Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Sunday, August 30, 2015

The richness of Perge once again in the limelight

In spite of all the excavations, explanations and reconstructions we still cannot really imagine what a city like Perge  must have looked like during its heydays. Walking through the wonderful collection at the Museum of Antalya, it is amazing to see how many of the statues have been found at Perge  alone. This great city has a room of its own in Antalya’s Museum but is bursting out of it seams. It is quite exciting to read that even more near-intact statues have been recovered over the past three years.

No less than 13 rare sculptures have been unearthed at Perge’s necropolis at the end of the western street. In a Nymphaeum close to the northern baths a complete statue of Emperor Caracalla nearly 2.20m high was found, the only complete one so far. Also a 1.30m tall sculpture of a horse with perfect anatomic details was recovered in the area.

And then an impressive number of Greek gods and goddesses have been deterred as well: a 2-meters-high Selene, the moon goddess and sister of the sun god Helios; a strong and handsome Helios venerated on the same level as Apollo; a 1.70m high statue of Nemesis in a transparent dress; a statue of Tyche, the Latin Fortuna; a great Asclepius, god of medicine and health holding a plate of medicine in his right hand and a ferula plant in his left; a reassembled Aphrodite (since she was found in bits and pieces), the goddess of love and beauty; and an armored and finely sculptured Athena, the goddess of peace and intelligence. Last but not least there was a headless statue of a woman in long dress and coat, that of a headless man holding a sword, and finally the statue of a priest holding a horn-of-plenty in his right hand and showing two snake reliefs on his neck.

All these beauties have meanwhile made their appearance in a new Perge  Hall at the Archaeological Museum of Antalya. Time to return for a new visit at the museum as well as to the site of Perge  itself since according to the picture released in the Hurriyet Daily News more of the ancient city has been cleared, including the hill behind the main fountain that leads to the acropolis.

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