Further finds in the nice modern museum in Thessalonike, include this highly decorative mausoleum… with scenes from Greek mythology…. Here is another example of syncretism of Greek and Egyptian art— the kore head on the sphinx body… There is a room in the museum with remarkable column heads….. To their credit, Romans tended to prefer a realistic portrayal of what they looked like, rather than the Greek tendency towards idealism…. Here is a master and villa owner, to whom his... Read more

While exploring Thessalonike looking for Biblical data leaves one wanting more, there are plenty of things in the archaeological museum there that are worth highlighting for instance the grave steles. For example, here is a stele honoring an actor Marcus Valerius, who apparently convincingly played both male and female roles in tragedies….. Or here is a fisherman’s grave stele, Here’s an interesting one involving a slave with a scroll. Many of these inscriptions are not merely honorific but address onlookers... Read more

Thessalonike was an important city in Paul’s day, and it still is today, being the second largest city in all of Greece, and a major seaport. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of remains from Paul’s era in the city, apart from in the Thessalonike archaeology museum, which I had not previously visited. Yes, there is a Roman forum and odeon to see, Yes there are remains of a Roman bath complex under the Church of St. Demetrios, the most... Read more

Certainly one of the most beautiful little chapels in all of Greece is the chapel of Lydia and Paul by the river at Philippi, celebrating the first convert in what would become Europe. The chapel in fact is still being added to as we will see in a moment. The exterior is typical of Greek Orthodox churches in Greece, But it is the inside which truly impresses. First here are the stained glass windows— The middle of these three pictures... Read more

Certainly, Philippi is one of the not to be missed sites in Greece if one is interested in Christian history. We will do two posts at least on this crucial ‘first Christian site in Europe’. There is a seldom visited acropolis at Philippi, and at its base is the seat gate, and the major theater. In the gate there are two important images…. One is the image of the triumphant warrior, perhaps Philip of Macedon himself, for whom the city... Read more

Ah beautiful Santorini, the island of blue church domes….and soaring heights. There are endless shops and sites to see…. There is even a proper Orthodox basilica in the village of Thera (today called Fira)… near the museum which is well worth a visit. Santorini is well worth a visit, but if you hear a rumble while you are there and don’t fancy making an ash of yourself, get ye to the boats!! Read more

Picture a bed frame incinerated by volcanic eruption– as follows…. A city that was once thriving was suddenly destroyed, just like Pompeii in A.D. 79. Suddenly, Akrotiri was no more. Here is an artist’s rendering of one of the notable houses here. It looks almost like a school. And the climate was such that slaves would wear little or nothing, this one bringing a bowl of water or wine…. All that hard work of storing water, all that hard working... Read more

Santorini is perhaps the most famous and popular of all the Greek Cyclades Islands. What most people do not know is: 1) its actually five islands if one includes the active volcano crater; 2) it is basically a desert island (almost no rainfall at all), 3) it’s very mountainous and not easy to get around in. It is also the locale of one of the most ancient cities in that part of the world— Akrotiri dating at least to 1700... Read more

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The Athens museum has a wonderful Egyptian section. There was considerable cross-fertilization between the Cycladic islands, Mycenae in the south of Greece, and Egypt, sometimes by way of Crete. This is evident from the syncretistic statues of the sphinx, but with the head of a Greek kore (boy). This does not support a theory that Greek culture came from Egyptian culture which in turn is said by some tendentious scholars to have come from sub-Saharan African cultures. No, Egyptian culture... Read more