue, is now installed in the entrance hall of the Supreme Court of Israel.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hamat-gader-archeol-site-synagoge.jpgJoe SermariniNov 27, 2019
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Israel, Jerusalem, Supreme Court Entrance Hall - Mosaic from Hamat Gader Synagogue A section of the mosaic pavement recovered from the ancient Hamat Gader synagogue, now installed in the entrance hall of the Supreme Court of Israel.
Hamat Gader was already a widely known health and recreation site in Roman times. It is mentioned in Strabo, Origen and Eunapius, as well as the Rabbinic literature. Construction of the bath complex began in the 2nd century by the 10th Roman Legion, which was garrisoned in nearby Gadara. The site includes a Roman theater, which was built in the 3rd century CE and contained 2,000 seats. A large synagogue was built in the 5th century CE. The empress Aelia Eudocia composed a poem praising the qualities of the multiple springs which was inscribed so that visitors could see it as they went into the pool.Joe SermariniNov 26, 2019
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Israel, Beth Shean, Ancient RuinsBeit She'an, better known in English as Beth Shean, is a city in the Northern District of Israel. It has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. In the Biblical account of the battle of the Israelites against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, the bodies of King Saul and three of his sons were hung on the walls of Beit She'an (1 Samuel 31:10-12). In Hellenistic and Roman times, the city was named Scythopolis and was the leading city of the Decapolis, a league of pagan cities. The ancient city ruins are now protected within the Beit She'an National Park. Joe SermariniNov 26, 2019
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Israel, Beth Shean, The Roman TheaterBeit She'an, better known in English as Beth Shean, is a city in the Northern District of Israel. It has played an important role in history due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and the Jezreel Valley. In the Biblical account of the battle of the Israelites against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, the bodies of King Saul and three of his sons were hung on the walls of Beit She'an (1 Samuel 31:10-12). In Hellenistic and Roman times, the city was named Scythopolis and was the leading city of the Decapolis, a league of pagan cities. The ancient city ruins are now protected within the Beit She'an National Park. Joe SermariniNov 26, 2019
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The relief of the imperial triumph (Titus driving a quadriga) Arch of Titus, Rome, ItalyThe relief of the imperial triumph Arch of Titus, Rome, Italy. The Triumphal Arch of Titus, erected in c. 81 CE by Domitian to commemorate his brother Titus' campaigns in the Jewish War (70-71 CE).
On 14 April 70 A.D. Titus surrounded Jerusalem. He allowed pilgrims to enter to celebrate Passover but this was a trap to put pressure on supplies of food and water; he refused to allow them to leave. On 10 May he began his assault on the walls. The third wall fell on 25 May. The second wall fell on 30 May. On 20 July Titus stormed the Temple Mount. On 4 August 70 A.D., Titus destroyed the Temple. The Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av mourns the Fall of Jerusalem annually on this date. Upon his arrival in Rome in 71, Titus was awarded a triumph. As depicted in relief of the imperial triumph on the Arch of Titus in Rome, Titus rode into the city in a quadriga, enthusiastically saluted by the Roman populace and preceded by a lavish parade containing treasures and captives from the war. Josephus describes a procession with large amounts of gold and silver carried along the route, followed by elaborate re-enactments of the war, Jewish prisoners, and finally the treasures taken from the Temple of Jerusalem, including the Menorah and the Pentateuch. He was accompanied by Vespasian and Domitian. Simon Bar Giora was executed in the Forum, after which the procession closed with religious sacrifices at the Temple of Jupiter.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arch_Titus,_relief_triumph,_Forum_Romanum,_Rome,_Italy.jpg
Date 22 August 2013 for photograph
Author JebulonJoe SermariniJul 13, 2019
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Farnese HerculesThe Farnese Hercules is one of the most famous ancient sculptures. It is a colossal copy made after a smaller Lysippos original, and intended to adorn the Baths of Caracalla. The sculpture was discovered and removed from the baths in 1546, entering the famous collection of Alessandro Farnese. It now resides in the museum of Naples.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnese_HerculesJoe SermariniJul 13, 2019
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Turkey, İncealiler - Termessos ad OenoandaOenoanda in the upper valley of the Xanthus River, was a colony of Termessos Major, and was also called Termessos Minor. The ruins of the city lie west of the modern village İncealiler in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province, Turkey, which partly overlies the ancient site. An extensive inscription of Diogenes of Oenoanda has been identified from over 300 scattered fragments, apparently from the stoa, varying in size from a few letters to passages of several sentences covering more than one block. The inscription sets out Epicurus' teachings on physics, epistemology, and ethics. It was originally about 25,000 words long and filled 260 square meters of wall. The stoa was dismantled in the second half of the third century A.D. to make room for a defensive wall; previously the site had been undefended.
