#Archaeological Excavations in Ephesus

[whereishermes]

Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis

The city of Ephesus was founded thousands of years ago on the edge of the gulf where the Küçük Menderes River flows into the Aegean Sea, and it entered a lively and active period towards the eleventh century B.C. Since it was a port city, its commercial importance increased. For this reason, it was invaded by various tribes.  The Temple of Artemis: Construction and Design Towards the middle of…

[blueiscoool]

Mysterious 1,800-year-old Roman gladiator tomb discovered in Turkey

A significant archaeological discovery has been made at Ayasuluk Hill and the St. John Monument in Selcuk, Izmir. Researchers have unearthed a tomb believed to belong to a Roman gladiator from the third century B.C. This tomb later reused in the fifth century A.D., contained the remains of 12 individuals.

The excavation, authorized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism with support from various institutions, is led by associate professor Sinan Mimaroglu from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University’s Department of Art History.

Who is Roman gladiator?

The team recently discovered a Roman tomb featuring twelve skeletons. The tomb, studied by associate professor Ertan Yildiz, has been identified as belonging to a Roman gladiator named “Euphrates.” It features epigraphic inscriptions and three cross reliefs added during its later use in the fifth century.

This tomb is believed to date back to the third century B.C. and is similar to imperial tombs found in Istanbul, Marmara Island, and Syria.

Surprising discoveries beneath the surface

Mimaroglu expressed astonishment at finding a water channel, a drainage system, mosaics, and several tombs just 20 centimeters below the surface.

“We found one tomb and three tomb-like structures, with 12 individuals inside. This indicates a collective burial,” he stated. He emphasized the importance of this Roman tomb, which has exquisite epigraphic inscriptions and Christian symbols added during its later use.

Insights into church and its burials

Mimaroglu provided information about the church associated with the tomb. Initially a small burial structure, it was later converted into a wooden-roofed basilica and eventually into a domed church during the reign of Emperor Iustinian I.

He noted, “The burials inside the church likely belong to the upper class or clergy, as it’s unlikely an ordinary person would be buried in such a meticulous manner within a church.”

Initial findings suggest the crosses inside the tomb were carved in the fifth century, while the crosses on the tomb’s lid might have been added in the seventh and eighth centuries. Archaeological evidence supports that the mosaic beneath was also altered after the time of Iustinian I.

Comparisons to similar finds

Regarding the cross reliefs within the tomb, Mimaroglu remarked that similar examples are found in imperial tombs in Istanbul, but this tomb was constructed with higher-quality materials.

He noted that similar tombs have been discovered in Marmara Island and Syria, though the cross designs differ. The team continues to search for comparable examples for publication.

Evidence of early Ephesus

Mimaroglu mentioned the site’s significance, stating it contains evidence of early Ephesus dating back to the second millennium B.C., with ceramics from the Early, Middle, and Late Bronze Ages.

Excavations began in the church of St. John in 1921-1922 under Greek archaeologist Soteriou and have continued under his direction since 2020.

New discoveries from georadar studies

In 2023, georadar studies were conducted in the area, confirming findings from previous excavations by Hormann. Mimaroglu explained, “These excavations revealed a marble floor, dating back to the 6th century, consistent with the period of Iustinian I. This year’s discoveries affirm the presence of a marble flooring from the 5th century.”

The discovery of this ancient Roman gladiator’s tomb not only sheds light on the burial practices of the time but also enriches our understanding of early Ephesus and its historical significance.

By Koray Erdogan.

[anamedblog]

Reconstructing the Past and Present at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum

Catherine Barclay Scott, ANAMED Post-doctoral Fellow (2022–2023)

Figure 1. The Library of Celsus at Ephesus (photo by the Austrian Archaeological Institute via Wikimedia).

Reconstructions are a valuable tool for better understanding and visualizing the past. While archaeological evidence is often incomplete and takes many disparate forms—ranging from artifacts in museums to the results of chemical analyses—reconstructions allow for a more complete picture of the places, objects, and people that made the ancient world so vibrant. Reconstructions also enable an understanding of the history of an object or place, compressing the centuries or millennia between the past and present into a cohesive narrative.

For many people, the first type of reconstruction that might come to mind is that of archaeological sites. One famous example in western Anatolia is the reconstructed façade of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus. Other types of reconstructions range from drawings and videos to physical constructions that are used for experimental archaeology. The development of digital technologies also facilitates new avenues for archaeological reconstruction. For example, “The Curious Case of Çatalhöyük” exhibit—which was presented in the ANAMED gallery from June 2017 to February 2018—included an immersive virtual reconstruction that allowed visitors to experience what a Neolithic building might have looked like while it was in use.

The Istanbul Archaeology Museum has made extensive use of reconstruction during its recent renovations. Galleries are decorated with scenes such as a Mycenaean wanax (king) holding court in his throne room or Osman Hamdi Bey and his team removing sarcophagi from the necropolis of Sidon. Reconstructions are especially prevalent in the Troy gallery and its associated exhibit on archaeological methods and are used to tell multiple intersecting stories about the site and about the history of archaeological research in Anatolia.

Reconstructing Excavation

The history of excavation at Troy is referenced throughout the exhibit, along with information on a variety of archaeological methods. This presentation of archaeology at the Museum employs multiple types of reconstruction.

The most prominent is a representation of the site’s stratigraphy that dominates the center of the exhibit hall. This model and its associated text teach visitors about the study of stratigraphy—the layers of sediment, stone, artifacts, etc. that accumulate over time and allow us to reconstruct the phases of a site’s history—which is one of the foundational concepts of scientific archaeology. Simultaneously, the uneven lighting that leaves parts of the model in shadow gives it an almost mystical quality.

Figure 2. The impressive model of a stratigraphic section from Troy has an immediate impact on a visitor to the gallery (photo by author).

In a back room of the gallery, an exhibit on archaeological methods also makes extensive use of reconstruction. As one enters, the left side of the room is dominated by a reconstruction of an excavation area, combining a physical model on the floor with a video of actors carrying out day-to-day activities. The room further includes a viewing area for a video that shows the stages of excavating an object and preparing it for display in a museum, as well as scientific dating methods including carbon-14 and dendrochronology (a dating method based on tree rings). In a time where pop culture depictions of archaeology are often sensationalized or disparaging, reconstructions that show the realities of archaeological work are especially valuable.

Reconstructing Troy

Elsewhere in the Troy gallery, displays of objects from the site are accompanied by artistic depictions of people using those objects in furnished spaces. These reconstructions, which include elements like wooden looms and woven rugs, remind us of the objects in our lives that often don’t survive in the archaeological record. Alongside these images are scale models of specific complexes; though these scale models are empty of people and objects, they provide a more striking image of the architecture at the site than is presented in traditional plans.

Figure 3. A reconstruction of women spinning yarn and weaving on a vertical loom (photo by author).

Figure 4. A scale model of a house from Troy I (c. 2920–2550 BCE) (photo by author).

Reconstructing the past is not without risk, however. Visual media are a particularly powerful way of communicating information. Thus, a reconstruction can obscure the distinction between evidence and inference and leave visitors with a mistaken impression of its subject. In the Troy gallery, some of the displays and reconstructions lean heavily on the myth of the Trojan War, in which the city was besieged and sacked by a Greek army led by mythological heroes like Agamemnon and Achilles. For example, an impressive audio-visual reconstruction of Troy’s occupation phases depicts the Trojan War as the cause of the site’s destruction at the end of the Late Bronze Age (though it is unclear if the evidence supports this interpretation). A large reconstruction of the landscape around ancient Troy—ostensibly based on evidence from archaeological excavation and embedded within the part of the gallery focused on scientific archaeology—also depicts this landscape as under attack.

