|
Sites in Mediterranean |
|
||
|
|
Exploration & Photos |
for you and yours |
|
|
These are some notes and pictures from my investigations at various sites around the world Malta The stone temples of Malta are recognized as the oldest human buildings still standing in the world. The one at Ggantija with its huge, rough stones loomed high above a hillside just outside the town of Xaghra and is still very impressive. Dating from 3600 BC, it is perhaps the oldest of these temples which the Maltese dedicated to their women and their ancestors.
Ggantija temple (click to enlarge) Over the centuries the people of Malta refined their stoneworking skills and carved the huge rocks to be very smooth and rectangular. One of their later temples at Tarxien shows how these massive blocks were cut so perfectly that they fit together exactly and required no mortar to hold them in place. This is a style which would become known as ashlar stonework. Intriguing designs were added using carvings and ochre paint.
Tarxien temple (click to enlarge) The Phoenicians are understood to have come to Malta at this time, and continued to return for many centuries. This island was an essential port for repairs and provisions on their trade routes across the Mediterranean. Today the fascinating places which remain are maintained by my friend Reuben Grima, the curator of World Heritage sites on Malta. Lebanon Lebanon is awash in history, from Tripoli and Byblos in the north to Tyre and Sidon in the south. At Beirut, which is in the middle, the juxtaposition of old and new is especially striking. After the 1975-1990 fighting there was so much damage downtown that buildings had to be pulled down. This brought to light Phoenician ruins immediately beside the brand new buildings being raised in the sparkling downtown.
In Tyre it is still possible to see the quintessential image of the Phoenicians, resurrected by one of their descendants. The local boatmaster built a boat of Lebanese cedar using the ancient mortise-and-tenon method. There is not a single nail in it.
He was good enough to give me a walk-through two days before it was launched. Then his son arrived aboard the boat on its maiden voyage when I was in Byblos. Phoenician reminders seemed to appear there wherever you go. [See book on Phoenicians] Santorini The legacy which Santorini leaves for us is unquestionably a beautiful one. Beside the dramatic plunging cliffs, clear blue sea, sunsets lighting clouds, villas and restaurants on high vistas brushed with warm breezes -- there are also more ancient gifts.
Santorini vista (click to enlarge) The city at Akrotiri was covered when Santorini's volcano massively erupted around 1628 BC. That sealed it in a time capsule which was only opened by excavators in 1967 AD. The Phoenician colony which lived here had played an essential role in early trade across the Aegean. The beautiful wall paintings tell us a great deal about the people who thrived here so many years ago.
Fisherman fresco (click to enlarge) Christos Doumas, the director of these ongoing excavations, told me there is more work to be done and more treasures to be revealed. Crete The mention of Crete immediately brings to mind the great palace at Knossos, the heart of the regal Minoan civilization which existed at the same time Akrotiri flourished on Santorini.
Knossos palace (click to enlarge) There was much more to the Minoans, of course. Recent discoveries have revealed their close relationship with the sea-trading Phoenicians, and with the Greeks who came after them. Crete is so large that it is almost a misnomer to call it an island. The ancients referred to it as a continent because of its mountain ranges and valleys. From the former Minoan palace at Phaistos, for example, one sees the panorama of the Mesara Plain spreading outward to the distant mountains and sea.
Phaistos panorama (click to enlarge) Crete also extends far to the west toward the Greek mainland and far to the east toward Asia Minor. Many treasures from this time are preserved by a wonderful woman named Nota Dimopoulou, director of the Iraklion Archaeological Museum on Crete. Egypt Who can think of Egypt without immediately imagining the broad Nile river wending its way from the southern border of that land past ancient temples and pyramids. Flowing through the heart of Cairo, the river then fans out into the wide Delta. The Great Pyramids draw one closer, to experience this surviving seventh wonder of the world.
Great Pyramid (click to enlarge) The second-largest city there is Alexandria on the Mediterranean shore. The ancient settlement included a port on Pharos Island frequented by the early Phoenicians. The modern city of Alexandria was later founded by Alexander the Great, and became home to the Greek pharaohs who ruled after him until the time of Cleopatra. The former island of Pharos, now attached to the mainland, is still the center of attention -- whether considering the busy shipping harbor to the west, or the elegant Corniche along the civic harbor to the east.
Pharos island (click to enlarge) Egypt is a land of many faces, and there is an intriguing history behind each of them. Interesting parts of that history were told to me by Ahmed Abdel Fattah, General Director of Museums and Antiquitities of Alexandria. Cyprus Cyprus is a curious island in the eastern Mediterranean which is always on the fringes of history but almost never center-stage. Roughly the same size as Crete, with high mountains and miles of seaside shores, it seems to have constantly been the object of a tug-of-war between Greece, Anatolia and the Phoenicians. Even today Greeks and Turks still divide the island between them.
This is the home of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, whose roots go back to the reverence for Mother Nature which was held by the Phoenicians and the original Cypriots. Today the foundation of a great Phoenician temple to the one they called Our Lady still stands in Kition.
Kition temple (click to enlarge) It is hoped that the spirit of Aphrodite will someday return to all the people of Cyprus and to the surrounding lands.
© 2005-2008 Sanford Holst |
