Photo a day - Caesar was here

The Roman forum is a spectacular archaeological site, so evocative of ancient times. Amazing to think it became a cow pasture and dumping ground in the dark ages. If you haven't been there, go. Photo taken in May 2010.

Olympia

From Delphi and Arahova, we drove southwest and took the futuristic and expensive (11.80 Euros, or about $17 at that day's exchange rate!) Rio-Antirio bridge to the Pelopponese.



Continued south and arrived in Olympia mid-afternoon. Had the whole archaeological site to ourselves, except for the guards. Here's the sole column remaining from the Temple of Zeus.



The Palaestra was the wrestling gym. It had a courtyard surrounded by columns, many of which still remain on site. Today the word "palestra" means gym in Italian. Interesting that some of their language comes from Greek.



The Philippeion was a memorial to guess who, Philip, and his family.



In addition to the site, there is an archaeological museum. Apparently this area was inhabited in pre-historic times. This bronze griffin head, which once graced the top of a cauldron, is from the 6th or 7th century BC!



Same goes for ol' creepy eyes here.



They've arranged the pediment sculptures in the museum so that you can see how they were originally meant to be viewed. This scene depicts a battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths.

Back outside, we noticed a shrine like many shrines we saw along the roadside all around Greece.
	It includes some icons, matches, and wicks. See the little silver foot to the lower right of the candle? Someone with an injured foot came and prayed for their foot to heal.
This pretty shrub was nearby. Despite the fact that it's January, we saw a bunch of flowering plants.

Delphi

Delphi was the home of the famous Oracle of ancient Greece.



People used to come here from far distances to ask questions of the Oracle, who would often respond cryptically.



Current day visitors also come from distant lands, although I'm not sure they were there to hear prophecies.



The setting is stunning -- perched on a mountainside with a glorious view of the valley below.

Sutri

About an hour from Rome is a town called Sutri, which is chock full o' Etruscan archaeological sites. There are also some Roman ones about, such as this amphitheater, which dates from 53 BC.



The Etruscans, as you might already know, predated the Romans. They built a Necropolis (cemetery) in Sutri. Sarcophagi and urn niches are carved into tufa rock.



Horses grazed in the field we passed by. That's the modern (medieval) town in the background.



Inside a cave is a church called Madonna del Parto. Some believe it was originally an Etruscan tomb, then converted into a mithraeum, a temple to the Persian god Mithras (commonly worshipped in Roman times).



One of the town squares features a fountain and a clock tower.

Hadrian's Villa

The emperor Hadrian had a summer estate in Tivoli, not far from Rome. Today it is an open-air museum.

This area is known as the Maritime Theater. It features a small island in a turtle-filled pond. The island is thought to have been Hadrian's painting and architecture studio.



Hadrian had many replicas of classic ancient structures built. The Canopus is a replica of a sanctuary to the god Serapis near Alexandria, Egypt.



There are many buildings visitors can walk through. Some contain floor mosaics. Here is some detail from one of them.



There are other decorative touches still visible.



Looking out from a rooftop, the view is pastoral.

Palestrina

The town of Palestrina (called Praeneste in ancient times) is known for its Archaeological Museum...

... which is housed in a palazzo built atop the ancient Etruscan Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia:

The sanctuary was covered up for centuries, but exposed again due to bombs during World War II. The museum contains many items found at the site, including an incredibly detailed mosaic depicting the flooding of the Nile River. Numerous African animals, such as giraffes and hippos, are depicted. Apparently some people think one of the animals resembles a dinosaur, and they actually cite the mosaic as proof that man and dinosaurs coexisted. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos of it, so we'll have to share pictures of the town with you instead.

Palestrina is a hill town, hence plenty of steps! The residents probably have strong quadriceps.