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Alexander’s presence in Venice – Part 2, from Constantinople
Alexander is also featured on the north façade of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice. Here is a relief taken from Constantinople after the sack and looting by the Crusaders in 1204 together with the...
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Alexander’s presence in Venice – Part 3, the Pala d’Oro
Finding Alexander on the Pala d’Oro, the high altar of the Basilica San Marco in Venice is extremely difficult. [Pala d'Oro from Saint Mark's Basilica]The golden altarpiece is a unique work of...
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A nearly perfect head of Zeus from Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias was known for its skillful sculptors throughout the Roman Empire. They took advantage of the nearby marble quarries that provided a typical medium-grained variation of the readily available...
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“To the strongest”
“To the strongest” are the last words Alexander pronounced on his deathbed in Babylon when pressed to name his successor. His Companions and generals were obviously panicking at the thought of being...
View ArticlePersepolis as it was 2500 years ago
In the frame of the unique exhibition Persia: Ancient Iran and the Classical World in 2022, I shared several informative links from the GettyMuseum about Persepolis in particular (see: Fascinating...
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Seminar on Alexander the Great
Jona Lendering, whose name is well-known from his Livius internet site, will give a seminar on Alexander the Great in the Netherlands. This is wonderful news for the Dutch-speaking people and in...
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Alexander’s presence in Venice – Part 4, the Doge’s Palace
Who would check every detail of the Palace of the Doge in Venice, except the dedicated scholar? None of the millions of tourists has the patience or dedication to investigate, beyond the general...
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Reading and decoding inscriptions
Today’s visitors will inevitably come across many inscriptions when visiting ancient sites or museums. Reading Greek or Latin is not for everybody and understanding the meaning of the text and context...
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Hoard of Roman coins found in Pantelleria
The small island of Pantelleria lies about one hundred kilometers southwest of Sicily, off the Tunisian coast which is visible on a clear day. During recent excavations, archaeologists discovered 27...
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The unique Temple of Apollo in Bassae
Many years ago, I drove around the Peloponnese exploring antique sites other than the well-known remains of Corinthand Olympia. One of my roads led me to the Temple of Bassae, which, according to my...
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A few words of praise for Oliver Stone’s vision of Alexander
Oliver Stone received loads of criticism for his Alexander movie, revisions, and comments as if he had it all wrong. Well, nobody from Alexander’s lifetime is still alive to contest what’s right or...
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Another pertinent theory about Alexander’s Tomb
All accounts on the whereabouts of Alexander’s Tomb agree up to and including Ptolemy X, who, in 89 BC used the King’s golden sarcophagus to wipe up his financial situation. He replaced the coffin with...
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About decrees and multilingual inscriptions
In antiquity, news was carried by word of mouth, but legal matters and other important information were cut in stone and placed in a conspicuous spot for everyone to see. The majority of inscriptions...
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Larger-than-life statue of Herakles discovered in Philippi
Road works in Philippi have revealed a larger-than-life statue of young Herakles. Generally, the god is represented at a more mature age but can be recognized by his most common attributes: a club, and...
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Larger-than-life statue of Herakles discovered in Philippi
Road works in Philippi have revealed a larger-than-life statue of young Herakles. [Picture from Archaeology Magazine]Generally, the god is represented at a more mature age but can be recognized by his...
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Who were the Thracians?
A recurrent question that keeps popping up. The Thracians are often seen as a barbarian tribe north of Macedonia. In ancient Greece, everyone non-Greek was labeled as Barbarian and the word does not...
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Notion in Asia Minor
In antiquity, the coast of Asia Minor was a string of famous and powerful cities and towns, each with its own history. Some are only slowly revealing their presence and their treasures. One such relic...
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Latest finds in Aspendos
Visitors to Aspendos rarely venture beyond the well-preserved Roman theater, ignoring the remains of the city proper behind it. Aspendos was an important trade center famous for wheat and horse...
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Two temples identified in Thonis-Heracleion
It is noteworthy to realize that underwater archaeology is a very recent discipline. It started seriously in the 1960s and the techniques and equipment have grown and improved considerably since....
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Epetion, an ancient Greek city in modern Croatia
Speaking of Croatia, the medieval city of Dubrovnik springs to mind followed by the imposing Palace of Emperor Diocletian in Split. At the southeast end of the Split peninsula lays the ancient Greek...
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