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near the northern entrance to G. Ross Lord Park in Toronto this amazing tree stands beside the pathway and a bench. It seems ancient, although it's also possible it isn't that old and has a condition that causes all the knots etc. In any case it never ceases to amaze me visually. I must have 100 pictures of it and everytime I pass by I see it differently.
This is the most magnificent structure in Ephesus ancient city. The Great Theatre is located on the slope of Panayir Hill, opposite the Harbor Street, and easily seen when entering from the south entrance to Ephesus. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic Period, in the third century BC during the reign of Lysimachos, but then during the Roman Period, it was enlarged and formed its current style that is seen today.
It is the largest in Anatolia and has the capacity of 25,000 seats. The cavea has sixty six rows of seats, divided by two diazoma (walkway between seats) into three horizontal sections. There are three sections of seats. In the lower section, Marble pieces, used for restoration, and the Emperor's Box were found. The seats with backs ,made of marble, were reserved for important people. The audience entered from the upper cavea.
The stage building is three-storied and 18 meters high. The facade facing the audience was ornamented with relieves, columns with niches, windows and statues. There are five doors opening to the orchestra area, the middle one of which is wider than the rest. This enhanced the appearance of the stage, giving it a bigger, monumental look.
The theatre was used not only for concerts and plays, but also for religious, political and philosophical discussions and for gladiator and animal fights.
Ancient fossils, seen here in rocks of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England. The Jurassic Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage site, stretching nearly 100 miles from Devon to Dorset, and covering nearly 200 million years of Earth's geological history.
A very old jewish cemetery hidden in the woods, of unknown age. The oldest readable tombstone is dated 1655, but there are even older ones - the cemetery was last used in 1879.
Detail from the Wooden coffin of Djedkhonsefankh.
The colour black was closely associated by the Egyptians with death and resurrection.
At several periods, coffins and other funerary objects were colored black, often with inscriptions and decoration in gold leaf, or yellow or white paint. The coffin of Djedkhonsefankh typifies this colour-scheme. The face is covered with gold leaf, and has inlaid eyes, while the main features of the decoration are executed in cream-coloured paint. On the lid are figures of the goddess Nut and a scene of a child-god shaking a sistrum before the jackal-deity Anubis. The compartments below contain depictions of the dead man in the presence of various gods, including the deified king Amenhotep I.
22nd dynasty, from Thebes
EA 6662
British Museum
Ephesus is an ancient city in present day Turkey.
"Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of the former Arzawan capital by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.
Ephesus was also one of the seven churches of Asia cited in the Book of Revelation, the Gospel of John may have been written there and it was the area where the female warrior Amazons began (prior to the founding of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263, and although it was rebuilt, its importance as a commercial center declined as the harbor was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake."
Maybe some viewer who is a gentleman (or gentlewoman) and a scholar will see this post and disclose the words seen here. :)
Ancient Sagalassos..... is an active archaeological site in southwest Turkey which contains mostly Hellenistic and Ancient Roman historic ruins, some of them very well preserved. In particular, the Fountain of Antoninler at Sagalassos still has its pretty facade. There are also the remains of a 9,000 seat theatre, a council hall (bouleuterion), a library, rock carved tombs, temples and baths. Part of the Phrygian kingdom from the ninth century BC and then part of the Lydian kingdom, Sagalassos became more urbanized under the Persian Empire from 546BC, becoming a focal point in the region of Pisidia over the course of two centuries. In 334BC, Alexander the Great arrived in the region and attacked Sagalassos, eventually succeeding in destroying it, although its citizens did put up a good fight. Over the coming centuries, the Pisidia region - including Sagalassos - changed hands several times, finally coming under Roman rule in 129BC. The prosperity of Sagalassos fluctuated over the end of the first century BC, but slowly it became more successful, particularly because of the fertility of its land and the production of a material called Sagalassos Red Slip Ware, a type of tableware. Much of this affluence translated into the construction of buildings and monuments, especially during the second century AD, under Hadrian, and up to the third century. Sagalassos began to fall into decline in around 500AD and this was accelerated by a devastating earthquake in 590AD. Although abandoned for a long period of time, the area was further inhabited from the tenth century AD.