By Ansgar Bovet - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18861664Joe SermariniJun 29, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia The Commercial AgoraTurkey, Side, Pamphylia the Commercial Agora
The great ruins of Side are among the most notable in Asia Minor. The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the Hellenistic main gate (Megale Pyle) of the ancient city, although this gate from the 2nd century BC is badly damaged. Next comes the colonnaded street, whose marble columns are no longer extant; all that remains are a few broken stubs near the old Roman baths. The street leads to the public bath, restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period. Next is the square agora with the remains of the round Tyche and Fortuna temple (2nd century BC), peripteral with twelve columns, in the middle. In later times it was used as a trading center where pirates sold slaves. The remains of the theater, which was used for gladiator fights and later as a church, and the monumental gate date back to the 2nd century. The early Roman Temple of Dionysus is near the theater. The fountain gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side are the remains of a Byzantine Basilica. A public bath has also been restored. The remaining ruins of Side include three temples, an aqueduct, and a nymphaeum.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_Commercial_agora_panorama_2.jpg
Author, Date: Dosserman, 20 February 2015
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Joe SermariniJun 23, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia Theater 2nd Century AD ExteriorTurkey, Side, Pamphylia theater 2nd century AD, exterior. The great ruins of Side are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory which a wall and a moat separate from the mainland. There are colossal ruins of a theater complex, the largest in Pamphylia, built in the 2nd century A.D. Following design it relies on arches to support the sheer verticals. The Roman style was adopted because Side lacked a convenient hillside that could be hollowed out in the usual Greek fashion more typical of Asia Minor. In Greek fashion, the seating (for 15,000–20,000 people) curves 210° vice the usual 180° for a Roman theater. The stage building was ornately adorned but the decorations and the theater are damaged, in part due to a strong earthquake. The theater was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during the 5th or 6th century (Byzantine times).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_TH_au.JPG
Author, Date: Dosseman, 21 March 2011
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Joe SermariniJun 23, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia Theater 2nd Century AD panoramaTurkey, Side, Pamphylia, theater 2nd century AD, panorama
The great ruins of Side are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory which a wall and a moat separate from the mainland. There are colossal ruins of a theater complex, the largest in Pamphylia, built in the 2nd century A.D. Following design it relies on arches to support the sheer verticals. The Roman style was adopted because Side lacked a convenient hillside that could be hollowed out in the usual Greek fashion more typical of Asia Minor. In Greek fashion, the seating (for 15,000–20,000 people) curves 210° vice the usual 180° for a Roman theater. The stage building was ornately adorned but the decorations and the theater are damaged, in part due to a strong earthquake. The theater was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during the 5th or 6th century (Byzantine times).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_Theatre_panorama.jpg
Author, Date: Dosseman, 21 March 2011
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Joe SermariniJun 23, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia Temple of Apollo The ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Side, Antalya, Turkey.
The great ruins of Side are among the most notable in Asia Minor. The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the Hellenistic main gate (Megale Pyle) of the ancient city, although this gate from the 2nd century BC is badly damaged. Next comes the colonnaded street, whose marble columns are no longer extant; all that remains are a few broken stubs near the old Roman baths. The street leads to the public bath, restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period. Next is the square agora with the remains of the round Tyche and Fortuna temple (2nd century BC), peripteral with twelve columns, in the middle. In later times it was used as a trading center where pirates sold slaves. The remains of the theater, which was used for gladiator fights and later as a church, and the monumental gate date back to the 2nd century. The early Roman Temple of Dionysus is near the theater. The fountain gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side are the remains of a Byzantine Basilica. A public bath has also been restored. The remaining ruins of Side include three temples, an aqueduct, and a nymphaeum.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunrise_apollo_side.jpg
Photo by Saffron Blaze, via http://www.mackenzie.co
Date: 21 October 2011
