Abila in the Decapolis history

Abila was first occupied in the Bronze Age around 6,000 years ago, and remained in use to approximately 1500.

The Decapolis is mentioned in the Bible numerous times, including in relation to Jesus and his ministry, indicating its importance in the area’s history. An earthquake in 747 AD turned much of the thriving city into rubble however.

Though the site fell to ruin, there have been some spectacular discoveries made there that indicate its long and fascinating history. Archaeologists have painstakingly uncovered Byzantine churches, a monastic complex from the early Islamic period, Roman baths, a theatre, temples used to worship Herakles, Tyche, and Athena, miles of subterranean water tunnels, aqueducts, megalithic columns, tombs, city gates and various municipal buildings.

Abila in the Decapolis today

Abila has been excavated extensively for almost 40 years, and remains one of the most exciting archaeological sites in the region for two reasons. Firstly so much is yet to be excavated, and secondly much of what the resident archaeologists wish to dig up is already visible from the surface, teasing them.

For visitors there is also much to see, including the impressive ruins of a number of Byzantine churches and a bath complex, while excavation programmes also run for volunteers.

Getting to Abila in the Decapolis

Abila in the Decapolis is located in Jordan, around 10 miles north of Irbid, and can be reached by following the 35 road from the city. It is close to the village of Quwayliba and on the bus from Irbid – ask the driver to drop you off at the ruins.

Abu Simbel history

Known as Ramesses the Great (sometimes spelt Ramses), Ramesses II is one of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs and formed part of the Nineteenth Dynasty. From 1279 BC, he built the temples at Abu Simbel as a way to immortalise himself, a feat he certainly seems to have achieved with these two vast structures and the large statues of himself which guard it.

The temples were carved directly into the sandstone outcrops located on the west bank of the Nile River, south of Aswan in the land of Nubia. These sacred temples were each dedicated to the gods as well as to Ramesses and his wife, Nefertari. The larger one, known as the Great Temple, honoured Re-Horakhti, Amon Ra and Ptah and the smaller, Hathor.

One of the most startling sights at Abu Simbel is the main hall of the Great Temple. This was also cut into the sandstone and along the hand hewn length are two rows of Osirid statues of Ramses, each one 30 feet high. Those on the north side wear the white crown of Upper Egypt, while those on the south side wear the double crown of Lower Egypt. This hall is precisely cut so that the early morning sun rays on 22nd of February and 22nd of October shine down the entire length to light up the back wall where the statues of four gods are seated.

Incredibly, the temples at Abu Simbel were once located elsewhere, but were moved – with the help of UNESCO – to their current location in order to protect them from flooding. The place they once stood is now under water.

Abu Simbel today

Today, the Abu Simbel temples form part of a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the “Nubian Monuments”. This site also features as one of our Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Egypt.

Getting to Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is a small village in the southernmost region of Egypt, just 25 miles away from Sudan. The closest major city is Aswan. Abu Simbel has its own airport and a few hotels and hostels but Aswan provides more options to overnight.

Abu Simbel is about a three-hour drive away from Aswan and there are many tour operators that can take you there.

Abydos history

Covering a vast area, Abydos has offered up many historical sites and much of the area still remains uncovered. It is perhaps best known for the well preserved remains of the Temple of Seti I (also known as the Great Temple of Abydos), which was built by Seti and his son Ramesses II in the late 13th century BC. This is the principle tourist attraction of the Abydos site, and in fact much of Abydos is not open to the travelling public.

The settlement itself has a rich history dating back as far as 4,000 BC and pre-dynastic Egypt. During the Middle Kingdom (circa 2,000 BC – 1,600 BC) Abydos became an important religious centre revolving around the worship of Osiris. This led to Abydos becoming one of the most important cities in the region and it became the burial site of many of the ruling elite.

Abydos today

Abydos continued to be an important city and site of pilgrimage right up to the late Roman period and ruins have been found from throughout the long history of the site.

Other notable historic sites at Abydos include the Osireion, the symbolic tomb of Osiris, the necropolis of Umm el-Qa’ab and the Temple of Ramesses II. This site also features as one of our top ten tourist attractions of Egypt.

Getting to Abydos

Many visitors will visit Abydos – along with Dendera – either by train or organised tour from Luxor. The fare is approximately LE 52, first class. From the station, either the tourist police or a police-escorted taxi will take you to the site of the Ramesside temples.

