A view of the Karakum and Kyzylkum Deserts (Central Asia 2)

[1 - Alexander marched his army from Bactra (Balkh in today’s Afghanistan) with heavy losses through the Karakum Desert to reach the Oxus River in pursuit of traitor Bessus, who proclaimed himself king after killing Persian King Darius III]

In the early morning I’m being directed to board the plane that will take me from Tashkent in eastern Uzbekistan to Urgench, approximately 300 km south of the Aral Sea and squeezed halfway between the Oxus River and the border of Turkmenistan – in fact nearly at the end of the Uzbek world.

My bi-plane is not very reassuring and looks very much like a fixed-up engine coated with successive layers of paint to cover up the presumed crust of rust underneath. I hesitate to climb on board and even ask the welcoming stewards if this plane is truly safe. Well, they are not going to deny that – after all, they will be taking off with me. I am crowded in with another twenty brave travelers. Inshallah!

Instead of the promised one hour flight, this plane takes double that time but once I have accepted that my destiny was in the hands of Zeus, Zoroaster, and Mohammed, I am starting to enjoy my ride. This being such a small plane, it has the advantage of flying at a lower altitude so that I can follow its route across the landscape below. It is like reading a map at life-size scale! The Kyzylkum, meaning Red Desert soon shows its monotonous terrain and my thoughts almost immediately drift back to Alexander the Great and his army crossing similar stretches of desert.

As so often, he has my deepest respect. Watching these endless sandy hills enhanced with rare green dots of long grasses and entirely stripped of trees, I can only have admiration for Alexander’s courage and determination when he covered the fifty miles of “pebbled desert” to reach the banks of the Oxus River after he left Bactra in the spring of 329 BC. He and his army faced unbearable heat among shifting sand dunes where daytime temperatures easily ran above the 40 degrees centigrade. There was a dramatic shortage of water and in an unforgiving attempt to quench their thirst, the soldiers in their despair broke into the provisions of wine and oil, which made things only worse. It is said that when Alexander reached the Oxus he ordered to light huge bonfires to signal his men in the right direction. Survivors went back with water to help their comrades, others simply died on the spot after drinking too much of the tempting river water. We do not know how many men Alexander lost during this journey but rumors have it that the figures ran higher than the losses he suffered during any of his battles. That should tell us a lot.

With the map on my knees, I follow the patchy desert as it unfolds under me, wondering how different this Kyzylkum can be from the Karakum on the south side of the Oxus River which Alexander crossed. I decide it has to be minimal – a different color, a different texture with more pebbles and maybe a little less “green”, but as barren and hostile as what I see here. From time to time there is a tiny lake or some marshlands but clearly not enough water for anyone to settle in the area for I see no constructions and no roads, except the straight line of the main road which I’ll take later on and which connects Nukus-Urgench to Bukhara, Samarkand and Tashkent beyond.

At last, the landscape turns green with square irrigated fields and narrow shiny canals turning increasingly larger as my plane sets in its descent. Water definitely makes the whole difference. Rows of whitish houses and high-rise buildings appear in straight lines and squares among the lush green lands till a wide meandering river appears. I’m sure this must be the Oxus flowing in lazy curves dotted with sandbanks and flanked by the fertile green parcels, cotton no doubt. Such a wide river, which Alexander has crossed on more than one occasion. I feel at least as excited about this view as when I first saw the Euphrates River. If only those rivers could speak…!

My rickety plane lands without any problem and I continue my trip by bus to Khiva, a true treasure filled with Tamerlane’s legacy which is another story altogether.

[Click here to see all the pictures of the desert]
Click here to read Episode 3 of  Central Asia

Alexander in Bactria and Sogdiana (Central Asia 1)

Getting ready for a tour of Uzbekistan, my thoughts inevitably turn to Alexander the Great, for this is the territory of Bactria and Sogdiana, where he spent nearly three years of his life – almost one-third of his time in Asia. That tells a great deal about the difficulties he encountered in this part of the world. Alexander's kingship lasted twelve years, of which the first two years were needed to settle the affairs in Macedonia and Greece before crossing over to Asia. This means that he conquered the mighty Persian Empire and most of the then-known world in only ten years. Consequently, the three years he spent in Central Asia are highly important in his Asian campaign.