Authorization: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.enJoe SermariniJun 23, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia Temple of Tyche on the commercial agoraThere are two agoras: a commercial one and one, called "State agora." On the commercial one there is a round temple, well-restored, that was dedicated to Tyche. The agora is over 8000 square meters, surrounded by columns, with shops, exedras and latrines and washing places. On it inconceivable numbers of slaves must have been traded, for during part of its history Side was a major center for pirates who stationed their fleet here. In the center stood a temple for the protective goddess of the city, Tyche. The present construction dates from the 2nd century A.D., it was in use in Byzantine times.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_Tyche_temple_on_agora_6140.jpg
Author, Date: Dosserman, 20 February 2015
Joe SermariniJun 23, 2019
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Turkey, Side, Pamphylia Theater 2nd Century ADThe great ruins of Side are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory which a wall and a moat separate from the mainland. There are colossal ruins of a theater complex, the largest in Pamphylia, built in the 2nd century A.D. Following design it relies on arches to support the sheer verticals. The Roman style was adopted because Side lacked a convenient hillside that could be hollowed out in the usual Greek fashion more typical of Asia Minor. In Greek fashion, the seating (for 15,000–20,000 people) curves 210° vice the usual 180° for a Roman theater. The stage building was ornately adorned but the decorations and the theater are damaged, in part due to a strong earthquake. The theater was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during the 5th or 6th century (Byzantine times).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Side_Theatre_4192.jpg
Author, Date: Dosseman, 21 March 2011
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Joe SermariniJun 22, 2019
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Dacian Draco on Trajan's ColumnThe Dacian Draco was the standard ensign of troops of the ancient Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several metal tongues. The hollow dragon's head was mounted on a pole with a fabric tube affixed at the rear. In use, the draco was held up into the wind, or above the head of a horseman, where it filled with air and gave the impression it was alive while making a shrill sound as the wind passed through its strips of material. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacian_DracoJoe SermariniApr 08, 2019
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Dacian Draco on Trajan's ColumnThe Dacian Draco was the standard ensign of troops of the ancient Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several metal tongues. The hollow dragon's head was mounted on a pole with a fabric tube affixed at the rear. In use, the draco was held up into the wind, or above the head of a horseman, where it filled with air and gave the impression it was alive while making a shrill sound as the wind passed through its strips of material. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacian_DracoJoe SermariniApr 08, 2019
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Greece, Epirus, Kassope Street in Kassope and view to the southGreece, Epirus, Kassope Street in Kassope and view to the south
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kassope_2016-05-09_13.06.21.jpg
9 May 2016 Rjdeadly
Kassope or Cassope was an ancient Greek city in Epirus. Kassope occupies a magnificent and remote site on a high platform overlooking the sea, the Ambracian Gulf and the fertile lands to the south, and with the slopes of the Zalongo mountain to the north. It is considered one of the best remaining examples of a city built on a rectilinear street grid of a Hippodamian plan in Greece. The first settlements on the site are from the Paleolithic. However the city of Kassope was founded in the middle of the 4th century B.C. as the capital of the Kassopaeans, a sub-tribe of the Thesprotians. It belonged to the Aetolian League. Cassope or Cassopia is mentioned in the war carried on by Cassander against Alcetas II of Epirus, in 312 B.C. The city flourished in the 3rd century BC, when large public buildings were built. Kassope also minted its own coins. It was destroyed by Roman forces in 168-167 B.C. Kassope was abandoned in 31 B.C. when the remaining inhabitants resettled to Nikopolis the region’s new capital. The visible remains include the Cyclopean walls, an agora, a theater, the prytaneion. Joe SermariniFeb 16, 2019
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Turkey, near Denizli, Laodicea on the LycusLaodicea on the Lycus was an ancient city built on the river Lycus (Curuksu), in Lydia, later the Roman Province of Phrygia Pacatiana. It contained one of the Seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation. It is now near the modern city of Denizli. In 2013 the archaeological site was identified as a of World Heritage Site. The existing remains attest to its former greatness. Its many buildings include a stadium, baths, temples, a gymnasium, theaters, and a bouleuterion (Senate House). On the eastern side, the line of the ancient wall may be distinctly traced, with the remains of the Ephesus gate; there are streets traversing the town, flanked by colonnades and numerous pedestals. North of the town, towards the Lycus, are many sarcophagi, with their covers lying near them, partly embedded in the ground, and all having been long since rifled.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laodicea_(2).JPG