Containing several different sites, including temples, monuments and public buildings, the Acropolis of Rhodes represents the main ancient site in the city, dating to mostly the third and second centuries BC.

Amongst the things to see at the Acropolis of Rhodes, there are impressively reconstructed sites such as an odeon and theatre as well as the ruins of the Temple of Apollo.

Acropolis of Rhodes history

The site of the ancient Hellenistic city of Rhodes stretches up the slopes of Monte Smith Hill a kilometre west of the Old Town. In the past, the Acropolis of Rhodes overlooked the western part of the city and unlike most other ancient Acropolis, it was not fortified.

The Acropolis of Rhodes featured Sanctuaries, huge temple premises, and public buildings. The buildings were strategically built on precipitous terraces that were ably supported by impregnable walls. The Acropolis of Rhodes is one of the finest specimens of the Hellenic style of architecture that blended harmoniously with the surrounding environment.

The key monuments in the archaeological zone of the Rhodes Acropolis are the Temple of Athena Polias and Zeus Polieus, the Nymphaia, the Odeion, the Temple of Pythian Apollo, the Stoa building, Artemision, the Ancient Stadium of Rhodes, the Gymnasium, and the Library.

In antiquity, the population of the city was supposedly larger than that of today and extended over the eastern slopes of Aghios Stephanos, which was later also known as the hill of Monte Smith, named after the English admiral Sir Sidney Smith who established an observation post in 1802 to watch over the movements of the Napoleonic fleet in 1802, right down to the city harbour.

The excavations of this site were carried out by the Italian Archaeological School during the Italian occupation of the island between 1912-1945. From 1946 onwards the Greek Archaeological Service conducted excavations which added to existing knowledge of the history and topography of the place.

There is still a significant amount of the Acropolis that are yet to be excavated. An archaeological zone of 12,500 m² has been excluded from contemporary building with the intention of continuing excavation works to uncover the ancient city of Rhodes.

The Temple of Pythian Apollo suffered considerable damage from bombing in World War Two and underwent restoration work in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1996 further reconstruction was carried out on the temple and the Nymphaia.

Acropolis of Rhodes today

This UNESCO-listed medieval town is a great place to explore. The current findings represent only a fragment of the original grandeur of the ancient city of Rhodes. The Temple of Pythion Apollo stands at the summit of the Acropolis with breathtaking panoramic views of the city and the sea.

Getting to the Acropolis of Rhodes

The acropolis is at Monte Smith Hill, Rhodes City. The site can be reached on city bus 6, or by walking along Komninon and Diagoridon from St Athanasius Gate at the southwest corner of the Old Town.

History of Aguateca

Thought to have been one of the two capitals of the Maya Dynasty in the region – together with Dos Pilas – from around 700 AD, Aguateca was a vital stronghold thanks to its natural defences – cliffs and a ravine. In fact, in the eighth century, Dos Pilas was abandoned and its people sheltered at Aguateca. Carved stelae on site detail Aguateca’s military successes and have greatly helped historians decipher Aguateca’s history.

The city was finally abandoned sometime around 800AD – arrowheads and skeletons, the remains of burnt buildings, and scattered valuables imply that the city was attacked and partly destroyed by invaders, leading to its sudden abandonment.

The remains of the city suggest that it was a centre for craft production and trade: obsidian was found in quite large quantities, which is evidence of trade with other city states. A half constructed temple has also been unearthed, which provided insights into Maya building processes and materials.

Aguateca is located in northern Guatemala, in the region of Petén. It’s relatively remote, accessible only by motorboat from the nearby town of Sayaxché, via the Río Petexbatún: the journey takes just under an hour each way. Sayaxché itself is off the main highway PET-11 to Flores – buses should be able to drop you there.

Aigai history

Though evidence of human occupation of the site stretches back to the 3rd millennium BC, it is thought that it was not until around 1000BC – 700BC that it became an important regional centre. Aigai probably reached its height around 500 BC as the Macedonian capital, before being replaced by Pella around 100 years later.

After the death of Alexander, Aigai suffered during the Wars of Alexander’s Successors and the city was again damaged during the Roman conquest of the region in 168BC. Aigai survived into the Roman era but gradually declined during the latter Imperial period.

Aigai today

Today, Aigai can be found near the modern town of Vergina and there are a number of interesting sites to explore. Probably the most famous of Aigai’s sites are the royal burial tombs, which are believed to house the tombs of Phillip II and Alexander the Great’s son, Alexander IV. This being said, debate still rages regarding who the remains belong to, particularly in Tomb II. Other possible candidates include Alexander the Great’s elder half-brother Philip Arrhidaeus III and the warrior princess Cynane.