We generally follow Alexander out of Greece, skirting the coast of today's Turkey and facing the Persian armies at the Granicus, at Issus, and finally at Gaugamela. After that, most fights seem only to be skirmishes, but I now find out that the truth is very different. In fact, I'm amazed to learn how much has happened from 330 BC to 327 BC. Those years alone are worth a lifetime experience – that is, to any ruler but Alexander the Great, of course. 

To make things easy, I situate Uzbekistan north of Afghanistan, which is well-known through the news media, but for the sake of good order, additional logistical information is required. To the southwest of Uzbekistan, we find Turkmenistan, to the north Kazakhstan, and in the east Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, both entwined with Uzbekistan like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. These borders are pretty well drawn, but that was not always the case, and definitely not in Alexander’s time. Bactria then was at the far end of the known world, where nobody “civilized” wanted to go, and where nobody really knew where it started or where it ended. Even a meticulous geographer like Strabo got confused between Bactria and Sogdiana on many occasions.

But to me, this is Alexander country all the same, and I am determined to find out as much as I can. Not an easy task, even with the help of Arrian and Curtius, who managed to give contradictory accounts using Bactria and Sogdiana randomly. As it turns out, modern historians are no more successful in their endeavors. Rivers are not exact frontiers but seem rather to bring the desert peoples together, and the same goes for mountains, where passes serve to commute between different peoples instead of separating them. In the end, I find that the analytical approach of David Engels in his “Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army” makes the most sense. Pending new discoveries, new excavations, and new theories, this is what I’ll go by.

To begin with, we have a significant number of facts and names about Alexander’s whereabouts in that remote region, but matching them with modern locations is a huge task that is still ongoing. Based mostly on Arrian’s “Anabasis” and Curtius’ ”History of Alexander,” who both used Ptolemy’s account since he participated in the campaign, I do have a series of useful facts and figures:

1. Alexander marched his army from Bactra (Balkh in today’s Afghanistan) with heavy losses through the Karakum Desert to reach the Oxus River in pursuit of traitor Bessus, who proclaimed himself king after killing the Persian Great King Darius III.

2. Alexander crossed the Oxus River (today’s Amu Darya) on his way to Samarkand, probably around Termez, although the exact location is still being debated (see David Engels “Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonia Army” and Robin Lane Fox in “Alexander the Great” as opposed to the latest discoveries made by E.V. Rtveladze)

3. Although it was Ptolemy who is said to have ridden to Nautaca to collect Bessus, taken prisoner by local warlords in late June 329 BC, Alexander also crossed the Pamir Mountains between Samarkand and modern Shahr-i-Sabz, as Nautaca is called now.

4. On the way, there is an encounter with the Branchidae, emigrants from Milete, whom Alexander massacred because of treason.

5. Alexander moved to the end of the Persian Empire on the Jaxartes River (modern Syr Darya) through the Iron Gates (the only road east out of Maracanda), over Jizzak and Uratube.

6. In July 329 BC, Alexander was building his Alexandria-the-Furthermost, modern Khodjend in Tajikistan, while taking seven Sogdian cities, including Cyropolis. Alexander was seriously wounded.

7. In early autumn of 329 BC, Alexander marched to Maracanda in three days and nights to see Spitamenes vanish in thin air. He re-crossed the Oxus to winter in Bactra. Arrival of reinforcements from Macedonia.

8. In the Spring of 328 BC, Alexander split up his army into five sections for a clean-up operation. Hephaistion sweeps the Panj River Valley, Ptolemy the Vaksh River, Perdiccas the Karfernigan, Coenus the Surkhan, and Alexander marches to Maracanda, where his generals will join him afterwards.

9. Until August 328 BC, Alexander is busy subduing the Sogdians once again. In mopping up the Polytimetus Valley (today’s Zeravshan River), Alexander probably went as far as Bukhara and even Merv in today’s Turkmenistan, where he founded his Alexandria Margiana (it seems no “Alexandria” was ever founded without the king being present).

10. In Autumn 328 BC, the head of Spitamenes is brought to Alexander. The army is being divided between Bactra (Balkh), Nautaca, and Maracanda (Samarkand) because Spitamenes had destroyed the winter provisions in Bactra. Alexander spent the winter of 328/327 BC in Maracanda-Afrasiab. Murder of Cleitos.

