Friday 4 June 2021

Antiquities

Pics from the past. Just a few of the many ancient sites in our immediate area.



Stone bridge still standing from 4,000 years ago. This is my favourite ruin. There are several bridges in the area and remnants of an ancient road, once used by travellers and chariots 'they' say.  I enjoy taking any visitors to stand on this bridge. Traditional person is no longer amused. He's 'been there, done that' too often.


Ancient temple at Nemea.  In wine country an hour or so from us.  Also the site of a small friendly and very traditional taverna along an old river bed.
Traditional Greek persons tolerate the ruins because of their proximity to the traditional taverna.


Epidavros theatre
Now open again as are all ancient sites
No doubt getting ready for the summer festival of ancient Greek drama. 
My very own traditional person complained last time he visited the theatre and told the guards he had brought so many people to view the site that he should not have to pay. They let him in free.


My daughter, seated on an ancient stone from the Greek pyramid behind her. Also an ancient site on the 'ok' list because of the excellent grilled lamb chops at a taverna close by.

The pyramid is possibly  from 2,500 BC.


The temple to Aphaia on the next door island of Aegina
Impressive ruins. Aphaia was a goddess associated with fertility and agriculture. She was worshipped almost exclusively on this island.


Stones from one of  three vaulted tombs from around 1,600BC.  Located on the mainland just a few minutes away.
I visited these about 20 years ago with a friend and we had to jump a gate and walk up through someone's olive groves.  These stones were all that we could see back then but they were being excavated.  One of the tombs, it says, was the height of a three storey building.

As you can see they are in an impressive location on a rise overlooking the sea.  Hope I can visit them again.


Nearby are the remains of  the ancient city of Troizina.  I have visited these ruins many times in days of yore.  We have had picnics with the kids and wandered and wondered.  The ruins are hard to find, in far flung fields surrounded by herds of goats.  Once it was a city of over 20,000 and much of the remains are in the olive groves and amongst the orange and lemon trees belonging to farmers from the modern day village of Troizina.









16 comments:

  1. I would find it pretty amazing to have so much historical beauty on my doorstep. Would love to come back to see all the things I missed last time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I remember rightly you visited places I didn't know about and taught me a few lessons. There's an awful lot around Nafplio and Argos

      Delete
  2. Don't you find it amazing coming form a country where the oldest stone built remains are probably a storehouse in Kerikeri or something - possibly a couple of hundred years old - to stand on a bridge 4000 years old? Tombs and temples are interesting but sort of ceremonial.
    A bridge however is so much more about what life and trade and travel those people had. Love it all and must visit that pyramid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's not much left of that pyramid now but it's in a place with a stunning view of all the countryside. Great tavernas nearby too.
      Love history however old

      Delete
  3. That is absolutely fascinating. I've learned that if you keep everybody fed and watered they are much more likely to go along with my plans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got to keep chauffeur happy. These ruins are a great place to find a bit of shade and sleep off the lunch

      Delete
  4. Wonderful to have so many ancient sites so close by, I would be taking everyone to visit the bridge too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So much history right on your doorstep. The Romans came through these parts, but they don't seem to have left any proof of their stay. Plenty of medieval churches, but that's as far back as we go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some of these ruins are more impressive than others but there's sure a lot of them

      Delete
  6. You're so fortunate to have that much ancient history, as you know NZ is still fairly new, no chance of anything like that here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Still NZ history is interesting and there's so much preserved for visitors. Not to mention getting your tongue around and sorting out names.
      There's also that hint of very ancient walls and a story which could reach back into the mists of time.
      Fascinating

      Delete
  7. So much history
    And lovely places to walk and get your steps up
    The sunshine is great as well
    Not much sun her right now missing it

    ReplyDelete
  8. Being in the presence of such old ruins would make me feel such a tiny blip on the scale of humanity. Hard to imagine ordinary folk walking over that bridge all those years ago. It is a sobering thought :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. So cool, all those ancient ruins. But I know how it is to have visitors that want to visit them, that after awhile it's "again?". I have no idea how many people I took to the Alamo. Not as old, not near as cool either.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was diagnosed as HEPATITIS B carrier in 2013 with fibrosis of the
    liver already present. I started on antiviral medications which
    reduced the viral load initially. After a couple of years the virus
    became resistant. I started on HEPATITIS B Herbal treatment from
    ULTIMATE LIFE CLINIC (www.ultimatelifeclinic.com) in March, 2020. Their
    treatment totally reversed the virus. I did another blood test after
    the 6 months long treatment and tested negative to the virus. Amazing
    treatment! This treatment is a breakthrough for all HBV carriers.

    ReplyDelete