This myth is certainly an important part of the site’s history, as it shaped the campaigns of early explorers, including that of Heinrich Schliemann, who is remembered as the man who rediscovered Troy. However, by embedding the myth of the Trojan War into the narrative of the exhibit and into reconstructions of the past, the Museum obscures over a century of scholarly debate over the historicity of this event and the complex political history of Bronze Age Anatolia.

Figure 5. Photos of a reconstruction of the ancient Trojan landscape. A close-up highlights the inclusion of attacking Greeks (photo by author).

Figure 5. Photos of a reconstruction of the ancient Trojan landscape. A close-up highlights the inclusion of attacking Greeks (photo by author).

Reconstructing Dispossession

A final narrative that I want to explore is found in a single display case near the beginning of the exhibit. This area, which describes the mythology around Troy and its centuries-long history of exploration and excavation, visually refers to museums of the past with display cases of wood and warped glass and text made to look like newspaper headlines. One of these cases is dedicated to telling the story of “Priam’s Treasure,” a hoard of gold jewelry and other artifacts excavated at Troy by Heinrich Schliemann in 1873. Schliemann’s focus on mythological history led to his original conclusion that this treasure belonged to “the period of the Trojan War,” though later study revealed that it dates much earlier.

Figure 6. A display case with photos of objects from “Priam’s Treasure” that are held in other museums. At the center is a famous photo of Schliemann’s wife, Sophia, wearing items from the treasure (photo by author).

The display tells the story of how the treasure was smuggled out of the Ottoman Empire and how it moved between museums throughout Europe until it arrived in its current home in the Pushkin Museum in Russia in 1995. The absence of most of these artifacts is emphasized by a few of the objects that have been successfully returned to Turkey; meanwhile, the collection and its journey have been reconstructed using photographs, maps, and text. Other museums include similar exhibits that emphasize the loss of cultural heritage, such as the Acropolis Museum in Athens that uses plaster casts to remind viewers of the Parthenon Marbles that were removed from the country and remain in the British Museum today. (See also this video on the museum website that traces particular marbles around the globe.)

Research on provenance—where an object came from, its history of ownership, and the ways it may have been damaged, altered, or repaired over time—is important for understanding the authenticity and legality of museum collections. However, this research also highlights the unethical or illegal ways that many cultural heritage objects have been removed from their original contexts.

Archaeological reconstructions are often imperfect and not without bias; it is wise to approach them with a healthy amount of skepticism. That said, they remain a valuable tool for interpreting our past—both ancient and recent—and bringing it to life today.

[chrysaliseuro2024]

Tunisia Day 3

Warm sunny day and the first stop was to visit 2 wells (the Aghlabid Basins) which were observable from a small tower. Built in the 9th century they were used to filter and supply water to the town. Liz and I couldn’t agree at time of writing this whether there were 2,3 or 4 basins. With one used to feed livestock. Anyway it was an impressive feat at the time! It was baking up on the roof of the tower so a quick stop really though good view over town and of the 2,3 or 4 basins ( should write this blog up more quickly!)

On next to the Mausoleum. I had shorts on so a sort of shawl to cover the legs was required. Built in a square it was a very attractive building and there was one room (mausoleum itself) which we could not enter as non muslims. The guy at the entrance took Liz’s phone and shot a couple of photos of a very ornate room. This is a very holy site in Kairouan with a companion of the prophet Muhammad buried here in 654 though the site was renovated in the 17th century.

On to the Great Mosque. It is one of the largest mosques in Africa and one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic World. As grand as could be expected. Built in the 7th century it was renovated in the 9th century with some redevelopment over the years. Famed also for being a centre for scholars in the Middle Ages.

Again we could not enter the mosque itself though enjoyed walking through the areas that were open to us. Typically ladies have to cover themselves but yet again I had to cover the legs though this time I was given what could kindly be described as a kaftan and less kindly as a dress. Very comfortable.

Lunchtime and we headed for a pretty swish place close to the Mosque. Linen tablecloths, dressed up waiters. Very hot outside but pretty cool in. Typical fare of salad and chicken. Salads here are driving Liz nuts as they could best be described as Onion salad. Plenty of raw onion mixed with lots of cucumber another pet non favourite of hers with a sprinkling of tomatoes. Alright, but gets bit repetitive given all the nice dippy stuff they could do.

Next stop was Sbeitla not on the original itinerary we received, Liz asked for it to be included rather than Sousse. Nothing wrong with Sousse, Sbeitla just read well. It was a good decision. Capital of the Byzantine empire the site was large and for ancient ruins reasonably well preserved. We also had a local guide who knew his stuff about the history and had a very witty and engaging manner.

It really was hot probably mid 30s if not more in the sun and Anis our tour guide was more than happy to go for a coffee and let us be guided. One of the highlights was the Capitol with temples to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Though there were many more - the inevitable theatre, the remains of houses, baths, empty tombs, one of which our guide playfully jumped in for a picture. Though we are a bit rusty on it we thought it might give Ephesus a run for its money as an archaeological site and certainly Dougga though all three are exceptional. Like Dougga the size of the original area was immense and excavations continue. We probably wandered through for about an hour helped by his narrative and there were no other tourists to be seen. The bulk of English and French tourists seem to head for the beach.

Next stop was the last for the night the El Mouradi Hotel in Tozeur. Breakfast and dinner included and from here we were to go on a run of smorgasbords. Mostly average but did the job.

[dailyaudiobible]

10/4/2022 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 6:16-8:7, Colossians 2:8-23, Psalm 78:1-31, Proverbs 24:26

Today is the fourth day of October, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is a joy to be back together, around the Global Campfire again today. Today, and every day. As we center ourselves around the Scriptures, come together in community and allow the Holy Spirit to work through the Scriptures and transforming our lives all over the place, what a joy that this place exists and that we can come here and find a place around the Global Campfire and move forward together. We began the book of Jeremiah yesterday. We talked about that then. And so, we’ll continue that journey today. We also concluded Paul's letter to the Philippians yesterday, so that means that when we get to the New Testament today, we will move into new territory and that new territory is another of the letters of Paul. This one to the church at Colossae, also known as Colossians and we'll talk about that when we get there. But first, let's dive back in the Jeremiah. We’re reading from the New International Version this week, Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 31 through 4 verse 18.

Introduction to the Book of Colossians:

Okay, so, we mentioned at the beginning, that we would be moving into another of Paul's letters, brand-new, fresh and shiny and sparkly today. The letter to the Colossians, which happens to be the 12th book in the New Testament. And Colossae wasn't a place that Paul had never heard of before. He was obviously writing a letter to people. He was familiar enough; he spent a lot of time in Ephesus, as we know. And Colossae's about 100 miles from Ephesus, which is in the western part of modern-day Turkey. Actually, Colossae has been discovered; it's just a mound like so many archaeological sites that have…haven’t been officially excavated professionally. But it has been identified. So, it's the ruins of what it once was. But during Paul's life, it wasn’t in ruins. It was a melting pot, a secular city. A lot of mingling of philosophical ideas, a lot of religious exchange. And these things had made their way into the church at Colossae. And so, this letter is a response to that. And it is believed, along with some of the other letters that we have written, this letter to the Colossians was written while Paul was in prison in Rome, making this a prison epistle or a letter written from prison. And we've already talked about this, like this trial that Paul is waiting for, is a life and death trial. So, just kind of having that in the back of our minds as the back story, is certainly compelling enough to make us sit up and pay attention. And like most of Paul's letters, this isn’t an extraordinarily long letter; the letter to the Romans is a pretty long letter, a lot longer than Colossians. But in Colossians, Paul is trying to deal basically with two things. One is an issue of doctrine. It seems that people had visited Colossae and had visited the Colossian church and were teaching the worship of angels and…and other rituals that just were not part of the churches that Paul planted. And so, Paul addresses this by reminding the Colossians that Jesus is supreme over all creation. There is no one, worshiping angels isn't worshiping God. He tells the Colossians that the whole universe, everything was created by and through Jesus and everything is held together and sustained through the Lordship of Jesus. And then the other issue that Paul's writing about is an issue that we have seen in other letters. This is the whether or not you have to be circumcised to become a follower of Jesus. And it's even deeper than that, like circumcision is this outward representation of the idea that one would need to convert to Judaism and come under the…the Mosaic law and follow the rituals and customs and worldview of the Jewish people, and then follow Jesus. Circumcision being this outward sign of that, something that the people were, not to make a pun, that were quite religious about. And from reading other letters, we come to know Paul's posture about it. We know where he stands. He doesn't like it and he has, he has similar things to say to the Colossians that we’ve heard before. And it's good for us to have these letters because these are letters to different communities in different regions, and they have in the space of a similar time period. So, it just kind of reading between the lines, looking at the things that Paul is feeling. Like he needs to tell the church. It allows us then, to look inside the church community of our early brothers and sisters and see what was going on. The kinds of things that they were wrestling with, which then helps us with context, not only to understand the Scriptures, but context to apply to our own lives and the things that we have to wrestle with. So, with that, let's go ahead and dive in and wrestle together, as we move through Paul's letter to the Colossians. Today chapter 1 verses 1 through 17.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. Once again, thank You for bringing us into this month and we’re settling into some new territory here in the book of Colossians and in the book of Jeremiah. And we open our hearts fully to what You have to speak to us, we thank You for your patience. Thank You for your guidance. Thank You for Your comfort and correction and we want to be transformed too. Sometimes it's really painful. And sometimes it's really, really, really hard work. Like we were talking about yesterday, but the peace that passes all understanding and the fact that we have to collaborate in that. So, we simply recognize our own inability to sustain any of this and we cling desperately to what Paul is saying today in Colossians, that You hold it all together and have us. And so, hold it together for us Lord, thank You for your compassion, while we continue to grow and learn. Holy Spirit come, may we mature, may we grow. We confess we act like little toddlers all of the time, stamping our feet and rolling around on the ground when we don't get our way. We so often get confused as if You are our servant, instead of that we are Your servants. We are Your servant, Lord. Thank You for letting us be a part of Your story. Lead us into all truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

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And that's it for today, I'm Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi Daily Audio Bible family, this is Heather in Ohio. I wanted to call in with some encouragement for our sister who is going through with the foster and adoption process. And feels like she has to prove herself to these people, so that they will be impressed and give her a child. Oh, sweet sister, I just want to encourage you to consider shifting your mindset to remember that God has got you. I’m praying that He will give your heart peace. And the verse comes to mind that He fights our battles for us, we need only be still in His presence. I, like you, went through the adoption process and I know it’s filled with so many hoops. But I want to consider, want you to consider to just come at it from just a place of peace, the peace that only Jesus can bring. And the knowledge that He has chosen this child for you from the beginning of before time began, from the beginning of the world. I just imagine Him putting His hands on your face and turning your beautiful face to look in His eyes that are full of peace and strength and know that He’s got you and that you don’t have to perform and jump through hoops and prover yourself because He’s already done that. And so, yes, you will still need to do paperwork and jump through the hoops that are in place in the system. But I just am praying that God’s peace would wash over you, just knowing that He’s got you and He’s chosen the child for you. Love you dear sister. Hang in there. Love you lots. Bye.

Hi, I’m a long-time listener, I’ve rarely left messages over the years. I don’t have a name, so I guess I’ll just go by The Mountain is Higher that I. I need to ask for prayers for my family. For many years I’ve been dealing with sexual addiction. I’ve been in recovering for the better part of a decade. And it seems like it’s better than it used to be but it’s still not good enough. I keep testing the lines of my sobriety. And I am really tired of it, I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s hurting my wife and I know my kids feel the strain between us. I just, I’m asking for prayer. Please, please pray that the Lord will help me to surrender my dishonesty, pride and my will. Pray for my wife as she deals with the hurt from me getting honest with her. And pray for our family, that God will heal the brokenness in our relationships, now, before it gets worse. This is a road that I don’t wanna keep going down. Thank you.

Good morning, Daily Audio Bible this is Delights in Me. And I’m doing my weekly call in, even though this is uncomfortable for me. I’m an introvert by nature. I like standing back and observing. I don’t really like putting myself out there. But I am learning that God’s wants us united, and the devil likes us divided. He likes us feeling isolated and unique in a negative way. Feeling like we’re the only ones that feel this or go through that or whatever. And that’s such a lie. We are designed to a part of a community. And so, even though it feels uncomfortable I encourage you to call and be a part of this community. And so, when you call, just call and speak what’s from your heart. Don’t compare yourself with other people. And the same in church. Someone called recently about feeling like they weren’t part of the church, they didn’t feel accepted, they didn’t feel like they can’t fit it. And again, that’s such a lie. Put yourself out there, invite someone home for dinner or tea or whatever. Try to connect because we need that. And chances are everyone else feels the same way as you. Anyway, time is ticking away. I hope you all have a beautiful day. I’m off for the next few days and am enjoying time with friends. So, I’m looking forward to a beautiful day here in New England of hiking. Love you guys, praying for you. God bless.

Hi everybody, this is Kelly from California. And I’m calling to ask for prayer, this time for myself. I’m gonna be 60 tomorrow, September 30th and I don’t want to feel so lonely. I mean, my close family members, a lot of them passed away, including my sister. She did last year in October. So, October is like a month, cause I lost my dad and my sister in October. But I definitely need prayer, I’ve been having bad memories. I need prayer to help block out those bad memories that keep coming back and haunting me. And to restore a relationship I had with a cousin, I kind of can’t blame him for not wanting to talk to me but this mans supposed to be a Deacon of a church and claimed to be a Christian so, just restore our relationship in the future. And God would bring me a good Christian man. I had a bad relationship with my father in the past. But that got cleared up about 5 years prior to his passing. Because of people on my mom’s side of the family, kept trying to poison me against him. Wasn’t really a lot of what she did, I think they were trying to protect her. As a result, my sister and I got pretty messed up. So, but I just need help in how to block out the bad memories when they come. And take care everybody.

Hey DAB family, this is Beloved in Texas. Sitting here in my car, waiting for my daughter to get out of her voice lesson and a lady pulled up next to me with a little kid in the seat next to her. Baby seat in the back and no back windshield. And the lining is coming off the top of her car. She stopped and asked if there was anything, any work that I had for her to do. Cause she’s, she’s trying to find a place to stay. It’s not my area of town and honestly, we’re trying to get out of a financial bind right now. I was more than happy to hand over the cash I had in my wallet and praise the Lord, she did, let me grab her hand and pray with her. Her name is Meeka and she has two little babies. So, if my DAB family wouldn’t mind lifting her up along with me, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.

