Near East Archaeology Images

Images of the Synagogue of Capernaum

2007-10-25T17:08:00.001+10:00

The Synagogue of Capernaum, the hometown of Jesus, dates from the fourth or Fifth Centuries CE. However, their are remains underneath that are thought to be that of a first Certury Synagogue. If this is the case Jesus of Nazareth would have been frequently teaching here.

Credit: asr-cascadian

Credit: Prora

Credit: dc chen

Credit: Two Wubbelses

Credit Two Wubbeles (Es)

Below: The remains of what was likely the original first century synagogue.

Credit: two wubbeles (es)

Credit: Prora

The Mosaic floor of the 4th century synagogue:

Credit: Prora

Greek writing on some of the columns of the synagogue

Credit for the column inscriptions: eweb93

Credit: jcwrenn

Credit: ladyhawke

Images of Baalbek Lebanon

2007-10-24T00:45:00.000+10:00

Baalbek is a city established by the Phoenicians. It is located in Eastern Lebanon, fairly close to the border with Syria. Although established by Phoenicians, the visible ruins extend from the Roman period.

Entry to the Temple of Bacchus

Exterior of the temple of Bacchus

Credit: bjchrist

Credit: east med wanderer

A little bit of perspective on the size of the temple

Credit: becklectic
Ceiling pics:

Credit: itfcfan

Credit: izio 5

This is the remains of the temple to jupiter

Credit:thriol
Credit: ivanrabano

Credit: itfcfan

Take a look at this site:

http://www.geocities.com/baalbek72/

The Step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

2007-10-22T18:43:00.000+10:00

Credit: Flickr members blaine and felicia

The step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara

-Egypt's first pyramid, dated: 2750 BCE!
-Here limestone was first used on a large scale as a construction material
-Height: 62 metres (203 ft)
- was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser-Netjerikhet by his Vizier Imhotep.
-Located at the Saqqara necropolis to the northwest of the city of Memphis, and is the central feature of a vast mortuary complex in an enormous courtyard surrounded by ceremonial structures and decoration.

Map of SAQQARA

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Click map to enlarge

An introduction to Saqqara

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I will be uploading next photos I can gather of Saqqara. Here is a summary of Saqqara and it's sites from Wikipedia:

BRIEF NOTES

While Memphis was the capital of Ancient Egypt, Saqqara served as its necropolis. Although it was eclipsed as the burial ground of royalty by Giza and later by the Valley of the Kings in Thebes, it remained an important complex for minor burials and cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic and Roman times. The step pyramid at Saqqara was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). It is the oldest complete hewn-stone building complex known in history. It is also the location of the newly opened (in 2006) Imhotep Museum.

History

Early Dynastic

View of Saqqara necropolis, including Djoser's step pyramid (centre). The mound to the far left is the Pyramid of Unas; the one on the right is the Pyramid of Userkaf.
Although the earliest burials of nobles at Saqqara can be traced back to the First Dynasty, it was not until the Second Dynasty that the first kings were buried there, including Hotepsekhemwy and Nynetjer.

Old Kingdom

The most striking feature of the necropolis, however, dates from the Third Dynasty. Still visible today, is the Step Pyramid of the Pharaoh Djoser. In addition to Djoser's, there are another 16 pyramids on the site, in various states of preservation or dilapidation. That of the fifth-dynasty Pharaoh Unas, located just to the south of the step pyramid and on top of Hotepsekhemwi's tomb, houses the earliest known example of the Pyramid Texts – inscriptions with instructions for the afterlife used to decorate the interior of tombs, the precursor of the New Kingdom Book of the Dead. Saqqara is also home to an impressive number of mastaba tombs. Because the necropolis was lost beneath the sands for much of the past two millennia – even the sizable mortuary complex surrounding Djoser's pyramid was not uncovered until 1924 – many of these have been superbly preserved, with both their structures and lavish internal decorations intact.