Ramses III added eight small chambers in the second corridor.
This is the fourth side chamber (on the left side of the wall). At the rear wall is Ra-Horakhty and Atum sitting back-to-back.
On the side walls are the famous harpist depicted. On the left wall of the chamber, shows the harpist before Onuris-Shu.
There is a glass in front of every chamber, and I did not get a good photo of the harpist.
The first part of the tomb was the work of Setnakht.
20th dynasty, tomb of Ramses III - KV11, Valley of the Kings
Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 A.D., located in the territory of today's commune of Ercolano (build on top of the ancient city), in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.
It is most famous for having been lost, along with Pompeii, Stabiae, Boscoreal and Oplontis, in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 which buried it in superheated pyroclastic material. It is also famous as one of the few ancient cities that can now be seen in almost its original splendour, because unlike Pompeii, its burial was deep enough to ensure the upper storeys of buildings remained intact, and the hotter ash preserved wooden household objects such as beds and doors and even food. Moreover Herculaneum was a wealthier town than Pompeii with an extraordinary density of fine houses, and far more lavish use of coloured marble cladding.
The ancient Mayan city of Palenque is one of the World's greatest archaeological sites, a stunning testament to the skill of the Maya in art and architecture.
The city flourished between 226BC and 1123AD, after which time it was abandoned and was engulfed by the surrounding jungle, and all but disappeared for centuries. The greatest monuments of the city were released from their foliate covering in the late 19th century, but it is estimated that little more than 10% of the overall site has been cleared and properly excavated, and numerous other smaller structures remain choked in the wilderness beyond.
The main features of the cleared site are the towering temples, consisting of shrines built atop huge pyramid-like stepped terraces, most of which can still be ascended and explored by visitors (except for the particularly fine Temple of the Inscriptions).
At the heart of the complex is the huge ruined Palace, again raised on terraces and crowned by a distinctive tower, (looking as much like a colonial church bell-tower than a ancient Mayan structure). The pillars and corridors of the upper levels are adorned by fragments of the original stucco relief decoration, reminding us that what appears now as great swathes of rubble wall was originally covered by wonderfully complex sculptural decoration, all originally brightly painted, which must have been spectacular and dazzlingly coloured. We should always bare in mind that however structurally complete such ancient temples might appear, their original magnificence is a further spectacle still that we can only imagine.
The unforgettable ruins of Palenque and their stunning natural setting are one of the real highlights of a visit to Mexico, and should not be missed.
Ancient Byzantine settlement...
In the heart of Turkey’s Afyon lies the Phrygian valley, a huge area with a series of mystical caves steeped in ancient history.
Afyon is a central region of Turkey well known for it’s thermal springs, but travel past the spas and you’ll discover the beautiful Phrygian Valley, a huge expanse of hollow caves that have been inhabited for over 7000 years. Still populated to this day, the Phrygian Valley is a wonderful contrast of the ancient with the present, with a thriving farming community working the land around the gorgeous ochre coloured caves and natural rock formations that are scattered across the whole valley. Wandering along the dusty road that goes through the centre of the valley feels like something out of an Indiana Jones film, with huge ancient caves looming on all sides, each containing their own secrets from centuries gone by. Exploring these carved out caverns is utterly fascinating, as each has its own history that tells the story of ancient civilisations that have made the valley their home. One cave holds the carved out graves of a Roman family, with protective engraved stone lions over the door, which have stood the test of time and several different inhabitants. A church from the second century, the era in which the Christians settled in Afyon, has a cathedral-esque interior, stone eaves and worship rooms chiselled deep into the rocks face. Explore the caves some more and you find another tiny space that appears unassuming, but look at the walls through a camera lense and you’ll see the Jesus and the 12 disciples painted onto the stones surface. This phenomenon continues to baffle scientists and is definitely worth the trek up the step hill upon which it sits. The Phrygian Valley also plays host to the fabled King Midas’ castle, a huge rock formation that stands out in the plains that has natural rooms that apparently housed the famous donkey-eared king. If you’ve got strong shoes its well worth climbing up to the top of the rock for unbeatable views of the sweeping valley and its famous‘fairy chimneys’, the colloquial term for rock formations that look uncannily like mushrooms.