Photo by Rjdeadly, 16 May 2012Joe SermariniFeb 02, 2019
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Cybele, Marble statue of Cybele from Formia in Lazio, circa 60 BCEMarble statue of Cybele from Formia in Lazio, circa 60 BCE. From the collection of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Item number IN 480.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cybele_formiae.jpg
Photo by ChrisO, 26 August 2008Joe SermariniJan 29, 2019
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Turkey, Antalya Province, Limyra - TheaterLimyra was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, about 5 1/2 KM from the mouth of that river. The ruins are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in Lycia. It had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the Lycian League. The city came under control of the Persian Empire after it was conquered by Cyrus the Great. He later annexed Lydia and its territories after a decisive victory at the Battle of Thymbra and the Siege of Sardis, where he defeated armies twice as large as his. Cyrus then got his greatest general: Harpagus of Media to conquer the much smaller kingdoms in Anatolia, while he went to conquer the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Anatolia would become an important place for the Persian monarchs who succeeded Cyrus. The massive Royal road constructed by Darius went from the Persian capital of Persepolis, to the Anatolian city of Sardis. Limyra would stay under Persian control until it was conquered and sacked by Alexander the Great. It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102). Ruins consist of a theater, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmented arch bridges of the world.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LimyraTheater1.jpg
Photo by Kpisimon, 8 May 1988
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 UnportedJoe SermariniJan 25, 2019
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Syria, Arwad / Ruad (Arados, Phoenicia)Arwad, an island about 800 m long by 500 m wide, about 50 km north of Tripolis, was settled in the early 2nd millennium B.C. by the Phoenicians. Ancient Arados was an important trading city surrounded by a massive wall and an artificial harbor on the east side toward the mainland. Its powerful navy and ships are mentioned in the monuments of Egypt and Assyria. In the Bible, an "Arvad" is noted as the forefather of the "Arvadites," a Canaanite people. Arados ruled some neighboring cities on the mainland, such as Marat (present-day Amrit) and Sumur, the former nearly opposite the island and the latter some kilometers to the south and held hegemony over the northern Phoenician cities from the mouth of the Orontes to the northern limits of Lebanon, something like that of Sidon in the south. Under the Persians, Arwad was allowed to unite in a confederation with Sidon and Tyre, with a common council at Tripolis. When Alexander the Great invaded Syria in 332 B.C., Arados submitted without a struggle under her king Strato, who sent his navy to aid Alexander in the reduction of Tyre. The city received the favor of the Seleucid kings of Syria and enjoyed the right of asylum for political refugees. It is mentioned in a rescript from Rome about 138 B.C. in connection with other cities and rulers of the East, to show favor to the Jews. This was after Rome had begun to interfere in the affairs of Judea and Syria and indicates that Arwad was still of considerable importance at that time.
Photo by NASA.Joe SermariniJan 16, 2019
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Turkey, Sanliurfa Province, Urfa - Roman Columns of EdessaThe heritage of Roman Edessa survives today in these columns at the site of Urfa Castle, dominating the skyline of the modern city of Urfa.
Photo by Bernard Gagnon, 24 May 2014.Joe SermariniJan 15, 2019
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Turkey, Istanbul - the Column of MarcianThe column of emperor Marcian, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Column of Marcian was dedicated to Marcian, built by the praefectus urbi Tatianus, sometime between 450 and 452. It still stands in modern Istanbul, though the statue of Marcian which originally topped it has been lost. Marcian also had a statue in the Forum of Arcadius, which contained the statues of several of Arcadius' successors.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20111224_Flavius_Marcianus_Augustus_Column_Fatih_Istanbul_Turkey.jpgJoe SermariniJan 06, 2019
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Rondanini MedusaSo-called “Rondanini Medusa”. Marble, Roman copy after a 5th-century BC Greek original by Phidias, which was set on the shield of Athena Parthenos.
Homer wrote about the Gorgon on four occasions, but only about the head, as if the creature had no body. Up to the 5th century B.C., the head depicted was very ugly, with her tongue sticking out, boar tusks, puffy cheeks, her eyeballs staring straight ahead and the snakes twisting all around her. The direct frontal stare was highly unusual in ancient Greek art. In some cases a beard, (probably representing streaks of blood) was added to her chin, making her appear as a wild. Gorgoneia painted on the shields of warriors on mid-5th century Greek vases, however, are not as ugly, strange or frightening. By that time, the Gorgon had lost her tusks and the snakes were rather stylized. The Hellenistic marble known as the Medusa Rondanini shows how the Gorgon changed over time into a beautiful woman.Joe SermariniJan 02, 2019