Major Old Kingdom structures

Gisr el-mudir this massive enclosure may date from the Early Dynastic period.
Sekhemkhet's Step Pyramid (the Buried Pyramid)
Step Pyramid of Netjerikhet Djoser
Shepseskaf's Mastabat Fara'un
Userkaf's pyramid, now looking like a conical hill.
Djedkare Isesi pyramid complex, known as Haram el-Shawaf.
Unas pyramid complex, now mainly collapsed.
Teti's pyramid complex, looking more like a small hill, rather than a man-made construction.
Pepi I complex, with its associated queens pyramids.
Merenre's complex
Pepi II, last great pyramid built in the Old Kingdom.
Ibi, built in the Eighth dynasty, it is now almost totally destroyed.
There are a few pyramids that date from the First Intermediate Period, the most notable being Khendjer's Pyramid in South Saqqara.

New Kingdom Necropolis
While most of the mastabas date from the Old Kingdom, one major figure from the New Kingdom is also represented: Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, who had a tomb built here for himself before he assumed the throne in his own right, while still serving as one of Tutankhamun's generals. However, it should be noted that Pharaoh Horemheb was never buried here. After his death he was interred, as were many other 18th Dynasty kings, in the Valley of the Kings in Ancient Thebes.

Later Burials and Monuments
Another major monument at Saqqara is the Serapeum: a gallery of tombs, cut from the rock, which served as the eternal resting place of the mummified bodies of the Apis bulls worshipped in Memphis as embodiments of the god Ptah. Rediscovered by Auguste Mariette in 1851, the tombs had been opened and plundered in antiquity – with the exception of one that lay undisturbed for some 3,700 years. The mummified bull it contained can now be seen in Cairo's agricultural museum.
On the approach to the Serapeum stands the slightly incongruous arrangement of statues known the Philosophers' Circle: a Ptolemaic recognition of the greatest poets and thinkers of their Greek ancestors, originally situated in a nearby temple. Represented here are Hesiod, Homer, Pindar, Plato, and others.

Pyramid of Menkaure

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-The third and smallest of the pyramids of Giza
-Originally had a height of 65.5 meters, now stands 62 m

Credit: erikmac
Credit: jenrberry

Credit: Noo

The pyramid of Khafre (2nd Largest Pyramid)

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Credit: Helenapugsley
Credit: Noo
Credit: ndalls
Credit: Kjell_F

Images of the Great pyramid (Khufu)

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The Great Pyramid

Height: Originally 146.6 meters, now stands 138.8 meters

Diagram of the inside of the Great Pyramid. You can zoom in.

Inside the pyramid of Khufu:

King Khufu, the constructor of the Great Pyramid

I'm still looking for royalty free images of inside the pyramid, if anyone knows of such, please email me damascan77 at hotmail dot com

Images of the Great Sphinx of Giza

2007-10-20T23:18:00.000+10:00

François de La Boullaye-Le Gouz, Les Voyages et Observations (1653)

The Great Sphinx in 1867. Note its unrestored original condition, still partially buried

body, and a man standing beneath its ear.

Credit: cfwee Credit: obiakpere
Credit: archivalproject
Credit: ellys

Map of Giza Pyramid Complex

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Click on the image to enlarge

Images of ancient Tanis

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tanis images

For Detailed Information regarding Tanis, visit,

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/tanis.htm

The Pillar of Pompey

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Tourists entering the Serapeum
Down to the Serapeum

Credit: All images thanks to templar1307, to see the full range of images, visit http://flickr.com/photos/healinglight/sets/72057594136029577/

About the Ancient Remains of Alexandria

Very little of the ancient city has survived into the present day. Much of the royal and civic quarters sank beneath the harbour due to earthquake subsidence, and the rest has been rebuilt upon in modern times.
"Pompey's Pillar" is the most well-known ancient monument still standing today. It is located on Alexandria's ancient acropolis — a modest hill located adjacent to the city's Arab cemetery — and was originally part of a temple colonnade. Including its pedestal, it is 30 m (99 ft) high; the shaft is of polished red granite, roughly three meters in diameter at the base, tapering to two and a half meters at the top. The structure was plundered and demolished in the 4th century when a bishop decreed that Paganism must be eradicated. "Pompey's Pillar" is a misnomer, as it has nothing to do with Pompey, having been erected in 293 for Diocletian, possibly in memory of the rebellion of Domitius Domitianus. Beneath the acropolis itself are the subterranean remains of the Serapeum, where the mysteries of the god Serapis were enacted, and whose carved wall niches are believed to have provided overflow storage space for the ancient Library.

