Continued From Juliobriga Part I There are a number of interesting and relevant smaller, ancillary sites to visit within about an hour of Juliobriga. I managed to see all of them along with Juliobriga in the same day (with the main archaeological site sandwiched right in the middle), so it makes for a nice full…
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Most Recent Visit: July 2022 In 29 BCE, Augustus began a campaign in the northwestern part of Hispania to attempt to pacify the last remaining populations not more or less submitting to Roman hegemony on the peninsula; the Cantabri and the Astures. The bloody ten year long conflict saw the Romans not taking prisoners and…
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Continued From Beneventum, Samnium – Part II Just to the west of the cathedral, a little ways down Via Carlo Torre, is the Area Archeologica Arco del Sacramento. The archaeological remains in this park are those of a bathing complex, located in the vicinity of the forum of ancient Beneventum. Though impressive looking, the archaeological…
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Continued From Beneventum, Samnium – Part I From the Arch of Trajan, one of the streets leading due east out of the intersection in front of the arch is Viale dei Rettori (a slight uphill). About 300 meters along this street, it intersects with Via Sandro Pertini and curves to the south. On the southwest…
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Most Recent Visit: July 2023 Beneventum was located at the confluence of the Calor (modern Irpino Calore) and Sabatus (modern Sabato) rivers, now the location of the modern city of Benevento, which clearly derives its modern name from the ancient. Prior to the arrival of Roman hegemony, the name of the settlement here seems to…
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Continued From Apollonia, Macedonia – Part III On the south side of the sacred way, above the north end of the stoa, was another set of retaining walls. On top of the plateau formed by these was a temple. The temple dates back to at least the 2nd century BCE and was then restored and…
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Continued From Apollonia, Macedonia – Part II North of the monastery is the bulk of the archeological site. About 100 meters on is what is referred to as the monumental center of Apollonia. The main path intersects and follows the cardo that would have led north into this center. Along the east side of this…
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Continued From Apollonia, Macedonia – Part I From the tower, the road begins to slope uphill toward the main archaeological site. Another 250 meters on or so, on the east side of the road, are the remains of a large residential building. The residence, referred to as the House of Athena after a statue of…
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Most Recent Visit: July 2024 Atop a hill overlooking the modern Albanian town of Pojan are the remains of the ancient settlement of Apollonia. Located near the mouth of the Anios (the modern Vjosa, but also called the Aias and Aoos in antiquity), Apollonia seems to have started as a small Greek trading post sometime…
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Most Recent Visit: July 2022 The exact date of foundation for Colonia Clunia Sulpicia (modern Peñalba de Castro) is unclear, but presumably it was sometime between the subjugation of the local Arevaci around 93 BCE and the first appearance of the settlement in the historical record in 75 BCE. The Roman settlement was not built…
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