Most Recent Visit: May 2022 Today located at the site of the modern city of Autun in eastern France, the Roman city of Augustodunum was founded sometime in the late 1st century BCE, during the reign of Augustus. Named after the emperor (with the added Celtic suffix denoting a hillfort, dunum), the city was a…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part VII Continuing along the road another kilometer and few minutes of driving (not through the gate) is another well-preserved section of the fortifications. There is no gate here, but rather the wall was destroyed to allow the passage of the road. On both sides of the road, significant portions…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part V The road that runs along the east side of the residence leads down to the Doric propylon entrance to the gymnasium-stadium complex, originally constructed in the 4th-3rd century BCE. Some bits of the road are preserved along the way. The Doric propylon was constructed in the 1st century…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part IV Continuing up the eastern wing of the Asklepieion is the monumental eastern propylon of the sanctuary. This was the primary entrance into the Asklepieion from the eastern road, at a slightly elevated height, down into the eastern stoa. The exterior face of the propylon had an open triple…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part III Immediately adjacent to the Sanctuary of Demeter and the Dioscouri to the southeast, the Asklepieion. The Asklepieion was located on the south side of the agora; some bits of the southern portico of the agora are visible on the north side of the path that skirts the north…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part II Just to the east of the sanctuary of Isis and Serapis is another religious building, the so-called Theater Basilica. The three-aisled early Christian basilica seems to have been constructed sometime after the middle of the 6th century CE and made extensive use of existing materials on site. One…
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Continued From Messene, Achaea – Part II Taking one of the staircases from the Theater Quarter leads up into an area above the summa cavea/epitheatron of the theater. Conversely, one can walk back out to the main area and around this retaining wall to access the theater area as well. The theater seems to have…
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Continued From Asturica Augusta, Hispania Tarraconensis – Part I Continuing out through the northeast exit of the Jardín de La Sinagoga, and then north on Calle Padres Redentoristas, is the Domus del Mosaico del Oso y los Pájaros, the Domus of the Mosaic of the Bear and Birds. Located at Calle Padres Redentoristas 19, the…
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Continued From Aquincum, Pannonia Inferior – Part I Heading north from the Mithraeum of Symphorus and Marcus is an insula that is largely taken up by two structures, the first of which is the Large Dwelling House. This residence is claimed to be the largest and most luxurious domestic structure in the civilian settlement of…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2023 The area of the Roman settlement of Aquincum was inhabited prior to Roman conquest by Eravisci (also referred to as the Aravisci), a Celtic people. The Celtic cultural influence is evident in archaeological remains, though Tacitus claims that they are related to the Osii, a group he labels as Germanic…
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