11. Early 327 BC Alexander attacks the Sogdian Rocks of Ariamazes and Sisimithres (= Chorienes). Arrian and Curtius disagree on the location and on the chronology.

12. Maybe the most important event is Alexander’s marriage to the beautiful Roxane, daughter of a local Bactrian warlord.

Plenty of history to track down, and I’m confident that my imagination will do the rest. After all, since no writer, neither from antiquity nor from modern times, has managed to sift out facts from fiction, I feel entitled to draw my own conclusions based on what I’m going to see – why not?

For those who are not entirely familiar with history at this stage of Alexander’s campaign, let me place it briefly into context.

It all started when the Great King Darius fled from the Battlefield of Gaugamela and Alexander set in pursuit from Ecbatana in mid-July 330 BC, covering a rough 645 km in only eleven days in spite of the summer heat – an exploit on its own. It was, however, the Bactrian ruler Bessus who captured Darius and left him more dead than alive, alongside the road to die just before Alexander caught up with him. Bessus, feeling strong and powerful by his deeds, didn’t hesitate to proclaim himself King of Persia under the name of Artaxerxes V. This meant that Alexander, although he had been victorious at Gaugamela, still had to eliminate Bessus/Artaxerxes if he wanted to be the true King of Persia.

Before winter made the high passes of the Hindu Kush impassable, Bessus crossed the mountains north into Bactria, using the policy of scorched earth in an attempt to make it impossible for Alexander to follow him. But evidently, he underestimated Alexander's determination and stubbornness!

With his 32,000-strong army, Alexander led the way, not along the shortest route across the Hindu Kush as Bessus had expected, but over the 3,550-meter-high Khawak Pass, the longest but lowest pass that provided the best chances for forage. In spite of this practical choice, he and his army had to march through snow drifts and biting winds, suffering from snow blindness, altitude sickness, and chronic fatigue, and it took them 17 days to cover the 47 miles. It is not difficult to picture everybody’s relief when they finally reached the green, fertile valleys of Bactria and made camp in Bactra (Balkh in today’s Afghanistan), where they found plenty of provisions. Because of his scorched earth policy, Bessus had all the food and forage stored within the city walls – a true bonus for Alexander as the city opened its gates to him!

After his men enjoyed a well-deserved rest, Alexander moved north towards the Oxus River in late June 329 BC, still on Bessus' trail. Instead of frostbites and bitter cold, he now was stumbling through an inhospitable and waterless desert, the Karakum. This is about where I pick up Alexander’s trail…

Click here to read Episode 2 of Central Asia

The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield

The Afghan Campaign (ISBN 38551641X) is a captivating and interesting story about two boys who leave their Macedonian homeland to join Alexander the Great in his conquests on the eastern front.

They start their journey on the eastern Mediterranean where they enlist in the army. They learn what is means to fight in formation and under strict discipline on their march in the wake of Alexander, who constantly keeps moving ahead of them further to the east.

The story really picks up when the boys reach Afghanistan and join the veteran troops chasing Bessus and later on trying to catch Spitamenes. They suffer dearly crossing the freezing Hindu Kush and empty scolding deserts. They witness and barely survive the massacre of their Macedonian unit that was supposed to parley with Spitamenes in Samarkand. They meet up with tribal Afghans, Bactrians and Sogdians, giving us an insight in their way of life, their love for horses and blood feuds. It might all have happened just yesterday. And since this is a historical novel, we don’t lose track of Alexander’s movements up front, his tactics and his policies.

The book climaxes with the wedding plans of one of the boys with an Afghan girl, set against the huge wedding party Alexander is organizing for himself and the daughter of the Bactrian warlord Oxyartes, Roxane.

Steven Pressfield clearly knows what he is talking about, the landscape, the heat and the cold, the starvation, the constant harassment of the enemy and the unquestionable support of the boy’s mates in combat. All in all, a very vivid recount of Alexander’s conquest seen through the eyes of simple boys who become men far too quickly, but who above all are soldiers entirely devoted to their King.