An impressive museum – the Royal Tombs of Vergina Museum – was built to enclose these tombs and visitors can explore this underground experience.

Along with these main tombs are as many as 300 other grave mounds, some dating back to the 11th century BC.

Other important remains at Aigai include the royal palace – which includes impressive mosaics – and the 4th century BC theatre, believed to be the exact site of Philip’s murder. There are also a number of temples near the theatre, including the temple of Eukleia.

Aigai was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.

Getting to Aigai

Aigai is roughly a one hour drive from Thessaloniki (70km distance). There are not any direct bus links between Thessaloniki and Aigai, although both the bus and the train can take you from Thessaloniki to the nearby city of Veroia.

Amongst its ruins, Aizanoi has five ancient and still used bridges, two Turkish-style baths, column-lined promenades, a stadium, a gymnasium, a theatre and its great Temple of Zeus.

History of Aizanoi

Aizanoi was an Ancient Greek city in western Anatolia. Located astride the River Penkalas, some 1000m above sea level, the city was an important political and economic centre in Roman times.

Settlement in the area is known from the Bronze Age. It changed hands between the Kingdoms of Pergamum and Bithynia, finally being bequeathed to Rome in 133 BC. Aizanoi’s monumental buildings date from the early Empire to the 3rd century.

Aizanoi became a Christian bishopric, with its bishop, Pisticus, being a participant at the First Countil of Nicaea in 325. The former city is no longer a bishopric, and is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.

After the 7th century, Aizanoi fell into decline. Later, during Seljuk times, the temple hill was repurposed as a citadel.

The ruins of the city were discovered in 1824 by European travellers. Survey work in the 1830s and 40s was followed by thorough and systematic excavation conducted by the German Archaeological Institute from 1926.

This excavation was resumed in 1970, and is still ongoing, with archaeologists in January 2021 announcing that they have discovered a cache of 2,100-year-old Roman coins in a jug buried near a stream.

In 2012, the site was submitted for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Aizanoi Today

Today, visitors can see the Temple of Zeus, which is situated prominently on a hill and was the city’s main sanctuary. Construction of the temple began under Emperor Domitian.

A theatre and stadium are built adjacent to each other, with their being combined into one complex being a feature that is unique in the ancient world.

There are also two baths – or ‘thermae’ – one which includes a palaestra and marble furnishings, and the other which contains a mosaic depicting a satyr and a maenad.

The remains of Aizanoi’s market, which features a circular macellum, is famed for being the first recorded place in the world where inflation was calculated. Recent excavations have also revealed the existence of a stoa, or covered walkway, and a large necropolis includes examples of door-shaped Phrygian tombstones.

In 2012 the site was submitted for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Getting to Aizanoi

Though Aizanoi is well off the tourist beaten track, locals are friendly and happy to guide interested travellers round all of the historic sites of the historic site.

From the nearby city of Kutahya, Aizanoi is reachable in around 45 minutes by car along the Kütahya Uşak Yolu/D240.

Driving from Istanbul to Kutahya takes around 4 hours and 15 minutes, primarily along the Bursa Eskişehir Yolu/D200/E90.

Akrotiri history

In fact, Akrotiri was inhabited as early as the 4th millennium BC – some say earlier – during the late Neolithic period as a small fishing and farming village. It would then thrive and grow into a larger settlement measuring up to 20 hectares in the next millennium, during the Bronze Age.

Increasingly frequent earthquakes in the area meant that Akrotiri was finally abandoned, some say in the 17th century BC, but it was a volcanic eruption that truly ended the tale of this magnificent place. Buried in volcanic ash, preserving many of the fine frescoes and artworks, the settlement was excavated after 1967.

Akrotiri today

Today, the stunning ruins of Akrotiri now stand in testament of the sophisticated urban settlement which once existed there. The buildings are not only multi-storey, many of them contain vivid frescoes of various themes. This excellent state of preservation has drawn parallels with another famously volcanically preserved site, earning it the moniker of the “Minoan Pompeii”.

Yet, Akrotiri has another claim to fame. The site is generally considered that Akrotiri was linked with Knossos and would have been a Minoan site. However, some have gone further, claiming that it was the lost city of Atlantis.

Getting to Akrotiri

Directly south of the modern day village, you can get public transport to Akrotiri as there are regular buses from Fira bus station to the car park at Akrotiri Red Beach (20 minutes).