Ancient Kremna......Thirteen km southeast of Bucak, the remote mountainside site of Kremna was originally settled by the warlike Psidians who also settled nearby Sagalassos and Termessos. Inevitably, though, what you see at the site today dates from after it was absorbed into the Roman Empire in 25BC on the death of the Galatian ruler Amyntas who had made it part of his kingdom. Kremna apparently means "cliff" in Ancient Greek and as soon as you reach the site you will understand why. At the end of a partially tarmacked track you find yourself facing ruins that back straight onto a plug of rock rising straight up from a meadow. It's a glorious location, utterly wild and remote, and from it the Psidians would have had the most fantastic view of anybody. It's easy to think this is a timeless view but in fact the lake you will see from the summit was formed recently by the Karacaören Barajı (Dam). The surviving ruins are actually quite slight. The most obvious surviving structure is an enclosed square with huge niches at the back and a series of plinths with Greek inscriptions that presumably once supported statues. This is believed to have been a library. Other than that there are the standing remains of a monumental gateway and some tiered steps that may once have been a bouleterion (council house). What was presumably the agora is now a mass of fallen grey masonry, much of it carved.
The influence of Greek Art styles can be seen in these Indian sculptures at the Art Institute of Chicago. Alexander the Great invaded India in 327-325 BC and left Hellenistic cultural impact in his wake.
One of the largest snapping turtles I have ever laid eyes upon and certainly the oldest.
--Auburn, NH
Ancient Greek Vase Gallery, National Archaeological Museum of Greece, Athens, Greece. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com.
The Roman Baths and Bath Abbey, Bath, Somerset
Some background information:
The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. The baths themselves are below the modern street level. There are four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century. The Roman Baths are a major tourist attraction and, together with the Grand Pump Room, receive more than one million visitors a year.
The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts and dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. Geoffrey of Monmouth describes in his largely fictional Historia Regum Britanniae how in 836 BC the spring was discovered by the British king Bladud who built the first baths. Early in the 18th century Geoffrey's obscure legend was given great prominence as a royal endorsement of the waters' qualities, with the embellishment that the spring had cured Bladud and his herd of pigs of leprosy through wallowing in the warm mud.
The name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to the town's Roman name of Aquae Sulis. The temple was constructed between 60 and 70 AD and the bathing complex was gradually built up over the next 300 years. During the Roman occupation of Britain and possibly on the instructions of Emperor Claudius, engineers drove oak piles into the mud to provide a stable foundation and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the 2nd century it was enclosed within a barrel-vaulted building, which included the caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and frigidarium (cold bath). After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the first decade of the 5th century, these fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up and flooding. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle suggests the original Roman Baths were destroyed in the 6th century.
The baths have been modified on several occasions, for example in the 12th century when John of Tours built a curative bath over the King's Spring reservoir and in the 16th century when the city corporation built the new Queen's Bath to the south of the spring. The spring is now housed in 18th century buildings, designed by architects John Wood, the Elder and John Wood, the Younger, father and son. Visitors drank the waters in the Grand Pump Room, a neo-classical salon which remains in use, both for taking the waters and for social functions. Victorian expansion of the baths complex followed the neo-classical tradition established by the Woods. In 1810 the Hot Springs seemingly failed and William Smith opened up the Hot Bath Spring to the bottom, where he found that the spring had not failed but flowed into a new channel. Smith restored the water to its original course and the Baths filled in less time than formerly.