Lycian Tomb found in Rhodiapolis, Turkey

The World Bulletin recently announced that a Lycian tomb complex was uncovered at the site of ancient Rhodiapolis, near Kumluca situated roughly between Finike and Antalya.

I like to keep up-to-date about sites that I visit, and Rhodiapolis has a very special place in my heart simply because of Opramoas of Rhodiapolis who was a well-known benefactor when the area was hit by a severe earthquake in 141 AD. All the details can be found in my previous article Finding Rhodiapolis from Finike.

[picture from the World Bulletin]

It is believed that archaeologists have found a Lycian cemetery complex dating around 300 BC that surrounded a larger necropolis in ancient times, and will serve as example for the elaborate style in Lycian Anatolia. Since members of the same family were buried on top of one another, the tombs needed to be expanded which meant in turn that extra levels had to be added. This explains the large two or three-story structures often made of brick and covered with arched roofs, which seem to be inspired by the Pisidians who lived north of Lycia.

Of course, this discovery is still in a very early stage and more excavations will be needed in the coming years, but sections of this site might be open to the public as from next year. Time to go back and have another look!

[Click here to see all the pictures of Rhodiapolis]

Peter Sommer Reisen auch in deutscher Sprache

Ab jetzt organisiert Peter Sommer seine erste Türkei Rundreisen in deutscher Sprache und zwar einen Ephesus Kreuzfahrt in September dieses Jahres (2012). Viele von Ihnen haben schon von den Türkischen Blauen Reisen gehört, aber bei Peter Sommer Travels ist dass etwas ganz besonders. Bitte besuchen Sie seine Website für alle merkwürdige Einzelheiten und weitere Eindrücke.

No, I am starting a German weblog. This is simply meant to draw your attention to the newly born German speaking tour of Peter Sommer Travels. My faithful readers will have seen me referring to Peter Sommer time and again, because the trips I was privileged to enjoy with him were hugely different from any other organized tour. Here the groups are always small, the packages well-balanced and the comfort on board of the gullet is a pure blessing for body and soul. It all can be summarized in one word: vacation. I would even say, VACATION, in capitals! No excuse anymore for my German friends to ignore this opportunity: do give it a try!

I’m going back on board myself later this year and I’m absolutely thrilled at the very prospect once again.

The Silkroad, some historical aspects of this trade route

For those who want to learn about this centuries-old trade route with the East, I can highly recommend this article from the Journal of the American Oriental Society, “Some Aspects of the Overland Oriental Trade at the Christian Era” by Wilfred H. Schoff, Secretary of the Commercial Museum, Philadelphia, Pa.

It is concise, well written and gives in a handful of paragraphs a vivid description of the routes and the ways in which trade was carried out. Very worthwhile reading material!

Ancient theatre discovered in Bodrum

In the summer of 2011 an ancient theater was discovered in Bodrum. Personally I find theaters always fascinating places to linger, so imagine what this new find in the Myndos area of Bodrum will have to tell us!

[foto from World Bulletin]

Bodrum is, of course, ancient Halicarnassus and Myndos in antiquity was its close neighbor. The theater was constructed around 400 BC, so in my eyes it becomes a structure that Alexander the Great most probably has seen when he besieged Halicarnassus in 334 BC. According to archaeologists it is a huge theater, yet how big will only be revealed after further investigation.

This short message appeared in World Bulletin of August 15, 2011. When more information becomes available, I’ll keep you all posted.

Sensational archaeological find near Milas

Every day new archaeological discoveries are being made, either in Turkey or anywhere else in the World. Most of them never reach the news. Illegal finds immediately disappear in the obscure circuits of the black market, while legal finds are simply moved to the storehouses of the museums. But from time to time, there are exceptions, like this grave that was unearthed in the summer of 2010. 

It all started apparently with illegal diggings, but when faced with an impressive sarcophagus, the find could no longer be hushed, and the appropriate archaeological services were called in. This happened in Zeus-Karios, near Milas, only miles away from Bodrum – well, relatively speaking, of course.

 

[picture from the Hurriyet Daily News]

Mylasa, as Milas was called in antiquity, was known for its sanctuary dedicated to Zeus-Karios, a god honored by the Carians, Lydians and the Mysians alike, according to Herodotus. In later years, Strabo confirmed this brotherly sharing of the god by the Lydians and the Mysians. 