Alba Fucens history

Alba Fucens has been described as an ‘archaeological jewel’ and it’s easy to see why. It is situated in a picturesque valley at the base of the 8,159 ft Monte Velino in the Abruzzo region of central Italy and was a frontier town separating the Marsi and Equi tribes featured in ancient Rome’s early chapters but were defeated by the Romans in 303BC.

The thriving, prosperous town saw conflict during the Second Punic War (218BC – 201BC) and the Social War (91BC – 88BC) and held some very important state prisoners including Syphax of Numidia, Perseus of Macedonia and Bituitus, King of the Arverni before being totally destroyed by the Saracens in the 10th century.

Alba Fucens today

While the history of Alba Fucens is utterly fascinating, what remains today for the 40,000 yearly visitors is equally as captivating.

In the late 1940s, Belgian legal historian and architect Ferdinand de Visscher ‘gave himself with abandon’ to the archaeological conservation of Alba Fucens and amongst many stunning finds lie the remains of a magnificent amphitheatre commissioned by Praetorian prefect Naevius Macro (and today used for theatrical and musical performances), a macellum or marketplace and amazingly well-preserved fortification walls with a circuit of over 3km.

Visitors will also see thermal spas intricately decorated with marine-inspired mosaics, baths for men and women, the pagan chapel of Hercules, an ancient domus romana, counters and sinks of a wine bar, a sewage system (cloaca maxima) and the 12th century Church of San Pietro.

Getting to Alba Fucens

If travellin by car, visitors can take the Autostrada (fast toll road) A 24 east out of Rome, or A25 west from Pescara, exiting at Avezzano and following the signs to Massa d’Alba.

Aldborough Roman Site history

Before the Roman occupation, the region in which modern Aldborough stands was ruled by the Celtic Brigantes. The Brigantes were one of the dominant tribes of the Iron Age in Britain, controlling the area which is now Yorkshire and Lancashire. At the time the Aldborough area was a Brigantian settlement called Iseur, however the Romans built their own settlement here and named the town Isurium Brigantium.

After the Roman invasion of Britain the Brigantes were initially compliant with Roman rule, and ‘Brigantia’ became a client state. Indeed it was the Brigantes Queen Cartimunda who handed over a major adversary of Rome, the Catuvellauni chieftain Caratacus.

After Cartimunda divorced her husband Venutius in favour of his armour bearer, Venutius rebelled, and the Brigantian territories descended into civil war. Cartimunda was rescued by Roman aid. Soon after, however, the Romans took advantage of the unrest to take control of the region. In 71 AD, Petilius Cerialis, the Roman governor of Britain, subjugated the local population and established Isurium Brigantium as the headquarters for controlling the regional population.

In the beginning Isurium Brigantium would simply have been a fort, with a civilian population inhabiting the perimeter of the town. During the second century, the military capacity of the town was much reduced, and it established itself as a civilian centre. Approximately 55 acres, Isurium Brigantium was surrounded by a significant stone wall reaching 12 feet in height, and in some parts having a depth of 9 feet.

However, the town seems to have diminished during the later Empire period, and with the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain much of the original Roman town suffered.

Aldborough Roman Site today

Today, very little of the original Roman town remains, except for an area which is managed by English Heritage.

The entrance to Aldborough Roman Site is through an area close to the original Roman south gate. Visitors immediately arrive at the Aldborough Roman Museum, which has on display fascinating architectural finds from the town.

Some parts of the southern wall remain intact, as well as the foundations of two defensive towers. Visitors can also follow the path through the gardens to view the site’s highlight – two magnificent mosaics.

The mosaics date from the 2nd or 3rd century, and were discovered in the 19th century, the first by accident when a calf was being buried by an innkeeper. This mosaic depicts a lion resting under a tree yet has sustained some damage. The second however remains well preserved, and shows a magnificent pattern with an eight sided star in the centre.

In 2011, scientists using geomagnetic sensors located the remains of the Roman amphitheatre at Aldborough, under Studforth Hill, just outside the village.

Getting to Aldborough Roman Site

Aldborough Roman Site is located in Aldborough, North Yorkshire on a minor road off B6265. There is no parking onsite, however in Boroughbridge village there is a free tourist carpark 1 mile away. The nearest train station is Cattal, 7.5 miles away, while bus services from York and Harrogate stop in the nearby area, with the closest the Square Stop a 1-minute walk away.