15 Items
Garni
The Roman era temple at Garni, Kotayk Province, is believed to date from the first century CE and is the most notable Classical monument in the countries of the former Soviet Union. However, the temple today is the result of a reconstruction that took place in 1969-1975 as the original structure was destroyed in an earthquake in 1679. The site is included here not only because its significance for Classical architecture in the Caucasus in general, but also because the remains of a seventh-century centrally-planned church abut the temple on its western side. There is also a Roman-era bath house complex north west of both the church and the temple. It seems Garni remained significant throughout its history as there is ninth and tenth century Arabic graffiti still visible on the monument and a number of European travellers recorded their impressions of Garni even after its destruction. Today the temple is one of the chief tourist attractions in Armenia as well as being the main cult centre for Armenian Neopaganism also called Hetanism. On the day of the site visit a ritual was being enacted in the cella of the temple and some images of this event are included in this entry.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenia, Bath, C10th, C1st, C7th, C9th, Centrally-Planned, Church, Classical, Garni, Hetanism, Neopaganism, Roman, Temple
Dzalisa Excavations
See the entry on Dzalisa for the history of the site and the excavated part of the Roman settlement.
Currently excavations are continuing each summer on the edge of the village burial ground where a significant late antique tomb was uncovered in 1988. In the last year a large mud brick complex - believed to be a temple - has been discovered and research by the National Museum of Georgia is ongoing in this sector of the site.
Type: Archaeological Excavation
Tags: Archaeological Excavation, Dzalisa, Georgia, Georgian National Museum, Iberia, Kartli, Late Antique, Mud Brick, Ptolemy, Roman, Temple, Tomb, Zalissa
Palmyra 1962
These images of Palmyra were taken in the summer of 1962. The tourist infrastructure was less developed at this time and the images also show evidence of intrusive levels of renovation that had mellowed or been replaced by the later half of the C20th. For details relating to each image separately in this item please refer to the inventory appended to this collection.
Type: Archaeological Site
Tags: 1962, Archaeology, Architecture, Baalshamin, Bel, Palmyra, Qalat Ibn Maan, Syria, Tadmor, Temple, Triumphal Arch
Deyr ul Zafaran
A large late antique monastery built on top of a pagan temple to the sun. Deyr ul Zafaran is a Syrian orthodox monastery and is a major tourist draw in the region. It has been heavily restored and had unsympathetic additions made to it to attract and help facilitate more tourism and generate more income.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Church, Late Antique, Monastery, Pagan, Syrian Orthodox, Temple, Turkey
View the funerary temple besides Diocletian's Camp at the western gate of Palmyra
This temple marks the end of the decumanus and is besides the C3rd area of the city known as 'Diocletian's Camp at the western end of the settlement.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, C3rd, Decumanus, Diocletian, Palmyra, Roman, Syria, Syrian Civil War, Tadmor, Temple
Palmyra Temple of Baalshamin
The Temple of Baalshamin dates from the early C1st and was extended during Hadrian's reign in the C2nd. Until its destruction by IS on August 24th 2015, the cella of the temple was perfectly preserved although the surrounding enclosure did not survive so completely. It was the second most significant sanctuary in Palmyra after the Temple of Bel and was much smaller than its more famous neighbour, being located to north of the Roman era town.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Baalshamin, Palmyra, Syria, Syrian Civil War, Tadmor, Temple
Dura Europos Temple of Bel
As with a number of other cult sites in Dura Europos, the Temple of Bel was identified primarily by its frescoes which are now displayed in the National Museum of Damascus.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Bel, Dura Europos, Euphrates, Syria, Temple
Palmyra Temple of Bel
The Temple of Bel as it appears today dates from the C1st-C2nd AD, but stands on a much older cult site near the date palm grove and Eqfa spring that enabled the foundation of a city in the middle of the Syrian desert. Later on the cella of the temple was adapted for use as a Christian church and faint traces of frescoes are still visible on the interior walls. It was also fortified in the middle ages and there was a village within the walls of the compound until the population was removed by the French authorities during their rule of Syria in the 1920s.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Bel, C1st-C2nd, Church, Fresco, Islam, Medieval, Palmyra, Roman, Sculpture, Syria, Tadmor, Temple
Temple of Aphrodite/Christian Basilica, Aphrodisias
Begun in the 1st century the construction of the Temple of Aphrodite was paid for by Aphrodisias’ most famous and wealthy citizen, Zoilos. In the 2nd century AD the temple had a colonnaded courtyard enclosure built around it. Around 500 AD the temple was converted into a Basilica church and was extensively rebuilt and remodelled into a building much larger than the original temple.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Basilica, Church, Greek, Late Antique, Roman, Temple, Turkey
Serapeum/The Red Basilica, Pergamum
The Serapeum was a vast temple and associated complex built at the foot of the acropolis of Pergamum during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The temple was dedicated to the worship of the Greaco-Egyptian god Serapis and to the Egyptian goddess Isis. The temple complex was huge and had to cross the nearby Selinus river supported by two very large vaulted tunnels which channel the waters to this day. The majority of the courtyard lies under the modern town buildings to the west of the temple. Originally covered with marble facings only the red brick superstructure of the temple remains. During the late Roman/early Byzantine period a church dedicated to St John was built inside the main temple. The church is in poor preservation when compared to the surrounding temple. However due to the instability of the remaining structure of the temple it is not possible to enter it and view the church remains. The temple is flanked by two contempraneous rotunda, one of which is a functioning mosque while the other is open to the general public.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Church, Pergamum, Roman, Temple, Turkey