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Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, posthumously businessman of the year?
It is never too late for a promotion and certainly not for a posthumous promotion, even if that happens after 1,862 years! This honour was granted to Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, the great benefactor of...
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The richness of Perge once again in the limelight
In spite of all the excavations, explanations and reconstructions we still cannot really imagine what a city like Perge must have looked like during its heydays. Walking through the wonderful...
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The Temple of Bel at Palmyra – In Memoriam
Bad news travels fast and the criminal destruction of the Temple of Bel (or Baal) at Palmyra made headlines very quickly. I never wrote about my experience to this great archaeological site (2009)...
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Who’s Who in the Age of Alexander the Great by Waldemar Heckel
Who’s Who in the Age of Alexander the Great by Waldemar Heckel (ISBN 978-1-4051-8839-5) is an exceptional reference book, incredibly handy when you need to look up a name of anyone belonging to...
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Alexander’s presence in Magna Graecia
A few weeks ago a friend of mine returned from a trip to Puglia in southern Italy and brought me a postcard showing a strange looking Alexander. It clearly was a mosaic showing a floating Alexander (at...
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Achaemenid Tombs at Naqsh-i Rustam and Persepolis
How does it feel to actually see these tombs at Naqsh-i Rustam, cut out of the cliff-wall high above your head? No picture can prepare the visitor for this unique setting. We generally know the...
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The powerful goddess Anahita in Persia
Anahita is a water goddess whose origins go back to Central Asia from where her worship spread through Persia all the way to the Middle-East. Anahita literally means “the moist, strong and pure one”...
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The Conquests of Alexander the Great by Waldemar Heckel
Based on previous books written by Waldemar Heckel (see: Macedonian Warrior by Heckel and Jones; Historical Sources in Translation by Heckel and Yardley; and Who’s Who in the Age of Alexander the Great...
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Two more cities of Libya’s Pentapolis: Taucheira and Euesperides
The Libyan Pentapolis included Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais (or Barca), Arsinoe(or Taucheira) and Euesperides (or Berenice), all situated in Cyrenaica in eastern Libya. The region was very fertile and...
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Sassanid reliefs tell a story of their own in Persia
Travelling through Iran, you simply can’t miss these many reliefs. The Sassanid kings definitely were not modest and took pride in advertising their investiture and their conquests on several...
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The glorious days of Palmyra
My first view of Palmyra was at nightfall when the entire city bathed in the floodlights. My eyes could not take in this fascinating scenery; it was a mere flash, a snapshot of columns and arches, of...
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The Origin of the Macedonian star was Thracian?
Recent excavations at Apollonia Pontica, modern Sozopol (Bulgaria) on the Black Sea has revealed a leaden bucranium with an eight-ray star, which possibly served as model for the well-known Macedonian...
View ArticleLatest e-Book news
It is high time to add a few more books to the list of e-books that have come available since my last post.I’m very happy to see that for instance all three novels by Mary Renault are now on the...
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The role of benefactors in antiquity
Before any of our modern-day’s government set up a help and assistance plan in case of emergency or catastrophe, the only help any citizen could get was from his neighbor. For more serious matters like...
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The Bisutun relief of King Darius I
The most important rock-wall relief and certainly the best known is that of Bisutun in which Darius I celebrates his victory over Gaumata and eight more pretenders to the throne in 518 BC.Bisutun or...
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Seleucid and Parthian rock-reliefs
The Achaemenid rock-tombs and the rock-reliefs of the Sassanid kings are known to most travelers in Iran, but Seleucid or Parthian reliefs and inscriptions are pretty rare.It is always interesting to...
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Amphipolis, a Heroon for Hephaistion?
With my deepest respect for all archeologists involved in the work at the Tomb of Amphipolis, I can’t help wondering how much of their comments are based on true facts or are mere speculations. Of...
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The Zagros Mountains and the Persian Gates in Alexander’s footsteps
Upon arrival in Tehran, my first thought was: can I see the Elburz Mountains from here? Tehran is known to be rather polluted, hence my question. But I was very lucky because on this early spring...
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Alexander’s Prison?
Walking through the narrow streets of Yazd (Iran), I was surprised to find a sign-post pointing towards Alexander’s Prison. What does it mean? Alexander never was in Yazd as far as I know but he may,...
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Thracian treasures from Bulgaria
Information about archaeological finds in Bulgaria filters through only piece-meal, and it is hard to stay up-to-date. Not many details are provided either, but at least there is some progress....
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