Hey siblings, it’s me, your little sis, His Little Sharee. With a prayer request and a confession. So, to start with the prayer request. As you know, my friend Mirna, Miracle Mirna, as I call her, is dealing with bed bugs, again. And so, they’ve told her that they’re gonna spray in her apartment, the end of next week. She’s looking for a place to stay for a couple of days while they do that. She talked to her friend that she stayed with last time and asked if she could stay there again and the friend said, I don’t think so. Because I have bed bugs now. And so, they figure, Mirna, unknowingly brought bed bugs with her when she stayed there last time. So, Mirna called me today and asked, I don’t have anywhere to go, can I stay at your place? And I said, well, if you can’t find anywhere else to stay, yes, you can stay here. Here comes the confession and you can guess what it is. I don’t want her to stay here. I’m deathly afraid of bed bugs and I’ve had an honest conversation with God about it. I’ve told him point blank; I don’t want Mirna to stay here. And I’ve asked Him if He would please find another place for Mirna to stay. I kind of doubt that He’ll answer that prayer, well, He’ll answer it with a firm no. Because I just feel like, you know, I can’t not take her in when she needs a place to stay. So, please join me in praying that if and when she comes, that she will not bring bed bugs with her. There’s precautions that we’ll take but prayer is the most important one.

[kelseylorene]

Archaeologist. Austrian Archaeological Institute, Ephesus, Turkey. 

[classicalmonuments]

Library of Celsus

Ephesus, Turkey

2nd century CE

The Library of Celsus was built in the first quarter of the 2nd century CE to serve as a heroon, that is, a burial monument dedicated to Tiberius Iulius Celsus Polemaeanus, the Roman senator and proconsul of Asia. The construction was financed by his son, Tiberius Iulius Aquila, who also bequeathed a large amount to the city for the purchase of books. The architect of the building remains unknown. Its luxurious facade is the western boundary of the area of Low Embolos and forms an impressive architectural complex.

The Library of Celsus has an eastern aspect. A staircase with 9 steps led from the square of the Agora to the facade of the Library. The steps at the top of the staircase were flanked by two pedestals with erected statues. The facade of the building, 21 m long and 16 m high, was made from solid marble plinths positioned according to the pseudo-isodomic system of rectangular masonry. The architectural style, including protruding small temples crowned with triangular and curved pediments, was very common in the eastern part of the empire. There are two floors and each floor has 8 monolithic columns without ribs. The columns are made of marble from the imperial quarries of Dokimeion in Phrygia. The columns of the first floor have a smooth shaft and an Attic base, formed by two convex cymas surrounding a concave one. The columns are arranged in pairs, although each of them is based on a separate quadrilateral pedestal and ends in complex capitals, which combine the Ionic and the Corinthian order. The crushed entablature of the first floor, consisting of a three-banded epistyle and a cincture with relief decorative motifs of vegetation and concave-convex cymas, is based on the columns.

On the front wall there were three doors. The pilasters and their lintels were adorned with motifs of vegetation, relief figures and concave-convex cymatia. The central door was wider than the two side ones. Through these doors the visitors entered the interior of the monument. Above the entrances there were ‘windows’ lightening the interior of the Library.

On the front wall and between the doors there were niches surrounded by pillars. The pillars were richly adorned with relief motifs of vegetation and mythological figures: Bellerophon riding Pegasus and the whimsical couple of Eros and Psyche darting from acanthus leaves. Twelve relief fasces and some axes remind that Celsus was a senator. The central figure on the frieze of the epistyle is an eagle. Tendrils of grapevine and ivy are twined around the pillars of the upper floor, while scenes of the life of Apollo and Dionysus are depicted as well.

The interior of the niches was adorned with four statues representing female abstract concepts: Sofia (‘Wisdom’), Arete (‘Virtue’), Ennoia (‘Insight’) and Episteme (‘Knowledge’). They are personifications of the virtues of Celsus but also of the virtues the life of high Roman officials should have had. The statues are today exhibited in the Museum of Ephesus in Vienna, while the monument accommodates their plaster casts.

The arrangement of the upper floor was similar to the low floor. The pairs of the columns are based on the same oblong pedestal and had capitals of Corinthian order. The protruding small temples are crowned with triangular and curved pediments interchangeably. In the corners of the pediments there were akroteria, not preserved today, while at the far end of the small temples there were ‘windows’ corresponding to the openings of the low floor. Between the small temples there were pedestals with statues of the owners. In particular, three of them represented Celsus and one Aquila. Each end of the upper floor formed a protrusion supported by a column. The building gave the illusion that it was higher and wider, which must have been the aim of the architects. The rich architectural and relief decoration, the facade with the ‘prostyle’ small temples crowned with curved and sharp-topped pediments, the niches with the architectural elements and the statues, all contribute to the formation of a three-dimensional image and are strongly influenced by the facades of the stages of Roman theatres. It is worth mentioning here that the surface of the facade is much similar to the facades of the Nymphaeum of Miletus (69-96), the North Gate of the South Agora of Miletus (120-130) and the scaenae frons of the theatre in Aspendus (161-180). These are some of the most important monuments of Roman architecture in Asia Minor.

The external walls of the building, to the southern, western and northern side, were plain and made of bricks, based on foundations from architectural parts previously used in other buildings.

The interior of the Library, unlike the two-floor facade, had three floors. Its top view was rectangular (measuring 10.92x16.72 m), while the middle aisle, exactly opposite the central entrance, ended in a large apse that reached up to the ceiling of the interior. Under the central apse was the burial chamber with the sarcophagus of Celsus, accessed from the north and richly adorned with reliefs, which was not looted. A statue representing a man, either Celsus or his son, was found during the excavations near the arched wall and must have stood under the big central apse. The statue is now at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. It seems that the Library of Celsus was not the only monument that served as both a burial chamber and a Library. The burial monument of Trajan in Rome, although bigger in size, must have had both a Greek and a Latin library.

[istanbultravelers]

🏛 Near the astonishing Aegean sea lies the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the best-excavated and largest cities of the ancient world. 🇹🇷 Şaşırtıcı Ege denizinin yakınında, antik dünyanın en iyi kazılmış ve en büyük şehirlerinden biri olan Efes antik kenti yer almaktadır. 🇷🇺 Рядом с удивительным Эгейским морем находится древний город Эфес, один из крупнейших и наиболее раскопанных городов древнего мира. 🇮🇹 Vicino al sorprendente Mar Egeo si trova l'antica città di Efeso, una delle città meglio scavate e più grandi del mondo antico. #Ephesus #Efes #Archaeology #OnlyinTürkiye (Ephesus, Izmir, Turkey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVs1IYkAiQ-/?utm_medium=tumblr

[salomi]

Antinous Portrayed as Androclus

Androclus, the legendary founder of Ephesus and son of king Codrus of Athens.

The statue was discovered in 1927 in the Vedius Baths and Gymnasium complex at Ephesus by the Austrian team who was excavating the site since 1895. Technical considerations date the statue ca. 150 AD. It is supposed to represent Androklos, a mythological hunter.

(Izmir Archaeological Museum, Turkey.)

[blueiscoool]

Ancient Earthenware Jars Discovered in Turkey

An asymmetrical pithos, or a very large earthenware jar, used for water or grain storage has been found during the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium in the northwestern province of Düzce.

According to a statement by the Düzce Municipality, archaeological digs continue in the ancient city, which is deemed the "Ephesus of the western Black Sea region,” with 60 excavation personnel, six of which are archaeologists.

During the excavations, the head of Medusa, known as the "snake-haired female monster that turns anyone who looks into the eyes into stone" in Greek mythology, and various statue heads, tombs and many artifacts that are thought to belong to the first or second century B.C., have been unearthed to date.