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Turkey, Kizilcakuyu (Euromus, Caria) The Temple of Zeus LepsinosThe Temple of Zeus Lepsinos at Euromus was built on the site of an earlier Carian temple in the 2nd century AD during the reign of the emperor Hadrian.Joe SermariniDec 15, 2018
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Greece, Kos, Gymnasium of Kos, archaeologic site in Kos city, Kos island Gymnasium of Kos, archaeologic site in Kos city, Kos island.Joe SermariniDec 15, 2018
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Turkey, Dalyan - The rock tombs of KaunosOutside the official Kaunos archeological site, near Dalyan, Turkey there are six rock tombs on the Dalyan river (4th – 2nd century BC). The façades of the rock tombs resemble the fronts of Hellenistic temples with two Ionian pillars, a triangular pediment, an architrave with toothed friezes, and acroterions shaped like palm leaves.Joe SermariniDec 14, 2018
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PARTHIA/PERSIA, Kingdom of Elymais, Kamnaskires-Orodes, Mid 2nd Century A.D., Bronze DrachmGB14570. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 12.3.1-2A; SGICV 5910 (Kamnaskires-Orodes III); BMC Arabia 28 p. 268, 71 ff. (Orodes II), VF, weight 3.397g, maximum diameter 14.9mm, obverse long bearded diademed bust facing, bunches of hair at sides and on top; to right, pellet inside crescent above anchor with double crossbar; reverse irregular dashesJoe SermariniAug 12, 2018
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PARTHIA/PERSIA, Kingdom of Elymais, Prince B, 3rd Century A.D., Bronze DrachmGB87419. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 20.1, 1-1A, (type a); SGICV 5921; BMC Arabia p. 287, 2 ff. (Uncertain Kings), aVF, highlighting earthen deposits, tight flan, weight 3.133g, maximum diameter 14.7mm, die axis 0o, c. 180 - 220 B.C.; obverse forked bearded bust left, diadem with 2 bands, hair tuft on top tied with a ribbon ends flowing, hair tuft at back of head, anchor with pellet in crescent above to right; reverse Athena standing facing, her helmeted head right, spear in right hand, resting left on grounded shieldJoe SermariniAug 12, 2018
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PARTHIA/PERSIA, Kingdom of Elymais, Kamnaskires-Orodes, Early - Mid 2nd Century A.D., Bronze DrachmGB87423. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 12.3.1-2A2, e.; SGICV 5910 (Kamnaskires-Orodes III), BMC Arabia p. 268, 74 ff. (Kamnaskires), VF, dark patina with highlighting earthen deposits, weight 3.610g, maximum diameter 16.2mm, die axis 0o, obverse long bearded cuirassed bust facing, large tufts of upward-oriented hair at sides, wearing diademed tiara; to right, pellet inside crescent above anchor; reverse irregular dashesJoe SermariniAug 12, 2018
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PARTHIA/PERSIA, Kingdom of Elymais, Phraates, Early - Mid 2nd Century A.D., Bronze DrachmGB87420. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 14.6.1-3; BMC Arabia p. 272, 1 ff.; SGICV 5899, aVF, dark green patina, highlighting earthen deposits, tight flan, small edge cracks, weight 3.550g, maximum diameter 15.5mm, die axis 0o, Early - Mid 2nd Century A.D.; obverse ΦPA, bearded bust left wearing tiara with pellet in crescent; pellet inside crescent above anchor with one crossbar right; reverse BACIΛEVC ΠPAATHC (blundered), Artemis standing right, not radiate, drawing arrow from quiver with right, bow in leftJoe SermariniAug 12, 2018
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PARTHIA/PERSIA, Kingdom of Elymais, Orodes III, 2nd Century A.D., Bronze DrachmGB87421. Bronze drachm, vant Haaff 16.4.2-1A, b.; SGICV 5906 ff.; BMC Arabia p. 276, 44, VF, dark blue-green patina with highlighting buff earthen deposits, edge cracks, weight 3.259g, maximum diameter 15.2mm, die axis 0o, 2nd Century A.D.; obverse long bearded bust left wearing tiara ornamented with anchor; to right, pellet inside crescent above anchor with one crossbar; reverse parallel dashesJoe SermariniAug 12, 2018
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Greece, Amphipolis, Lion of Amphipolis - Via Egnatia, west side of the Strymonas riverAmphipolis is best known for being a magnificent ancient Greek polis (city), and later a Roman city, whose impressive remains can still be seen. It is famous in history for events such as the battle between the Spartans and Athenians in 422 B.C., and also as the place where Alexander the Great prepared for campaigns leading to his invasion of Asia. Alexander's three finest admirals, Nearchus, Androsthenes and Laomedon, resided in this city and it is also the place where, after Alexander's death, his wife Roxane and their small son Alexander IV were exiled and later murdered. Excavations in and around the city have revealed important buildings, ancient walls and tombs. The finds are displayed at the archaeological museum of Amphipolis. At the nearby vast Kasta burial mound, an important ancient Macedonian tomb has recently been revealed. The unique and beautiful "Lion of Amphipolis" monument nearby is a popular destination for visitors.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Loewe_von_Amphipolis.jpg