Pompey's Pillar
Alexandria's catacombs, known as Kom al Sukkfa, are a short distance southwest of the pillar, consist of a multi-level labyrinth, reached via a large spiral staircase, and featuring dozens of chambers adorned with sculpted pillars, statues, and other syncretic Romano-Egyptian religious symbols, burial niches and sarcophagi, as well as a large Roman-style banquet room, where memorial meals were conducted by relatives of the deceased. The catacombs were long forgotten by the citizens until they were discovered by accident in the 1800s.
The most extensive ancient excavation currently being conducted in Alexandria is known as Kom al Dikka, and it has revealed the ancient city's well-preserved theatre, and the remains of its Roman-era baths.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Images of the Arch of Titus (2)

2007-10-20T00:04:00.001+10:00

Zoom in! You can see Great Detail.

Credit: Sebastian Bergmann

Credit: Sebastian Bergmann

About the Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus is a Pentelic marble triumphal arch with a single arched opening, located on the Via Sacra just to the south-east of the Forum in Rome. It was constructed by the emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus (born AD 41, emperor 79-81), commemorating the capture and sack of Jerusalem in 70, which effectively terminated the Jewish War begun in 66 (although the Romans did not achieve complete victory until the fall of Masada in 73).
www.wikipedia.org

The Arch of Titus (Views from Afar)

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Exterior of the Tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings

2007-10-19T22:16:00.001+10:00

Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/justhman/336543305/

Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/sarahpoon/254217434/

Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/tonayo/154848032/

Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/richardharrod/819374448/

Bosra, Syria, Part 2

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Images of Bosra, Syria Part 1

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About Bosra:

Bosra (Arabic: بصرى, also transliterated Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra, Busra Eski Şam, Busra ash-Sham, Nova Trajana Bostra) is an ancient city administratively belonging to the Daraa Governorate in southern modern-day Syria. It is an archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The settlement was first mentioned in the documents of Tutmose III and Akhenaton (14th century BC). Bosra was the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century BC. The Nabatean Kingdom was conquered by Cornelius Palma, a general of Trajan, in 106.
Under the Roman Empire, Bosra was renamed Nova Trajana Bostra, residence of the legion III Cyrenaica and capital of the Roman province Arabia Petraea. The city flourished and became a major metropolis at the juncture of several trade routes, including the Roman road to the Red Sea. The Forces of Rashidun Caliphate under Khalid ibn Walid conquered the city from the Romans in the Battle of Bosra in 634. In Islamic times, the settlement was noted as the birthplace of Ibn Kathir. A famous Assyrian from Bosra, was Bahira.
Today, Bosra is a major archaeological site, containing ruins from Roman, Byzantine, and Muslim times. The city features what is thought to be the best-preserved Roman theater in the world. Every year there is a national music festival hosted in the theater.

Source:Wikipedia.org

Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/traces/767651794/

Credit: Traces in the Sand http://flickr.com/photos/traces/766772051/

The Masada Fortress

2007-10-19T00:21:00.001+10:00

Credits for above photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/healinglight/sets/1303351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lausanne/346239106/

Temple Hatshepsut 2

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Credit: Lazy B

Credit: Templar1307

Credit: maptizro

Credit: Templar1307

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

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Credit ShelbyRoot
Credit: december7th
Credit: Deydodoe
Credit: kambizkamrani

Click here Part 2 of the series

And more Deir El-Medina Ostraca

2007-10-17T23:44:00.000+10:00

Images credit: http://www.egiptologia.com/

More Deir el-Medina Ostraca

2007-10-17T23:26:00.000+10:00

Images Credit:http://flickr.com/photos/lenkapeac/

Deir el-Medina Ostraca Images Part 1

2007-10-17T22:54:00.001+10:00

Some of the thousands of Ostraca found from Deir El Medina, the Workmans village of the Valley of the Kings. The best preserved village from antiquity.

Images Credit:Lenka P @ http://flickr.com/photos/lenkapeac/

Wadi Rum, Jordan

2007-10-15T23:26:00.000+10:00

By "the Kosovar"
http://flickr.com/photos/merkur/106269063/

Credit : Charlie Tyack

Stele of Hammurabi's Lawcode

2007-10-15T20:25:00.000+10:00

Stele of Hammurabi's Lawcode
Location: Louvre
Dates: 1750 BCE
One of the Earliest known Law Codes
Hammurabi was the 6th king of Babylonia.
The Stele was placed in a public place so that all could see it, although it is thought that few were actually literate.