In recent studies, the theater part of the city is being revealed thanks to archaeological digs. As a result of the work, the excavation team concentrated on the upper part of the ancient theater, and an asymmetrical pithos that was probably used for water or grain storage was found next to the late Ottoman-early Republic building foundations. The officials continue to work on removing the pithos as soon as possible to determine which period it belongs to.

The ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium was known as “Hypios” and “Kieros” in earlier periods. It was captured by Prusias I of Bithynia, and the people of Bithynia named the city in honor of their king.

However, Bithynia went bankrupt due to the opulent lifestyle of its citizens. The people of Bithynia bequeathed the kingdom to the Romans, which started the Latin influence on the city. The city was already rich in terms of architecture but flourished more under the Romans. It became known as Prusias ad Hypium.

The city then passed into the hands of the Byzantines and Ottomans, respectively. Under Ottoman rule, it was handed over to Konuralp Bey, one of the first Turkish commanders who served in the establishment of the empire, by Osman Ghazi, the founder of the empire. This is how the region of the city received its current name, Konuralp.

[wecityguidecom]

Aizanoi Ancient City and Zeus Temple

Aizanoi Ancient City and Zeus Temple one of the greatest historical monuments in Turkey. Although this city and the temple is magnificent, it doesn't well-known enough by the people. Only 80.000 people visit here yearly. When you compare this number with Ephesus Ancient City it is nothing. Because every year more than 3.5 millions of people visit Ephesus very year. 

Aizanoi Ancient City and Zeus Temple

This city is located in the Çavdarhisar town of the Kutahya province.  Çavdarhisar is around 60 kilometres away from the Kutahya city centre.  The ancient city spread over a really large area and even some part of the Çavdarhisar is over it today. Most of the archaeological sites in Turkey decorated with the reconstructions of the ancient structures which makes them little "unnatural". But when it comes to Aizanoi it is fully natural, untouched and worth to see. There unique Roman buildings in the ancient city like Zeus Temple, Roman Bridge and Roman Bath and Theatre-Stadium complex. There are also two Turkish styled baths with mosaic, gymnasium and five more bridges which are still in use today, avenues with columns, necropolis and the sacred cave of Metre Sterne. History of Ancient City At the upper part of the Kocaçay (Penkalas) river, Phrygians (1200 BC) lived around the sacred cave of the goddess Metre Steunene. She was born through the union of the water nymph Erato and the mythological hero Azan. It is not clear but the archaeologist thinks the name of the Aizanoi comes from the Azan. The ancient city is the main settlement of the Aizanitisians who lived under the rule of ancient Phyrigians. You can find more information about Phyrigians on this page. But the recent excavations around the Zeus Temple extent the history of the ancient city to the 3000 BC. In the Hellenistic era, this area was ruled by the Bergama and Bithynia. During the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, under the rule of the Roman Empire Arizona became a rich region with its production of grains, wool and wine. Starting from the 1st century BC Aizanoi started to transform to city from town. After the Byzantine Seljuk Principality, Çavdar Tatars used this is as a military base and fort around the 13th century. From that date, the area is called Çavdarhisar. Hisar means a wall or fort-wall in Turkish.

When Was the Aizanoi Discovered?

The ancient city was discovered by the European voguers in 1824 and studied by them. M. Schede and D. Krecker started first excavation over the area in 1926. They were working for the German Archaeology Institute. At that time Turks and German were working together in almost every area. Today, still Turkish and German universities and institutes are working together in this area to find remains. One of the best-preserved ancient remains of the Aizanoi is bridges. Those bridges are still in use today (Two of four). They made out from large cut stones with walls. They were protecting the Çavdarhisar from the rise of the Kocaçay river. There are inscriptions to tell that the opening of the bridge happened in September 157 AD with a big ceremony. You can read this inscription on the fourth bridge.

The bridge can still serve on daily use (Source) The Zeus Temple One of the most magnificent temples in Anatolia is the Zeus Temple. It even best-preserved one in the world. Construction of the temple started around the last half of the 2nd century AD. Emperor Hadrian ordered its constructiıons. There is a stepped podium which is made from marble and the temple rise over it.  The podium is around 33 x 37 meter and originally there were 15 ionic columns on long side and 8 on the short. Today, the only column on northern and western sides are still standing. The temples were made for the two deities. The section which is above the ground for the ruler of Olympians, the Zeus and the underground part of it, is the place of Cybele cult. You will also see some battle scene depicted on the walls of the temple are belong to the Tatars from 13th century AD. There are also some small building around the temple but their history is unknown yet.

Aizanoi Zeus Temple from the side view (Source) Theatre and Stadium Imagine an ancient theatre and stadium. Now, think that there is a complex of both in Aizanoi Ancient City. This complex is located in the northern part of the city. Ancient theatre can have more than 20.000 of spectators and the stadium is around 14.000 more. theatre and stadium can have almost 35.000 of people which more than today's football stadium. Aizanoi was that big! Today both of the building is heavily damaged because of the earthquakes. During the rainy season bottom of the building are full with lots of waters. It is totally free to visit these buildings.

Aizanoi Theatre (Source) Roman Baths in Aizanoi Today, there are two ancient Roman Baths in Aizanoi Ancient City. The first one is very close to the Zeus Temples. It is located on the road from the Zeus Temple to the stadium-theatre complex. The second one is in the Çavdarhisar centre. Both buildings date back to the 2nd century AD.

Remains of the Roman Bath in Aizanoi (Source)

Worlds First Macellum

Yes, that's right! The worlds first macellum is in the Aizanoi Ancient City. This building constructed in the 2nd century and identifies as one of the oldest known commodity exchange. You can still see the inscriptions over of its walls defines the prices of goods traded in here. There are also some graves and other ruins from Roman and Turks of course. Also, you can visit the Kutahya Archeology Museum which is in the city centre of Kutahya to see other remains.

The worlds first macellum (Source)

How to Go to The Aizanoi Ancient City?

Çavdarhisar is only accessible with local buses or car from the Kutahya. There is no railway, unfortunately. If you're coming to Aizanoi from Istanbul or from other major cities you have a couple of options. First, you can come with intercity buses to Kutahya bus terminal and take a local coach to go to the Çavdarhisar. Second, You can take a flight from Istanbul to Kutahya Zafer Airport, then go to the Kutahya bus terminal with airport service than take local coach again. This way takes more time than buses, so you should think to take the coach. Third, you can use the train to come to Kutahya and go to the bus terminal and the same local coach. Of course, the most comfortable way to rent a car.

Are There Any Hotels to Stay?

Yes, there a couple of hotels to stay in Çavdarhisar. You can use the booking app and sites to arrange them. If you don't want to stay in Çavdarhisar you can go to Kutahya, Afyonkarahisar or Gediz to spend the night. If you ever visited Aizanoi Ancient City and Zeus Temple please share your thoughts and experiences to help the other travellers. Also, feel free to share your questions on the comment section.   Read the full article

[topfygad]

10 Outstanding Historic Websites to check out in Turkey

Turkey’s geographical locale amongst Europe and Asia implies it has been a crossroads of civilisations for 1000’s of years. Turkey has seen extraordinary civilisations, empires and folk which have remaining their mark prevalent throughout this magical state. From well-known Ephesus, to the well-known web site of historic Troy, all the best way to just lately recognized web-sites these sorts of as Aphrodisias and Assos, with its theatre overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. To face amongst the ruins of those historic civilisations is a emotion like no different, and in a few of these locations, it’s doable that you’ll have all of them to by yourself.