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
Date 16 June 2018
Author Neptuul Joe SermariniAug 08, 2018
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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 SermariniAug 07, 2018
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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 SermariniJun 14, 2018
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Roman Imperators, Julius Caesar, denarius, Alföldi Caesar, type III, 115 (this coin, not in plates)SH82705. Silver denarius, Alföldi Caesar, type III, 115 (this coin); BMCRR Rome 4147 (also I); Crawford 480/3; RSC I 34; Sydenham 1056; Sear Imperators 100; RBW 1678 (H) , gVF, toned, banker’s mark on obverse, areas of flat strike, attractive deep old cabinet toning, with hints of iridescence around the devices, Rome mint, weight 3.607g, maximum diameter 21.8mm, die axis 30o, moneyer M. Mettius, Jan - Feb 44 B.C.; obverse CAESAR·IMP, wreathed head of Caesar right, cymbium (boat shaped cup used as a wine ladle) and lituus (augural wand) behind; reverse M METTIVS, Venus standing left, Victory in her extended right hand, long transverse scepter in left hand, resting left elbow on shield which rests on globe, I (control letter) in lower left field; ex Roma Numismatics e-sale 23 (9 Jan 2016), lot 376; ex Andrew McCabe Collection; ex CNG e-auction 237 (21 July 2010), lot 344; ex Professor L Fontana Collection; rare.Joe SermariniJun 04, 2018
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Syria, The Ma'abed - Temple at Marathos (Amrit)One of the most important excavations at Marathos (Amrit) was the Phoenician temple, commonly referred to the "ma'abed," dedicated to the god Melqart of Tyre and Eshmun. The colonnaded temple, excavated between 1955 and 1957, consists of a large court cut out of rock measuring 47 × 49 metres (154 × 161 ft) and over 3 metres (9.8 ft) deep, surrounded by a covered portico. In the center of the court a well-preserved cube-shaped cella stands. The open-air courtyard was filled with the waters of a local, traditionally sacred spring, a unique feature of this site. The temple—which was dated to the late 4th century BC, a period following the Persian expansion into Syria—shows major Achaemenid influence in its layout and decoration. According to Dutch archaeologist, Peter Akkermans, the temple is the "best-preserved monumental structure from the Phoenician homeland."
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrit#/media/File:Amrit01.jpg
Photo by Jerzy StrzeleckiJoe SermariniMay 25, 2018
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Athlit Bronze War Galley RamThe Athlit ram, found in 1980 off the coast of Israel near at Athlit Bay (just south of Haifa), is the one of a few surviving ancient war galley rams. Carbon 14 dating of timber remnants date it to between 530 BC and 270 BC. It was once fit on the prow of an ancient oared warship. This would be driven into the hull of an enemy ship in order to puncture it and thus sink, or at least disable, the ship. It is made of a single casting of bronze weighing 465kg and measures about 2.10m long. The ram is thus one of the largest bronze objects to survive from the ancient world and is currently on display in the National Maritime Museum, Haifa, Israel. Captured rams were once used to ornament Octavian's battle monument at Actium, Greece. Only the sockets that held them remain. The valuable bronze was melted long ago.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_ram
http://www.learningsites.com/Athlit/AthlitRam_home.php
For other recovered galley rams see:
https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2013/04/rare-bronze-rams-found-at-site-of-final.html
https://www.historytoday.com/ann-natanson/roman-naval-power-raising-ramJoe SermariniMay 11, 2018
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Greek, Sicily, Syracuse, Agathokles, 317 - 289 B.C., Electrum 50 LitraiSH86808. Electrum 50 litrai, Jenkins Group B (O4/R3); SNG ANS 621 (same obv. die); BMC Sicily p. 184, 263 (same); de Luynes 1267 (same); HGC 2 1294, VF, attractive style, centered on a tight flan, lightly toned, light marks, die crack on reverse, Syracuse mint, weight 3.587g, maximum diameter 15.3mm, die axis 270o, c. 306 - 305 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Apollo left, amphora behind; reverse ΣYPAKOΣIΩN (clockwise from upper right), ornamented tripod lebes, high ring handles; ex Classical Numismatic Group, e-auction 412, lot 38; ex John A. Seeger Collection; ex Classical Numismatic Group, auction 76 (12 Sep 2007), lot 3013Joe SermariniMay 11, 2018
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Roman Imperators, Mark Antony and Octavia, 39 B.C., Ephesos, Ionia, Silver Cistophoric TetradrachmSH86609. Silver cistophoric tetradrachm, RPC I 2202, Sydenham 1198, Crawford 263, RSC Octavia and M. Antony 3, Sear CRI 263, BMCRR East 135, SRCV I 1513, Choice gVF, toned, well centered, some die wear and rust, scratches, Ephesos mint, weight 11.723g, maximum diameter 27.1mm, die axis 0o, summer - autumn 39 B.C.; obverse M ANTONIVS IMP COS DESIG ITER ET TERT (Consul Elect for the 2nd and 3rd time), conjoined head of Antony and bust of Octavia right, Antony nearer and wreathed in ivy, Octavia draped; reverse Dionysus standing half left on cista mystica, in his right hand, thyrsus in his left hand, flanked by two interlaced snakes with heads erect, III VIR (triumvir) downward on left, R P C (Reipublicae Constituendae) upward on rightJoe SermariniMay 11, 2018