The visitor entrance is via an 1897 concert hall by J M Brydon. It is an eastward continuation of the Grand Pump Room with a glass-domed centre and single-storey radiused corner. The Grand Pump Room was begun in 1789 by Thomas Baldwin. He resigned in 1791 and John Palmer continued the scheme until its completion in 1799. The elevation on to Abbey Church Yard has a centre piece of four engaged Corinthian columns with entablatures and pediment. It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. The north colonnade was also designed by Thomas Baldwin. The south colonnade is similar but had an upper floor added in the late 19th century.
With its roughly 84,000 residents Bath is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset in South West England. It is situated 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol.
In 1987 the City of Bath was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, largely because of its complete Georgian architecture. It has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. Bath has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, growing communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and its surrounding area.
Shot with the 110mm f4.5 1:1 Zenzaon-PS Macro lens on a Bronica SQAi. Ilford FP4+, Rodinal. This was shot at about 1:4 magnification.
Piece exhibited as part of "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece" assembled by The British Museum and Photographed at the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon.
Mayadevi Temple also called Chhayadevi Temple is located in the Konark temple complex. This temple is dedicated to Godess Chayadevi, believed to have been on The temple facing east, consists of a sanctum (deul) and a porch (Jagamohana) standing over a raised platform, façade of which is relieved with ornamentation. The superstructures of the sanctum and porch are missing. The interior of the porch is notable for their sculptural treatment while the sanctum is devoid of any deity. Stylistically, the temple is assignable to circa late eleventh century AD.
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Konark Sun Temple ([koɳarəkə]; also Konârak) is a 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha, India. It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250 CE. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the structure is now in ruins. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has also featured on various list of Seven Wonders of India.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.
The monument was also called the Black Pagoda by European sailors. In contrast, the Jagannath Temple in Puri was called the White Pagoda. Both temples served as important landmarks for the sailors.
ACHITECTURE
The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven horses (4 on the right and 3 on the left). The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance. The temple is built from Khondalite rocks.
The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 70 m tall. Due to the weight of the super structure and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837. The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 30 m tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).
The Konark temple is also known for its erotic sculptures of maithunas.
Two smaller ruined temples have been discovered nearby. One of them is called the Mayadevi Temple and is located southwest from the entrance of the main temple. It is presumed to have been dedicated to Mayadevi, one of the Sun god's wives. It has been dated to the late 11th century, earlier than the main temple. The other one belongs to some unknown Vaishnava deity. Sculptures of Balarama, Varaha and Trivikrama have been found at the site, indicating it to be a Vaishnavite temple. Both temples have their primary idols missing.
A collection of fallen sculptures can be viewed at the Konark Archaeological Museum which is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
HISTORY
ANCIENT TEXTS
According to Bhavishya Purana and Samba Purana, there may have been a sun temple in the region earlier than current one, dating to the 9th century or earlier. The books mention three sun temples at Mundira (possibly Konark), Kalapriya (Mathura), and Multan.
According to the scriptures, Samba, the son of Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He was advised by the sage, Kataka, to worship the sun god to cure his aliment. Samba underwent penance for 12 years in Mitravana near the shores of Chandrabhaga. Both the original Konark temple and the Multan temple have been attributed to Samba.
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st Century CE) mentions a port called Kainapara, which has been identified as current day Konark.
SUN DIAL AND TIME
The wheels of the temple are sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute including day and night.
SECOND TEMPLE
According to the Madala Panji, there was another temple in the region. It was built by one Pundara Kesari. He may have been Puranjaya, the 7th century ruler, of the Somavasmi Dynasty.
NARASIMHADEVA I
The current temple is attributed to Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. His reign spanned from 1238 to 1264 CE. The temple may have been a monument to his victory against Tughral Tughan Khan.
