Turkey 14: Laodicea

It is known that settlements at Laodicea go back to at least 3,500 BCE, maybe even earlier.  This is one more example of the ancients' habit of building over older settlements.

Here they are reconstructing a temple from pieces of rubble found laying nearby.  Laodicea was destroyed by earthquakes many times, the last being in the 7th century, after which it was abandoned.

It appeared to us that the cranes, seen in the top photograph, had just finished erecting these three columns.

Again, I tried to imagine what this place must have looked like when it was in its prime in the first through the third centuries AD.  Notice once more, the carved detail on this lintel.

This is what's left of the main street. I don't envy the job of attempting to put all these pieces back together.

We were pleased to see a class of Turkish school children show up for a visit.  They added a nice splash of color and laughter.

Another reconstructed portion of a temple.  Laodicea is important in Christian history, as are several of the other sites we have visited.

A close up of two columns in the temple shown above.  Look carefully, and you can see the reconstructed portions of the column on the left.  The new, lower portion was certainly carved with machines.  The upper portion is a hand carved original.  If both were new, it would be hard to tell the difference.

More lintel rubble that has been sorted and tagged.

These thistles were everywhere.  I had to pay close attention to where I stepped in my sandals.

Here are only a few of the column pieces in the huge field we passed by.

The next morning we drove to Antalya via the Taurus Mountains.  Here, in the fog at the summit, is a giant sculpture of President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, considered to be the founder of the modern Turkish state.

Where the tour buses stop, there are always vendors with creative ways of coaxing tourists to part with their money.

Continue on to Post 15: Perge, by clicking here.