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Greek, Western Anatolia, c. 620 - 600 B.C., Plain Globular Type Electrum HekteSH85577. Electrum hekte, Phokaic standard 1/6 stater; unpublished, EF, flan cracks, uncertain western Anatolia mint, weight 2.721g, maximum diameter 8.96mm, c. 620 - 600 B.C.; obverse plain globular surface; reverse one small incuse square punch; extremely rare
Unpublished! The majority of the earliest electrum issues were struck on the lighter Milesian weight standard, with hectes weighing approximately 2.35 grams. This example, however is on the heavier Phocaic standard that was used at mints such as Cyzicus, Mysia and Phocaea, Ionia.Joe SermariniMay 11, 2018
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Greek, Phoenicia, Tyre, 111 - 110 B.C., Judas' 30 Pieces of Silver, Year 18SL86641. Silver shekel, BMC Phoenicia p. 237, 85; Cohen DCA 919-18 (C); Baramki AUB -, NGC Ch AU*, strike 5/5, surface 5/5 (4280576-003), Tyre mint, weight 14.20g, maximum diameter 28.0mm, die axis 0o, 109 - 108 B.C.; obverse laureate head of Melqart right, lion's skin knotted around neck; reverse TYPOY IEPAΣ KAI AΣYΛOY (of Tyre the holy and inviolable), eagle left, right foot on ship's ram, palm frond behind, date HI (year 18) over club and palm frond left, ZB right, Phoenician letter beth between legsJoe SermariniMay 11, 2018
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ROMAN IMPERATORS, Octavian, Triumvir and Imperator, Silver Denarius, SRCV I 1558, RSC I 123, RIC I 267, Sear CRI 422, BMCRR 4348SH16777. Silver denarius, SRCV I 1558, RSC I 123, RIC I 267, Sear CRI 422, BMCRR 4348, EF, lustrous, weight 3.781g, maximum diameter 20.9mm, die axis 180o, Italian (Rome?) mint, obverse bare head of Octavian right; reverse IMP CAESAR on architrave of the Actian arch, depicted as a single span surmounted by a large statue of Octavian in a facing triumphal quadriga; mirror luster, slight rainbow toning, struck flat on the top edge of the reverse, banker's marks
 Joe SermariniMar 08, 2018
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Ara PacisThe Ara Pacis Augustae (Latin, "Altar of Augustan Peace"; commonly shortened to Ara Pacis) is an altar in Rome dedicated to Pax, the Roman goddess of Peace. The monument was commissioned by the Roman Senate on July 4, 13 B.C. to honor the return of Augustus to Rome after three years in Hispania and Gaul, and consecrated on January 30, 9 B.C. Originally located on the northern outskirts of Rome, a Roman mile from the boundary of the pomerium on the west side of the Via Flaminia, it stood in the northeastern corner of the Campus Martius, the former flood plain of the Tiber River and gradually became buried under 4 metres (13 ft) of silt deposits. It was reassembled in its current location, now the Museum of the Ara Pacis, in 1938.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ara_PacisJoe SermariniFeb 18, 2018
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Maria of Alania Byzantine empress by marriages to emperors Michael VII Doukas and Nikephoros III Botaneiates (aka Maria-Martha of Georgia of Bagrationi royal dynasy)Maria of Alania (born Martha, Georgian, 1053-1118) was Byzantine empress by marriages to emperors Michael VII Doukas and Nikephoros III Botaneiates. At the time of her marriage, Georgian Maria was one of only two non-Byzantine princesses to marry a Byzantine heir and the only one to give birth to an heir.
Anna Komnene, in her medieval biographical text Alexiad, describes the beautiful Georgian princess Maria of Alania: "...after Michael Ducas' deposition, when he had advised the latter's successor, Nicephorus Botaniates, to take her in marriage, because she came from another country and had not a crowd of kinsfolk to give the Emperor trouble, and he had told Botaniates a great deal about her family and personal beauty, and often praised her to him. And certainly she was as slender of stature as a cypress, her skin was white as snow, and though her face was not a perfect round, yet her complexion was exactly like a spring flower or a rose. And what mortal could describe the radiance of her eyes? Her eyebrows were well-marked and red-gold, while her eyes were blue. Full many a painter's hand has successfully imitated the colors of the various flowers the seasons bring, but this queen's beauty, the radiance of her grace and the charm and sweetness of her manners surpassed all description and all art. Never did Apelles or Pheidias or any of the sculptors produce a statue so beautiful. The Gorgon's head was said to turn those who looked upon it into stone, but anyone who saw the Queen walking or met her unexpectedly, would have gaped and remained rooted to the spot, speechless, as if apparently robbed of his mind and wits. There was such harmony of limbs and features, such perfect relation of the whole to the parts and of the parts to the whole, as was never before seen in a mortal body, she was a living statue, a joy to all true lovers of the beautiful. In a word, she was an incarnation of Love come down to this terrestrial globe."