So now they found this sizable sarcophagus made as early as 390 BC for King Hecatomnos, nobody less than the father of King Mausolos – yes, the one from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (today’s Bodrum). Such exciting news! Archaeologists are talking about one of the most important discoveries in modern times. The find is compared to the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great from Sidon, now at the Museum in Istanbul. 

The measurements alone are more than impressive, 2.75 meters long by 1.85 meters wide – it’s enormous! This sarcophagus needs cleaning, and more analysis is required, but I can hardly wait to see it myself! Meanwhile, we have to settle for the few rare pictures, as seen on this link.

Stagira, the Birthplace of Aristotle

The name of Stagira sounds like magic, for it is the birthplace of no one less than Aristotle! Aristotle was born here in 384 BC. His father, Nikomachos, had been the doctor for King Amyntas III of Macedonia, the grandfather of Alexander the Great. Yet, both his parents died while Aristotle was still young, and he was adopted by a relative. At 18, he went to Athens, where he studied at Plato’s Academy for twenty years, i.e., till Plato died in 347 BC. Meanwhile, he founded his own school in Assos (Troas in today’s Western Turkey), and three years later, he moved to Lesbos where he met Theofrastos, who was to be his successor at the school in Athens. In 343 BC, King Philip II invited him to Pella to provide proper schooling for his son, Alexander. When his task was finished three years later, Aristotle withdrew to Stagira till he returned to Athens in 335 BC, founding his own school, the Lyceum, where he worked for the next twenty years. Being accused of impiety after the death of Alexander the Great, he moved to Chalcis, where he died only 63 years old. Tradition has it that a year after his death, the people of Stagira officially had his remains transferred to be reburied in their city…

If you look for the city of Stagira on today’s map of Greece, you’ll be directed soon enough to the peninsula of Chalcidice in eastern Greece. But surprisingly, that is only a modern town, whereas the historic site of Stagira lies some odd 30 km to the east, just below Olympiada on the shore of the Aegean Sea. I found out that an excellent way to pinpoint the site is to use the Wikimapia layout of Google, which gives the traveler plenty of detailed information besides the satellite image.

I’m leaving Thessaloniki in the early morning, heading straight east over the old road to Kavala, past Alexandroupoli, and eventually to Istanbul. Most trucks and heavy traffic opt for the new freeway that skirts Lake Koroneia and Lake Volvi on the north side, making my drive along the southern side most pleasant. On my right lay the rich wooded hills of Chalcidice in a full array of green dotted with the yellow broom and a wealth of flowers in the cleared fields. In the wind-still morning air, the lakes peacefully reflect the clouds and their harvest of reeds and other water plants. Of course, my thoughts drift off to Alexander, who has marched his army along the opposite shores on his memorable conquest of Asia. Before him, his father, Philip must have followed either side during his many battles while creating the coherent Macedonian kingdom he left to his son after his assassination. In antiquity, this part of Chalcidice was rich with silver mines, and the towns I crossed could tell me many stories. It seems, however, that they have stopped in time. Life evolves at a different pace in this part of Greece.

At Stavros, I take a right turn south to the settlement of Olympiada, a pleasant village of about 650 inhabitants built by refugees expelled from Aghia Kyriaki, Turkey, in 1923. According to oral tradition, Queen Olympias was exiled here by Cassander. Still, from the historical point of view, this story is incorrect, for, in reality, she was exiled to Pydna. The new settlers called their city Olympiada in honor of Alexander’s mother based on this tradition. Its beautiful beaches of fine white sands and clear waters are now favored by tourists from Germany and Bulgaria, but presently in the second half of May, it is still tranquil and unspoiled. At the end of the village, I find a cozy harbor with a dozen fishing boats, overseen by an orthodox chapel with easy access from either the sea or the road to Ouranopoli. This main road also takes me up to ancient Stagira, signed and fenced with space to park my car.

All is quiet here. Except for the rustling of the wind through the low trees and the songs of many birds, all I hear is my own breathing. A rough track runs upwards from the entrance gate between bright honey-sweet broom shrubs – a feast for the eye till I reach the old city walls. A big map offers what seems to be a leisurely walk around the place, but it soon turns out to be a more difficult one as I venture into the dense shrubs and bushes.