You can zoom in on the image

Thanks to wallyg of flickr,
http://flickr.com/photos/wallyg/1497559795/

Ancient Tyre

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All above images obtained from Wikipedia Commons

The Saudi Arabian Petra: Madain Saleh

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The above images courtesy of Orlando Arcaleo Jr

Above images thanks to the fantastic photographer retlaw snellac

Images of Petra

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The magnificent city of Petra!

Petra contains some 800 carved tombs of the Nabatean civilisation.

The Kazneh (below) is the most famous tomb, featured in 1989's Spielberg blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

The monastery, the largest tomb facade in Petra

All images courtesy of the brilliant photographer flickr member templar1307!

Roman empire

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Click on the image to see the expanding empire:

Images of Germanicus

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Cleopatra (VII) Bust

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Busts of pompey

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Busts of Julius Caesar

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Roman Emperor:Constantine I

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Roman Emperor: Diocletian (284-305 CE)

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Roman Emperor Carus(282-283 CE)

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Roman Emperor: Probus

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Probus was emperor 276-282 CE

Roman Emperor: Tacitus

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Emperor Tacitus reigned from September 25, 275 to June 276

Roman Emperor: Aurelian

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Aurelian's Reign: 270-275

Roman Emperor: Claudius II

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Roman Emperor: Gallienus

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Roman Emperor: Valerian

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Roman emperor: Aemilianus

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Image of Roman Emperor: Trebonianus Gallus

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Trebonianus Gallus reigned from 251 to 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus.

Roman Emperor:Decius

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Roman Emperor: Philip the Arab(Reign 244-249)

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Roman Emperor:Gordian III

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Roman Emperor: Pupienus

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Roman emperor:Balbinus

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Roman Emperor: Gordian I

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Roman emperor: Maximinus

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Reign: 235-238

Roman emperor: Severus Alexander

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Reign: 222-235

Roman emperor: Elagabalus

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Reign:218-222

Press the older posts button to the right to see earlier emperors

Roman emperor:Caracalla(Caracallus)

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Reign:212-217

Roman Emperor:Geta

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Roman emperors: Septimius Severus

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Roman Emperors: Pertinax

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Roman emperors: Commodus

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Roman emperors:Lucius Verus

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Roman Emperors-Marcus Aurelius

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Roman emperors: Antoninus Pius

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Reign: 138-161

Roman Emperors: Hadrian

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Ruled the empire: 117-128

Roman emperors: Trajan

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Ruled Rome and its empire: 98-117

Roman emperors:Nerva

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Roman emperors: Domitian

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Domition ruled Rome and its empire: 81-96

Roman emperors:Titus

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Titus Ruled Rome: 79-81

Roman emperors: Vespasian

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Vespasian
Reigned: 69-79

Roman emperors: vitellius

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Vitellius: Reign: 69 CE

Roman emperors:Otho

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Roman emperors:Galba

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Roman emperors: Nero

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Roman emperors: Claudius

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Images of Roman emperors: Caligula

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Images of the Roman emperors: Tiberias

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Tiberias Reign: 14-37 CE

Images of the Roman emperors: Augustus

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Augustus(27 BCE-14CE)

Bronze head of Augustus:

Credit: Kurisu

The Rosetta Stone

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Rosetta Stone-you can zoom in

Maps of the development of the Egyptian empire

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Predynastic Egypt

Old Kingdom Egypt

Egypt in Second Intermediate Period

Egyptian New Kingdom

Egypt gets absorbed by the Assyrians

Egypt under Ptolemaic Rule

Egypt under Roman rule

Maps of Ancient Israel

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Map of divided ancient Israel and surrounding nations

Egyptian kings Pt1 (first post hoorah!)

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Predynastic Period

KING: Narmer

REIGN: 3100 BCE

The Narmer Palette: Note: Click on the image for a higher resolution

Other side:

PROTODYNASTIC PERIOD

Ruler: Khasekhemwy
Reign: died c. 2686 BCE

OLD KINGDOM

DJOSER

HUNI

KHUFU

KHAFRA

MENKAURE

SAHURE