Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Luxurious Greek villa revealed in Paestum

It is great news to read that a monumental building with priceless Greek ceramics has been revealed during recent excavation works at Poseidonia, the Greek name for Paestum in southern Italy.


Until now, Paestum was mainly known for its splendid and well-preserved Doric temples among which the first Temple of Athena dating from circa 550 BC and the second Temple of Hera (originally attributed to Poseidon/Neptune by mistake) whose construction has been dated to 460-450 BC. The newly exposed remains are, however,  proof of how rich the Greek founders of this colony in Magna Graecia were (see also: Magna Graecia, the forgotten Greek legacy).

It has been established that the city founders came from Sybaris, at the bottom of Italy’s heel who were among the pilgrims that came to worship at these temples. A great number of Attic red-figure pottery and other luxury artifacts left behind by the crowds of worshippers certainly attest of the fabulous wealth of Paestum.

The unearthed villa may well be a very rich house or even a palace and seems to date to the early days of Poseidonia. Archaeologists are quite excited to have a view of daily life in the city at the time when the first temples were built. This sets the villa apart from the overall Roman remains from the mid 3rd century BC that were found till now all over Paestum.

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