Stagira was built over two successive hills and was defended by the wall I’m facing, protecting its people not only from the land side but also from the seaside. In its heydays, roughly between 500 BC and 350 BC, this wall was two kilometers long and often as thick as two meters. Although it has been nicely restored or probably just because of this, the wall is clearly visible in the landscape from afar.

The city was founded around 655 BC by colonists from the island of Andros and later from Chalcis. Like the rest of Greece, they were involved in the Peloponnesian War in 424 BC, becoming an ally of Sparta but changing camp soon after to take the side of Athens. Like many other cities on the peninsula, Stagira joined the Chalcidian League, whose seat was in Olynthus (which I’m also visiting). But then Philip II set off on his expansion conquests of Macedonia, and he is the one who besieged Stagira in 349 BC and thoroughly destroyed it in the process. When he hired the services of Aristotle to serve as a tutor for Alexander, he may have promised to rebuild the city as part of his (re)payment, but it never recovered its previous wealth. In this context, I definitely wanted to visit Stagira, of course.

The remains of the city walls are awe-inspiring, to say the least. It is interrupted by several watchtowers, only three being round. I’m standing right next to such a round tower as I enter the city through an opening close to the Acropolis. The view I discover all along the coastline is beyond my expectations. It is a mixture of memories from the Costa Brava when I look south in admiration for the strategic choice when I see Olympiada and its harbor at my feet. The day is hazy, but I can oversee quite a stretch of coastline to the north and northeast within visual contact of Amphipolis and the Strymon delta. I have visions of the Athenian corn fleet, for instance, keeping close to the land as it made its way back home, maneuvering from one port to the next. Or how about seeing the enemy or pirate ships approaching from up here? There is nothing wrong with my imagination, of course!

Strangely enough, the structures of these stone walls vary a lot, and I don’t understand why. To the right, the wall is built in the rough Lesbian or polygonal style. In contrast, the round tower and the left part of the wall are set up in the so-called “Egyptian style,” using square and rectangular blocks of different sizes and materials (limestone and marble) alternating with dark flat stones – with surprising effects. It seems that some parts of the original walls still stand up to four meters tall.

I try to stick to the path as I visualize it from the billboard at the entrance, but there are too many side tracks and no indication to reach the next site of interest. I follow my gut feeling, passing by several ruins of Classical and Hellenistic houses from between the 5th and 3rd century BC until I reach the open space at the very heart of the city, the Agora. Here I am confronted with an unusual rectangular public building measuring 26 x 6 meters, indicated as a Stoa, although it was a hall used for public debate. It had three closed walls around which a simple stone bench was set, while the one open long side faced the Agora. A broad staircase, although placed off-center, marked the entrance. The Stoa was covered by a roof held up by a row of eight columns aligned in the middle of the construction. Sadly only the foundations have survived, and it takes some imagination to picture it in full glory. In front but to the side are remains of a small altar, and on the other side of the market place those of a water cistern. The shape of this Agora is somewhat random as if the space has simply been used to the best of the possibilities without any basic pattern.

To the right begins a paved street, Greek in as far as I can judge, passing along several storerooms. These are relatively small rooms, one containing the remains of three large jars stuck into the floor and a larger clay basin probably used for storing cereals. The next room reveals two large elongated holes chiseled in the rock (more or less in the shape of a boat) with several cavities in which most probably large earthen jars could stand. A remarkable sight, I must say.

My path leads me past the Byzantine wall from the 10th-11th century, which cuts the old city in two and is made of all sorts of materials – typical Byzantine if you ask me, for they were master recyclers avant-la-lettre. But underneath, archaeologists have discovered remains of the archaic city wall from the 6th century BC. Amazing how this city limit was being used and reused after 16 centuries! Halfway through that straight wall rises a big square tower and surprises me with full-size flooring made of inlaid marble; the open rectangular space in the center of the room seems to indicate the place for an altar, possibly dating back to the 6th century.

