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<p>[QUOTE="AussieCollector, post: 3992943, member: 81093"]<b>Echoes of Byzantium</b></p><p><br /></p><p>I originally posted this in Coin Chat, but I think it sits best in Ancients - even though this post is not specifically devoted solely to ancient coins. Anyway...</p><p><br /></p><p>As should be no surprise to anyone who knows me on this forum, I have a passion for history, especially the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire, and ancient Greece.</p><p><br /></p><p>All my Christmases came true late last year, when the other half agreed to a holiday to Greece completely devoted to history (and food and wine). I will do another post on ancient Greece, but this one focusses on the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire.</p><p><br /></p><p>On our Byzantine tour, we visited Athens (more known for ancient Greece, but there is a cultural museum dedicated to the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine), Meteora, Thessaloniki (the logic being it was the “second capital” of Byzantium), and Mt Athos.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some historical highlights from the trip, including (of course) coins.</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Byzantine architecture</u></p><p><br /></p><p>Byzantine architecture is truly impressive, from when it was barely distinguishable from Roman architecture, all the way through to the end of the Empire. Unfortunately a lot of what still stands today is towards the end of the Empire. Nonetheless, you can truly get a sense of the grandeur of the Empire – even in its twilight years – when you visit them.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051318[/ATTACH]</p><p>City Walls, Thessaloniki, circa late 4th/early 5th century</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051320[/ATTACH]</p><p>Thessaloniki Castle, circa 13th century (I didn't manage to catch the grandeur of this structure)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051311[/ATTACH]</p><p>Byzantine Fort, Ouranoupoli, circa 13th century (with later additions and repairs)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051316[/ATTACH]</p><p>Great Meteoran Monastery, Meteora, 14th century (I climbed almost 100 floors that day)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051314[/ATTACH]</p><p>Just another street in Byzantium</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051321[/ATTACH]</p><p>Varlaam Monestary, Meteora, 14th century</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051327[/ATTACH]</p><p>Byzantine Corinthian Pillar with middle ages artwork, inside St Demetrios, circa 8th century (it was destroyed and re-built many times over, so difficult to put a precise date on)</p><p><br /></p><p><u>Byzantine art</u></p><p><br /></p><p>I have a strong appreciation for Byzantine art, particularly at the start of the Empire and at the end end of empire. But holy smokes, there was so much Orthodox iconography. You can definitely have too much of a good thing. The mosaics were also truly amazing.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051330[/ATTACH]</p><p>Military Saints, 14th century</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1051332[/ATTACH]</p><p>Mosaic, 6th century</p><p><br /></p><p>(we have a max of 10 pictures per post, so continued below)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="AussieCollector, post: 3992943, member: 81093"][B]Echoes of Byzantium[/B] I originally posted this in Coin Chat, but I think it sits best in Ancients - even though this post is not specifically devoted solely to ancient coins. Anyway... As should be no surprise to anyone who knows me on this forum, I have a passion for history, especially the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire, and ancient Greece. All my Christmases came true late last year, when the other half agreed to a holiday to Greece completely devoted to history (and food and wine). I will do another post on ancient Greece, but this one focusses on the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire. On our Byzantine tour, we visited Athens (more known for ancient Greece, but there is a cultural museum dedicated to the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine), Meteora, Thessaloniki (the logic being it was the “second capital” of Byzantium), and Mt Athos. Here are some historical highlights from the trip, including (of course) coins. [U]Byzantine architecture[/U] Byzantine architecture is truly impressive, from when it was barely distinguishable from Roman architecture, all the way through to the end of the Empire. Unfortunately a lot of what still stands today is towards the end of the Empire. Nonetheless, you can truly get a sense of the grandeur of the Empire – even in its twilight years – when you visit them. [ATTACH=full]1051318[/ATTACH] City Walls, Thessaloniki, circa late 4th/early 5th century [ATTACH=full]1051320[/ATTACH] Thessaloniki Castle, circa 13th century (I didn't manage to catch the grandeur of this structure) [ATTACH=full]1051311[/ATTACH] Byzantine Fort, Ouranoupoli, circa 13th century (with later additions and repairs) [ATTACH=full]1051316[/ATTACH] Great Meteoran Monastery, Meteora, 14th century (I climbed almost 100 floors that day) [ATTACH=full]1051314[/ATTACH] Just another street in Byzantium [ATTACH=full]1051321[/ATTACH] Varlaam Monestary, Meteora, 14th century [ATTACH=full]1051327[/ATTACH] Byzantine Corinthian Pillar with middle ages artwork, inside St Demetrios, circa 8th century (it was destroyed and re-built many times over, so difficult to put a precise date on) [U]Byzantine art[/U] I have a strong appreciation for Byzantine art, particularly at the start of the Empire and at the end end of empire. But holy smokes, there was so much Orthodox iconography. You can definitely have too much of a good thing. The mosaics were also truly amazing. [ATTACH=full]1051330[/ATTACH] Military Saints, 14th century [ATTACH=full]1051332[/ATTACH] Mosaic, 6th century (we have a max of 10 pictures per post, so continued below)[/QUOTE]
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