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_of_AlaniaJoe SermariniFeb 06, 2018
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ROMAN, Pertinax, 31 December 192 - 28 March 193 A.D.SH08958. Orichalcum sestertius, RIC IV 24, Cohen 58, VF, weight 25.04 g, maximum diameter 32.3 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 31 Dec 192 - 28 Mar 193 A.D.; obverse IMP CAES P HELV PERTINAX AVG, laureate head right; reverse VOTA DECEN TR P COS II S C, Pertinax, veiled, standing left, sacrificing out of patera over tripod; ex John Aiello; ex Edgar L. Owen; ex NFA Feb 27 - 28, 1979, lot 745; very rare (R2)Joe SermariniJan 30, 2018
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ROMAN, Augustus, 16 January 27 B.C. - 19 August 14 A.D.SH16768. Silver denarius, SRCV I 1592, RIC I 541, BMCRE I 664, superb EF, weight 3.850 g, maximum diameter 20.1 mm, die axis 0o, uncertain Asia Minor mint, 27 - 20 B.C.; obverse laureate head right, dot border; reverse AVGVSTVS, capricorn left, holding globe, cornucopia above, rudder below; extraordinary high relief impossible to capture in a photograph, lustrous and nearly as struck; rareJoe SermariniJan 30, 2018
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Roman, Julius Caesar, Imperator and Dictator, October 49 - 15 March 44 B.C.SH45450. Silver denarius, Crawford 480/13, Sydenham 1074, Sear CRI 107d, RSC I Julius Caesar 39, BMCRR I Rome 4173, SRCV I 1414, Vagi 56, Choice gVF, magnificent portrait, weight 3.660 g, maximum diameter 19.2 mm, die axis 225o, Rome mint, moneyer P Sepullius Macer, Feb - Mar 44 B.C.; obverse CAESAR DICT PERPETVO, veiled and wreathed head of Caesar right; reverse P SEPVLLIVS MACER, Venus standing left, Victory in extended right, long scepter in left hand, shield at feet rightJoe SermariniJan 30, 2018
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ROMAN, Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D.SH24852. Gold aureus, RIC III 233e, Calico 1530 (same obv die), Cohen II 314, aEF, weight 7.0221 g, maximum diameter 20.1 mm, die axis 180o, Rome mint, 153 - 154 A.D.; obverse ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XVII, laureate head left; reverse COS IIII, Antoninus Pius, togate, standing left, globe in extended right, scroll in left; superb obverse portrait, recognizable portrait on reverse, minor blemish on the second I on the reverse, ex Harlan Berk; scarceJoe SermariniJan 30, 2018
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Roman, Romano-British Empire, Carausius, Mid 286 - Spring or Early Summer 293 A.D.RA73476. Billon antoninianus, RIC V-2 473 (R2), Webb Carausius 523, Hunter IV 130, Cohen VII 185, SRCV IV -, Linchmere-, Burton Latimer -, Bicester -, VF, fantastic portrait with unusual style, green patina, scratches, tight flan, reverse slightly uneven and off center, spots of corrosion, weight 2.517 g, maximum diameter 22.8 mm, die axis 180o, unmarked mint, c. mid 292 - mid 293; obverse IMP C CARAVSIVS P F I AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, late reign tetrarchic portrait type, long necked variety; reverse ORIENS AVG (the rising sun of the Emperor), Sol standing slightly left, nude but for cloak over shoulders, raising right hand commanding sunrise, globe in left hand, S - P flanking across field, exergue blank; from the Charles Peters Carausius Collection; very rareJoe SermariniJan 29, 2018
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Roman, Probus, Summer 276 - September 282 A.D.RA76279. Silvered antoninianus, Pink VI-1, p. 63; RIC V-2 376 (S) var. (cuirass); Cohen VI 283 var. (same); Hunter IV 131 var. (same, and obv legend); SRCV III 11984 (same), Choice aEF, some mint luster, most silvering remains, fantastic heroic bust, light corrosion, weight 3.341 g, maximum diameter 22.8 mm, die axis 0o, 5th officina, Ticinum (Pavia, Italy) mint, 4 emission, 278 A.D.; obverse VIRTVS PROBI AVG (the valor of Emperor Probus), radiate bust left from behind, spear left in right hand, back bare but for balteus over right shoulder and rectangular Aegis shield with square corner in on left shoulder; reverse HERCVLI PACIF (to Hercules the pacifier), Hercules standing left, raising branch in extended right, club and Nemean Lion skin in left, VXXT in exergue; very rareJoe SermariniJan 29, 2018
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