Right here’s simply 10 historic net pages to pay a go to to in Turkey. We’ve visited all of them and might vouch for every and each one specific of them for his or her uniqueness, historic significance and the way really awe-impressed we have been being. So implement to your Turkey visa, information your flight and be able to be marvelled by this superb nation.

Troy

Most individuals know the traditional web web site of Troy from the blockbuster movie starring Brad Pitt! What most individuals right this moment actually do not know is that Troy is famend for an distinctive 46 concentrations of occupation from 3000 BCE to 400 CE! The first civilisation started within the Bronze Age when Troy appears to be like to have been a flourishing mercantile metropolis and it’s genuinely interesting that although Troy was the second a harbour metropolis, the location now lies three miles inland from the shoreline!

Within the 1870s it was the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann who first excavated the spot, subsequently revealing the lots of cities crafted in succession to one another. Considered one of these beforehand metropolitan areas, Troy II, is often found with legendary Homeric Troy, and centre of the Trojan Conflict. Common, what continues to be to take a look at in Troy is an impressive perception into 4000 years of civilisations as a result of the Bronze Age!

Alexandria Troas

Alexandria Troas, an historical metropolis launched by Alexander the Nice’s typical in 300 BC lies 30km south of Troy. The net web page which was solely somewhat simply these days discovered, has no entrance fee and is made up sometimes of Roman ruins surrounded by 8km of city partitions. The important thing buildings which were excavated are baths, an odeon, a theatre, a basilica and a these days discovered stadium! It’s superb to see these historical constructions from the road as you generate previous and to halt and stroll round them with no 1 else throughout. Alexandria Troas is completely worthy of the fast detour.

Aphrodisias

The enticing metropolis of Aphrodisias is a single of the easiest archaeological net pages of Anatolia Turkey and is the 2 partly excavated and partly undiscovered. While it continues to be an individual of the lesser visited web sites in Turkey it was completely simply certainly one of our favourites. Aphrodisias was discovered by a Turkish photographer within the 1950s who stumbled all through a village the place by he discovered locals dwelling amongst the ruins, making use of historical pillars to take care of up their residences and historical tombs for troughs for his or her cattle!

With out the necessity of a doubt probably the most exceptional a part of Aphrodisias proper now’s the Roman Stadium which is nevertheless standing regardless of earthquake issues within the seventh century! The stadium would have seated 30,000 individuals and is a single of the most important and best preserved historical stadiums within the globe! There are a number of different intriguing web sites of fascination in Aphrodisias along with temples, baths, church buildings, common public squares, streets and a monumental gateway from 200 CE. Along with the stadium, Aphrodisias can be know for the Aphrodisian Sculpture Academy which was well-known in the middle of the Roman empire!

Ephesus

The metropolis of Ephesus developed as the center of classical sea commerce, the birthplace of the Hellenistic Greek renaissance, the Roman capital of Asia Minor, and the website of the Temple of Artemis, a single of the Seven Miracles of the Historic Atmosphere. In its working day it rivalled Rome in its magnificence. The net-site of Ephesus is huge despite solely 10% of the metropolis excavated and the website is presently unrivalled because the world’s most vital intact historical Roman metropolis.

You’ll be transported to a different setting as you check out the historic streets, the Agora, the a large number of intriguing temples which were uncovered, the Odeon theatre, baths, historic aquaducts and water pipes as properly because the legendary library! As well as there’s the Byzantine Terrace Properties and the terribly perfectly-preserved theatre, which hosts performances proper now!

Ephesus is probably the most famed and premier of the historic web sites to cease by in Turkey, which additionally suggests it would possible be the busiest as properly.

Apollon Symintheion

Apollon Symintheion was a modest city centered to the god Apollo that was crafted on a pure h2o useful resource. The ruins are somewhat complete and successfully preserved, in distinct the temple which might make it correctly worth a cease!

Hierapolis

On the cease of the 2nd century BCE, the dynasty of the Attalids who had been the kings of Pergamon, based a thermal spa in Pamukkale and crafted the traditional metropolis of Hierapolis above it. Today, each equally Pamukkale and Hierapolis are guarded World Heritage Web sites and folk however journey from all near the globe to wash within the therapeutic waters.

The ruins of Hierapolis are an monumental web site the place you’ll be able to stroll amid the ruins and take a look at historic baths, temples, Greek monuments, an unbelievable theatre, library, gymnasium and a single of the world’s premier necropolis! The highest of the historic city supplies majestic views throughout the distinctive landscapes and countryside which encompass Hierapolis and Pamukkale.

You may incorporate your journey to Hierapolis with a go to to Pamukkale when choosing out which historic websites to go to in Turkey.

Knidos

The historic web site of Knidos which is famed in antiquity for the cult of Aphrodite which begun there. Located on the cease of the Datca peninsula, this Dorian metropolis was developed on terraces rising to the acropolis. Knidos had a harbour on probably facet of the peninsula and flourished throughout the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Roman intervals. The town was famend as a single of probably the most stunning in historic Greece and was a wonderful historic web web site to find when crusing in Turkey!

Assos

Historical Assos is discovered on the prime of a hill surrounded by olive groves, charming stone constructions and crumbling city partitions and presents breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea and the Greek island of Lesvos! Assos is an incredible net web page that along with its gorgeous views and attention-grabbing file is also an archaeologists dream with fascinating ruins and fragments of historical pottery scattered all via all the web site able to be discovered!

Historic Assos was initially settled near 900 BCE by Aeolian colonists from close by Lesvos. These days it’s possible to wander near and discover the town’s panoramic lofty ruins, the bronze age Acropolis, the 530 BCE Doric temple of Athena and a spectacular see above the Aegean Sea. It’s possible to walk throughout the two,500 yr previous metropolis partitions and go to the traditional theatre which might have seated about 5,000 individuals right this moment and overlooks the ocean!

Assos was one specific of our favourite historical net pages to take a look at in Turkey because it was so tranquil and in a stunning location by the ocean.

Pergamon

The historic web-site of Pergamon sits atop a hill overlooking the trendy metropolis of Bergama. Pergamon is simply one of many premier web-sites in Turkey and with out the necessity of a query one of the extraordinary! Pergamon was a giant globe electrical energy and its affect created fantastic wealth for generations and was amid the 7 metropolitan areas addressed by John within the Guide of Revelations.

Its amphitheatre is the steepest in antiquity and the library which was developed by Eumenes II throughout 197 BCE was the 2nd main within the historic planet! Pergamon is an super web site and we’d actually endorse visiting with a tutorial or choosing an audio guide. We did the latter and learnt so so much about this very robust historic metropolis which remaining us speechless by its exceptional amphitheatre!

Asklepion

Asklepion is an historical therapeutic centre that was devoted to the serpent god Asklepius. Today it’s believed that Asklepion was extra like a modern spa than a clinic with therapies included mud baths, music live performance occasions, and doses of water from the sacred fountain.

You may stroll the Sacred Approach which at first linked Asklepion with the Acropolis in Pergamon. All through the location there are a selection of swimming pools and fountains which have been being employed for bathing, ingesting and totally different different kinds of remedy. It’s actually exceptional to stroll alongside the northern colonnade wherein there are 17 columns proceed to in place and potential prospects to the restored Roman Theatre.

Implementing to your Turkey Visa

Until you’re a member of a visa-exempt place, you’ll have to should make the most of for a Turkish visa upfront of viewing Turkey. The second licensed, your visa will enable so that you can enter the area by land, sea or air and allow you to journey by the use of this undoubtedly exceptional state.