DHARMAPADA´S TALE
According to local folklore, Narasimhadeva I had hired a chief architect called Bisu Maharana to build the temple. After a period of twelve years, a workforce of twelve thousand almost finished the construction. But, they failed to mount the crown stone. The impatient king ordered the temple to be finished in three days or the artisans be put to death. At the time, Bisu Maharana's twelve-year-old son, Dharmapada arrived at the site. Bisu Maharana had never seen his son, as he had left his village when his wife was still pregnant. Dharmapada successfully proposed a solution to mount the crown stone. But, the artisans were still apprehensive that the king will be displeased to learn that a boy succeeded where his best artisans failed. Dharmapada climbed onto the temple and leapt into the water to save his father and his co-workers.
COLLAPSE
There have been several proposed theories for the collapse of the main sanctum. The date of the collapse is also not certain.
The Kenduli copper plates of Narasimha IV (Saka 1305 or 1384 CE) states the temple to be in a perfect state.
In the 16th century Ain-i-Akbari, Abul Fazl also mentions Konark being in a proper state. The account also mentions the cost of construction being 12 years of revenue.
The cause of collapse is also placed on Kalapahad who invaded Odisha in 1568.
In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda had removed the sun idol from Konark and moved it to the Jagannath temple in Puri.
James Fergusson (1808–1886) had the opinion that marshy foundation had caused the collapse. But, the structure has shown no sign of sinking into its foundation. Fergusson, who visited the temple in 1837, recorded a corner of the main sanctum still standing. It also fell down in 1848 due to a strong gale.
According to Percy Brown (1872–1955), the temple was not properly completed and so it collapsed. This contradicts earlier recorded accounts of the temple being in a proper state.
In 1929, an analysis of a moss covered rock estimated the date of abandonment at around 1573.
Other proposed causes include lightning and earthquake.
ARUNA STAMBHA
In the last quarter of the 18th century, when worship had ceased in the temple, the Aruna stambha (Aruna pillar) was removed from the entrance of Konark temple and placed at the Singha-dwara (Lion's Gate) of the Jagannath temple in Puri by a Maratha Brahmachari called Goswain (or Goswami). The pillar is made of monolithic chlorite and is 10.26 m tall . It is dedicated to Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun god.
PRESERVATION EFFORTS
In 1803, requests were made for conservations by the East India Marine Board, but only removal of stones from the site was prohibited by the Governor General. As a result, a part of the main tower, which was still standing, collapsed in 1848.
The then Raja of Khurda removed some stones and sculptures to use in a temple he was building in Puri. A few gateways and some sculptures were destroyed in the process. In 1838, after the depredation of the Raja of Khurda, Asiatic Society of Bengal requested conservation, but the requests were denied and only preventative of human-caused damages were guaranteed. The Raja was forbidden to remove any more stones.
In 1859, Asiatic Society of Bengal proposed moving an architrave depicting the navagraha to the Indian Museum in Calcutta. The first attempt in 1867 was abandoned as the funds ran out.
In 1894, thirteen sculptures were moved to the Indian Museum.
In 1903 when a major excavation was attempted nearby, the then Lieutenant governor of Bengal, J. A. Baurdilon, ordered the temple to be sealed and filled with sand to prevent the collapse of the Jagamohana.
In 1906, casuarina and punnang trees were planted facing the sea to buffer the site against sand-laden winds.
In 1909, the Mayadevi temple was discovered while removing sand and debris.
The temple was granted World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984.
WIKIPEDIA
"Corinth was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta. The modern city of Corinth is located approximately 3 miles northeast of the ancient ruins. Since 1896, systematic archaeological investigations of the Corinth Excavations by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens have revealed large parts of the ancient city, and recent excavations conducted by the Greek Ministry of Culture have brought to light important new facets of antiquity.
For Christians, Corinth is well known from the two letters of Saint Paul in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians. Corinth is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as part of Paul the Apostle's missionary travels. In addition, the second book of Pausanias' Description of Greece is devoted to Corinth.
Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece, with a population of 90,000 in 400 BC. The Romans demolished Corinth in 146 BC, built a new city in its place in 44 BC, and later made it the provincial capital of Greece.