Descending the peninsula's southern edge, I stop several times to take in the scene, picture-perfect views into the successive coves and beaches. Close to the beach, the dense growth gives way, and I stare into the remains of walls and rooms clearly sunken under sea level. What an exciting discovery! From here, I reach what appears to be the oldest part of Stagira, where an archaic Sanctuary (6th century BC) and late Classical walls have been exposed. Well, that is what the books say, but honestly, I can’t determine what is what. I climb to the top of this northern hill crowned with more Byzantine buildings and walls that seem to have been built one on top of another without a clear pattern. However, a very delicate and promising piece of cornice from this sanctuary can be seen at the Museum of Polygyros in Chalcidice.

It is midday, and the air is becoming pretty hot. Luckily, I took enough water with me. Yet I’m dying for a cup of coffee – maybe in neighboring Olympiada? I leave Stagira over what turns out to be the long way which offers a magnificent last view of the city walls down to the cafés and restaurants along the seashore. I find a quiet and shady table at the edge of the sandy beach where the hotel restaurant owner has set up a large white tent decorated with shells and crudely crafted maritime items painted in lively colors. What a breather! I sit back to stare over the peaceful sea and blue sky. All is well, and the café frappé is exactly what I needed.

After collecting my breath and my brains again, I decided to drive south over a green road on the map to Ouranopoli, which is as far as the road would take me because the remaining section of the peninsula is the property of the monks reigning over the Athos Mountains. From above Olympiada, I make a last stop to admire the tiny island of Kapros, stretching a good two kilometers from the shore. Kapros means “boar” in Greek, which is indeed what it looks like. Even in antiquity, the resemblance had not gone unnoticed, for Stagira’s silver drachmas all carried the image of a boar …

I drive through Stratoni and Ierissos to Nea Roda, where I hope to see traces of the canal dug by King Xerxes I of Persia in 480 BC. Persian conquests and occupation have been a reality over the centuries, yet when we read about it, we tend to brush over the names and dates to return to the history of Greece as we like to see it. Just try to picture Iran occupying Turkey and invading Greece – not very likely, but Iran was Persia and mighty powerful in the 5^th century BC. We should not forget that Persia had often interfered enough in Greece’s internal affairs until Alexander the Great reversed the odds.

The fact remains that in 492 BC, King Darius I of Persia sent a large army and fleet across the Hellespont to invade mainland Greece. This fleet, which was following the land army closely, was destroyed by a storm at the promontory of Mount Athos. Three hundred vessels were lost, and 20,000 men drowned. In the spring of 490 BC, Darius tried again. Heading for Athens, however, he was decisively defeated at the Battle of Marathon, putting an end to his Persian conquests - for the time being. New plans were drafted, but Darius died in 486 BC before he could execute any of them. It was his son Xerxes I who took over and who personally led the Second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC with one of the largest armies ever assembled. Xerxes had learned from Darius’ disastrous naval experience of 492 BC and ordered a canal to be dug through the narrow of the Athos peninsula, which is only two kilometers wide. This was probably one of the most significant engineering assignments of its time, shortcutting the long sailing route around Mount Athos. This is the place I want to see for myself.

But – to conclude my summary of the Persian’s role at this time in history – this didn’t mean a complete victory of the Persians over the Greek city-states, for even after being victorious at the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persian fleet suffered a severe defeat at Salamis. A year later, the Greeks united against the Persians and finally halted the enemy invasion at the Battle of Plataea. View Larger Map

Preparing for this wonder of the world, I searched for traces of the digging on satellite pictures, but the line of the old canal was very vague. The land is relatively level with only a few low hills before rising again towards Mount Athos at the very tip of the peninsula, but if one looks carefully, there is a dark green line of trees where this canal once ran through the land from east to west. Somewhere along the modern road, which more or less follows its tracé from Nea Roda to Trypiti on the other side of the narrow, I pass a giant billboard that confirms that I have arrived in the area. Exciting to be here at last but rather disappointed that there is so little left to see.