You should utilize on-line to your e-visa Turkey in lower than 5 minutes! You mainly fill within the on the web software kind, pay out the cost and your visa can be despatched to you by e mail ordinarily inside only a few of days, nevertheless you possibly can implement for an pressing visa which can be issued an amazing deal faster.

Is Turkey in your bucket guidelines, or have you ever been fortunate adequate to pay a go to to this magical area?

PIN FOR Later:

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[dailyaudiobible]

10/04/2021 DAB Transcript

Jeremiah 2:31-4:18, Colossians 1:1-17, Psalm 76:1-12, Proverbs 24:21-22

Today is October 4th, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I am Brian, it is great to be here with you today, it’s great to be with you every day. But today is today and it's great to be here with you today. As we come around the Global Campfire and let it all go, whatever that thing is that snagging at us that are those things, these pressures, these obligations and responsibilities. These fears, these uncertainties, we are allowed to carry them around as much as we want. That's not necessarily a healthy thing to do and we are also given permission to not carry them around. But let's at least give ourselves permission to not carry them around right now, like we’re around the Global Campfire now, we’re safe right now. And, what’s gonna happen now is we’re just going to read the Scriptures and let them wash into our lives and so often something that we need is there and so often when we leave this place, the things that we have to pick up and carry, they don't have the same weight. Things shift and so let’s just let it all go as we move forward in our journey and take the next step forward. Which leads us back into the book of Jeremiah, which we just began yesterday. So, we’re just getting going in Jeremiah. When we get to the New Testament, we have new territory there as well. But first Jeremiah chapter 2, verse 31 through 4, verse 18.

Introduction to the Book of Colossians:

Okay, so we concluded the letter. Paul's letter to the Philippians yesterday. Which brings us to the 12th book in the New Testament, which is another letter from the apostle Paul, this one to the Colossians and the Colossians were people who lived in the city of Colossae which was not a place unfamiliar to Paul. It’s about 100 miles from where he spent a lot of his time in Ephesus and Colossae is, I don't know that it’s an archaeological ruins or site, at this point it’s been identified, but not really excavated. It sits in modern-day Turkey. But during Paul's life, Colossae wasn't an archaeological ruin at all. It was a bustling city and it had everything that you can imagine that bustling city in the Roman Empire would have, a lot of mingling of culture, a lot of mingling of philosophical ideas, a lot of mingling of spirituality and some of this mingling had made its way into the Colossian church. And so, Paul writes this letter as a response and similar to Ephesians and Philippians, Colossians is generally considered to be a prison epistle, so another letter that Paul wrote while he was awaiting trial before the emperor and the letter generally has two sections, to two themes. The first is a doctrinal issue. There had been people coming into the church and we’ve seen this before. This is a little different though, people would come into the church, they were fellowshipping in the church, but also teaching things like Angel worship, and some just other rituals that were not part of what Paul was teaching. And so, Paul addresses this in this letter by showing us once again this high, high Christology, this awareness that Christ is supreme over all creation, over all angelic beings, over everything. He writes in his letter that the universe, the very universe is created by and through Jesus and is…is sustained through the Lordship of Christ. And then Paul also addresses something we’ve seen before this, circumcised versus uncircumcised controversy that was dominant in the early church. We’ve seen it in other letters where people come in and I like no you got obey the Jewish customs, you’ve got to essentially become Jewish, then follow the Jewish Messiah, follow those customs, which Paul was very, very much against. We've had lots of conversations about that, in Colossians Paul is still against that teaching and so we’ll once again hear him make corrections and once again we have a letter that was sent to actual people in an actual congregation giving us insight into what was happening in their congregation. And since we have a collection of letters from Paul, we see the themes, the commonalities, the different things that the early churches were facing and for that matter, their distinctions and the different cities. But we get a really good glimpse at the struggles that were going on among our brothers and sisters that are our spiritual ancestors. And as we read these letters, we find that maybe context changes a little. The cities definitely change, the regions definitely change but the things that we find ourselves wrestling with, in dealing with, within ourselves and with…with in our fellowships, within our communities of faith, we still have this kind of stuff going on and so these letters, Colossians being the one that were about to read, serve as opportunities to be corrected, to find a path again, to get our NorthStar back and walk in a direction that is profitable for the kingdom of God. And so, we begin Colossians chapter 1 verses 1 through 17 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for this new territory into this letter to the Colossians that we are entering into, we ask that You lead and guide our hearts and we might understand what we need to understand, plant the seeds of the Scriptures in our lives. And may they yield the fruit of the Spirit, that we may have a bountiful harvest not only for our own hearts, may it spill out into our marriages and our families, may it spill over into our faith communities, may it spill out into this world that we may be that city on a hill, that we may be a light in the darkness, that we may illuminate the narrow path that leads to life. Come, Holy Spirit into all of this we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base and that's the website, it’s where you can find out what's going on around here, how to get connected around here, how to pray for one another. I mean there's all kinds of resources in the Daily Audio Bible website. You can access all this using the Daily Audio Bible app as well. There is little drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. So, things like the Daily Audio Bible Shop where there are resources for the journey that we find ourselves on. Now that we’re moving into the final quarter of the year there are a number of resources there in the Daily Audio Bible Shop. Also, the Community section, that is, that is how to get connected. The different social media channels that you can follow Daily Audio Bible on and that is that's, if you taking the journey, that's a good thing to do because that allows us to make announcements, etc. etc. and so check that out. The links are all in the Community section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com too. There is a link on the homepage or if you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or if you prefer the mail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, Daily Audio Bible family, this is God’s Life Speaker. I am calling on behalf of my son, Joshua, who you all have prayed for, for years now. He's 21 and at graduate school and he has been in a state if not well for quite a while and last night I was talking to him and it just broke out into prayer with him and we just need whatever is taking him down, fighting for his soul, to go, to be cast as far as the east is from the west. Family, please let’s stand together for these mental health issues these young people are having in the name of Jesus. We ask that Your mighty hand come over Joshua and anyone that is in need of being delivered from this spiritual realm that is of darkness and they feel they're in a pit and cannot come above. But You’re there and we love You Lord and you're allowing this to go through Your hands. In the name of Jesus, we ask that You would deliver these people, bring them up, may they long to love You. May they overcome these things, may they be refined and may they be magnifying Your name. I ask it in Your son's precious name. Amen.

Good morning DABer family this is the Burning Bush That Will Not Be Devoured for the Glory of our God and our King. I am calling for our sister Alyssa from Montana. Sister, I am praying for you. I prayed for you when I heard your prayer request and for those that didn’t hear, she is legally blind. She had COVID recently and lost her senses of taste and smell, and that is definitely hitting her a hard. My sister, I want you to know that I prayed for you and I believe that the same God who raised the dead can restore your senses. And so, Father God, I pray Oh Lord, that you restore her senses and…and give her just divine healing of her body that she will be whole, Father. And God, I thank You Oh Lord, because you love Alyssa and I pray that you just guide her as she awaits Your miracle. Thank You God for miracle after miracle in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. We love you, my sister. May God bless and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace and giver you your sense of smell and give you your sense of taste. God Bless, bye.

