Ephesus: Ancient Christian Centre [Repost]

Over its long and varied history Ephesus has been home to numerous civilizations, from its role in founding the Ancient Greek Ionian League in tenth century BCE, to its prominence…..

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7 minutes read

May 4, 2019

The Temple of Olympian Zeus [Repost]

The Olympieion is the ruins of a colossal temple at the centre of Athens that was built over the course of centuries. Dedicated to Zeus, construction began in the sixth…..

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7 minutes read

January 3, 2019

Preserving the Past [Repost]

Despite its designation as a UNESCO Heritage site, Volubilis has seen little effort made in preserving the beautiful mosaics that lie scattered throughout the ruins. Roman household decorations that despite…..

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12 minutes read

November 21, 2018

Ephesus sites: Library of Celsus [Repost]

With an estimated excavation of only 15% Ephesus is believed to contain one of the largest collections of Roman ruins in the eastern Mediterranean. Those ruins that are visible can…..

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8 minutes read

October 28, 2018

The founding of Ephesus [Repost]

While Ephesus’ history as a city is usually traced back to its founding as one of the twelve ancient Greek cities which comprised the Ionian League (circa 10th century BCE),…..

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12 minutes read

October 21, 2018

Ephesus and the Roman Empire [Repost]

Incorporation of Ephesus into the Roman Republic proved tumultuous as taxes rose and the treasures of the city were systematically plundered – a practice that would contribute to the Vespers…..

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15 minutes read

June 10, 2018

Ancient ruins: Efes (Ephesus), Kusadasi [Repost]

After a few days in Istanbul, we started out our cruise with the first port of call in Kusadasi, Turkey. We’d been looking forward to this stop having read about…..

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June 6, 2018

Discovering El Rey (Las Ruinas del Rey) [Repost]

Given the tendency of societies to build upon previous settlements, older cities have a great wealth of history that can reach much further in the past than we might even…..

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May 28, 2018

The decline of Ephesus [Repost]

After the destruction caused by the Goths in 263 CE the city lay in ruin for over a hundred years. Not until the reign of emperor Constantine I in 395…..

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10 minutes read

February 22, 2018

Emperor Hadrian’s Athens [Repost]

Whether he was born in Rome, Italy or near the present-day location of Seville, Spain the 14th emperor of the Roman Empire came from Roman aristocracy, his forefathers among the…..