Since I got this far, I decided to continue to Ouranopoli, which promises beautiful sandy beaches and an old Byzantine fort at the threshold of the Athos monasteries, which are off-limits anyway. Exotic villas and plush hotels line the road into the city, which turns out to be thoroughly spoiled by the tourists. One souvenir shop next to the other, one fast food place stuck to the next with bawling music filling the air. I take a quick picture of the lonely but commanding fort squeezed between the harbor for fake pirate ships and a modern parking lot and turn back in search of peace and quiet. I find such a spot back again in Olympiada as I decide to take my evening meal at the same place where I tasted the coffee earlier in the day. Blissful scenery and delicious Greek food crowned with their local krassi – what more could I ask for…

By now, it is time to investigate the modern city of Stagira, where I am told there is a park dedicated to Aristotle and his works called “the Natural.” At this hour, I’m fortunate enough to have the park to myself, allowing me to investigate the several instruments that illustrate the phenomena of nature. A shiny white marble statue of Aristotle inspired by works from antiquity oversees the lovely park.

I take my time and stop at each construction: the parabolic reflectors (reflecting even a whisper from one to the other); the sundial (which also gives the month of the year); a huge lens (to prove the focusing of energy); a large compass (to illustrate that Aristotle's philosophy is universal); the pentaphone (five slabs of granite that produce a sound close to that of the ancient scale of pentaphone); two series of optical disks (whose designs, when set in motion, blend together to form another pattern); inertia spheres (the shock of one sphere is gradually carried forward from the first to the last sphere); a pendulum (where the oscillation energy of one element is transferred to the other two); and finally the water turbine (when cranking the lever, one can create a swirl in the water column similar to that of a tornado). It’s fun, I can assure you! At the far end of the park, I try my luck at the telescope focused on the Athos peninsula, but it is out of order. I take a picture in Zoom instead, with low hopes for the outcome since, as said before, this is not exactly a clear day, but in the end, I get a glimpse of the illustrious Mount Athos! Saying my goodbyes to Aristotle, I can’t help thinking he is happy here.

The drive back in the low evening sunshine will stay with me forever. The road takes me right across the middle of Chalcidice, another green route on the map. I am under the charm of the lush wooded hills with a wide variety of trees and shades of green. At times the blooming broom bushes on either side of the road are touched by the delicate sunrays and metamorphosed into pure gold. I hardly meet another car or traveler on this long drive of more than 100 km back to bustling Thessaloniki – lucky me!

Sagalassos Exhibition in Tongeren, Belgium

The exhibition Sagalassos, City of Dreams, is quite interesting, with plenty of panels (in Dutch only) relating the history of the place between the illustrated artifacts. To anyone who has not been to Sagalassos, it is very well constructed, with a scale model of the site in the center surrounded by a 360-degree projection of the landscape with the sound of the everlasting winds and running water in the fountains.

Unfortunately, the scale model is all white on a white background, and I missed some depth. They could have made more of it using push-buttons to highlight this or that building, which is challenging to transpose on the scale model or the site of Sagalassos itself.

For the children, there are five computers or so presenting de "live" history in the style of Asterix. Then there are two or three screens with very short 3D reconstructions whirling around rather quickly – an excellent idea that has not been entirely developed.

As to the objects on exhibition, I personally found the collection relatively poor, at least this was the conclusion after my first visit. 

I was, however, in for a huge surprise during my second visit! At the far end of what I thought was the last room, I discovered arrows on the floor and on the wall directing the visitors to what turned out to be the exhibition's climax! How could I have missed this the first time? I wasn't alone then, and my friend hadn't seen the signs either … Even now, there are fewer visitors in that part than in the front rooms.

What a pity this was/is not better labeled, for the true gems are to be found here: the entire frieze with the dancing Maenads from the Heroon, for instance, together with the head of the hero, which by some is thought to belong to Alexander the Great. Further, two beautiful reliefs of Zeus and Poseidon, a fine Hellenistic cremation tomb, and a more prominent Roman example are also displayed. And, of course, one of the statues from the impressive Nymphaeum at the Upper Agora of Sagalassos represents Dionysus with a Satyr. All the pieces are exquisitely exposed to the floodlight in this utterly dark room, blanketed on one side with a bed of red poppies like we can see live in the Sagalassos area in springtime. In the last room and in bright white light, I find Emperor Hadrian's colossal head, recently excavated with one foot and part of his leg, which made the headlines for a special exhibition at the British Museum!

So, I have to revise my opinion that this exhibition wouldn't be worth a trip from abroad, for it definitely would. Sagalassos and visiting the Museum of Burdur are not within everybody's reach, and maybe Tongeren is.