Hello there, DAB family. I love this community. Thank you so much. This is my first time. I just wanted to reach out to my Aussie friend there, in Canada. But my Aussie friend there that just requested prayer for his, I believe it’s his brother or friend. I know about mental illness. My mother had schizophrenia so, it is very difficult to have a loved one with this illness and just pray protection over him, bring him home Lord Jesus. Bring him to his place of peace, Lord and just comfort him right now, in his grief Oh Lord. The grief, can sometimes overwhelm but you have given us peace, so bring him to that place. Lord Jesus, and I also want to pray for the mom that reached out from Wyoming. I pray for wisdom and strength for your daughter to make the right decision. That she will just know from your wisdom as a mother, that she would listen to you and open her heart to take Godly advice. I pray Father that she will make the right decision. I also would love prayer for my…my daughter in Australia and my son, who are now not talking to me. They’re just going through, they’re adult children, they’re going through hard time with this pandemic. Just please pray that God would touch their hearts and they would come back to Him. Bless you all. I love you all.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Becky in Orlando and I would like for all of our Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors to come and circle around our new sister in the Daily Audio Bible family. Her name is Myra, she’s from New Jersey and I just met her in one of our hotels. Myra has been dealing with some horrible things that have happened to her where she just got attacked while she was in New Jersey. And she’s dealing now with PTSD. And if we could just pray for Myra. Anyway, I’ll start us off, Dear God, if you could please send the Blessed Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to tend to Myra, to give her comfort that only Jesus can give to her, to mend her wounds, both psychologically and spiritually. And, we know that this can be done because You are just the most amazing God and I pray that she listens to the Daily Audio Bible everyday and that it brings her comfort. And I pray that anybody else that’s listening to this would be able to get just the word that Jesus knows and God’s knows, the Holy Spirit knows all the plans that we have that He has for our lives. Sometimes the picture, we can’t see the big picture but He has such big plans and we don’t understand what His plans are for us at the time. So, please allow God’s plans to you know to unfold in her life and I pray that she just keeps on listening. So, Myra, from New Jersey, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible family and God Bless you, my sister. Alright, thanks Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors around the world. Alright, bye.

Hello, this is Nelly. I just want to let you all know that I’m praying for you all. And it’s such an encouragement to be part of this Community. I just pray that you also pray for me as I’m struggling with very dark and depressing thoughts. It’s been such a struggle. I haven’t been able to sleep. I’m just asking for prayer, thank you. I love you all.

[kelseylorene]

Terrace Houses Excavation. Austrian Archaeological Institute, Ephesus, Turkey. 

[airaglub]

Between Jambaz and Taxim Tepe

ANTIQUE THEATRE

Trimontium’s antique theatre lies on the low ground between Jambaz and Taxim Tepe. Archaeological excavations have uncovered one of the best-preserved antique theatres in the world, built at the beginning of the 2nd c. during Emperor Trayan’s rule. The theatron, the spectators’ section, is amphitheatrical, in two semi-circles with a wide horizontal aisle in between. Each tier has 14 rows of marble seats divided into sectors by aisles. The area of the stage excels in architectural design. The skene at the back is a two-storey structure with lateral wings ending in imposing triangular pediments.

Inscriptions and exquisite statues found Antique Theatre of Philippopolis on the site have been incorporated in the architecture of the building. The theatre must have seated 5 to 7 thousand people. A fire or an earthquake at the end of the 4th c. caused irreparable damage to this remarkable antique building. The splendid skene was completely demolished, just 20 out of the 28 rows of the theatron survived. In spite of the serious destruction, archaeological research made it possible to execute a successful restoration. Now the ancient building has been entirely adapted to the contemporary cultural functions of Plovdiv and it shows various performances before an audience of 5000 people.

ANTIQUE STADIUM

The imposing remains of the stadium of Philippopolis (Trimontium) were discovered under the square west of Jumaya Mosque (Friday Mosque). Part of them is now displayed below the level of the busy street. The majestic structure measures 1000 Roman steps in length (250m) by 250 steps in width (74m). The main entrance into the stadium is below the junction of Knyaz Alexander I Street and Dr Valkovitch Street. It was designed in the solemn style of Asia Minor cities like Miletus holidays bulgaria, Ephesus and Aspendos. The seats arranged in 14 marble, amphitheatrical rows stand on supports decorated with high relief lions’ paws. The major part of the stadium is occupied by the racetrack whose length is 600 Roman steps.

It starts at the main entrance and reaches the northern side turning into a bend to accommodate chariot-racing. Part of this sector is displayed under street level and under the open sky. The marble seats and the track are clearly identifiable. In the middle of the bend there is an arched corridor leading out into a street built of large syenite slabs. You can see the impressive bases of the columns supporting the aqueduct, which fed the large reservoir on Taxim Tepe with water from the Rhodope Mountains.

During Philippopolis’ apogee (2nd -4th c.) the Antique (Roman) stadium was the venue of the traditional athletic games organized in honour of the god Apollo and Alexander of Macedon. After the Emperor Theodosius the Great suspended the games at the end of the 4th c. the Philippopolis stadium was used as a hippodrome. The final information about it comes from the Byzantine autheress Anna Comnenus (end of the 11thc.) who was deeply impressed . by what had remained of the Roman stadium. In its heyday the stadium could seat thirty thousand spectators and was one of the major public facilities in ancient Philippopolis.

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Between Jambaz and Taxim Tepe

ANTIQUE THEATRE

Trimontium’s antique theatre lies on the low ground between Jambaz and Taxim Tepe. Archaeological excavations have uncovered one of the best-preserved antique theatres in the world, built at the beginning of the 2nd c. during Emperor Trayan’s rule. The theatron, the spectators’ section, is amphitheatrical, in two semi-circles with a wide horizontal aisle in between. Each tier has 14 rows of marble seats divided into sectors by aisles. The area of the stage excels in architectural design. The skene at the back is a two-storey structure with lateral wings ending in imposing triangular pediments.

Inscriptions and exquisite statues found Antique Theatre of Philippopolis on the site have been incorporated in the architecture of the building. The theatre must have seated 5 to 7 thousand people. A fire or an earthquake at the end of the 4th c. caused irreparable damage to this remarkable antique building. The splendid skene was completely demolished, just 20 out of the 28 rows of the theatron survived. In spite of the serious destruction, archaeological research made it possible to execute a successful restoration. Now the ancient building has been entirely adapted to the contemporary cultural functions of Plovdiv and it shows various performances before an audience of 5000 people.

ANTIQUE STADIUM

The imposing remains of the stadium of Philippopolis (Trimontium) were discovered under the square west of Jumaya Mosque (Friday Mosque). Part of them is now displayed below the level of the busy street. The majestic structure measures 1000 Roman steps in length (250m) by 250 steps in width (74m). The main entrance into the stadium is below the junction of Knyaz Alexander I Street and Dr Valkovitch Street. It was designed in the solemn style of Asia Minor cities like Miletus holidays bulgaria, Ephesus and Aspendos. The seats arranged in 14 marble, amphitheatrical rows stand on supports decorated with high relief lions’ paws. The major part of the stadium is occupied by the racetrack whose length is 600 Roman steps.

It starts at the main entrance and reaches the northern side turning into a bend to accommodate chariot-racing. Part of this sector is displayed under street level and under the open sky. The marble seats and the track are clearly identifiable. In the middle of the bend there is an arched corridor leading out into a street built of large syenite slabs. You can see the impressive bases of the columns supporting the aqueduct, which fed the large reservoir on Taxim Tepe with water from the Rhodope Mountains.

During Philippopolis’ apogee (2nd -4th c.) the Antique (Roman) stadium was the venue of the traditional athletic games organized in honour of the god Apollo and Alexander of Macedon. After the Emperor Theodosius the Great suspended the games at the end of the 4th c. the Philippopolis stadium was used as a hippodrome. The final information about it comes from the Byzantine autheress Anna Comnenus (end of the 11thc.) who was deeply impressed . by what had remained of the Roman stadium. In its heyday the stadium could seat thirty thousand spectators and was one of the major public facilities in ancient Philippopolis.