17 September 2023
Türkiye has a very effective “chamber of commerce” assisting the tourism board. In 2022, I visited an exhibition at the Istanbul International Airport. While having the greedy nerve to charge 10€, it did an excellent job of highlighting the country’s many archaeological sites. While in Ankara, I found an equally interesting display of information boards doing the same, albeit free. The advertisements worked, I wanted to see more of Türkiye.
(more…)16 September 2023
Today, my visit is to a second world-renowned historical site in Turkey – Ephesus. As a novice traveler, I visited this site in 1981. Docking our ship Atlas in Kusadasi, our bus drove past a Disco and deposited us at this ancient site. All I remember from that tour is learning about the toilets. Today, EFES/Ephesus undoubtedly has the grandest ruins on the Aegean coast. Excavations during the past 40 years have unearthed much more of this settlement and exemplifies more than just how the early Greeks bathed.
15 September 2023
As I look over the Aegean and navigate the coastal region of Anatolia, I contemplate: Did my early ancestors pass this way? Did they take note of its beauty and history?
As early as 50,000 years ago, Man (and Woman) left the African Continent. They entered the Fertile Crescent, a wide strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea and moved south into Mesopotamia following the Euphrates. Approximately 12,000 years ago, Man’s adoption of agriculture as an alternative to his hunter-gatherer lifestyle altered the course of societal evolution forever. The culture that emerged formed the foundation for our world. Adjacent and to the north of this Fertile Crescent were the lands of Anatolia/Asia Minor, now modern-day Turkey.
(more…)14 September 2023
I spend my day looking at stones. If there is one thing the Turks have a lot of it is stones. These stones reflect their many great architectural and archaeological accomplishments over the centuries. Stones are also one of the main reasons I visit Turkey for the fourth time. Archaeologists are always digging and uncovering more ancient history told by its stones. I love it!
(more…)13 September 2023
We ferry from Aceabat across the narrow Dardanelles Strait to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of ancient Troy. In Hollywood, the Trojan War starred Brad Pitt as Achilles, Greece’s great warrior and leader of the Myrmidons. Based upon Homer’s epic poem Iliad, the movie was more action than accurate. Alternatively, the Iliad is terrific Greek theater. Think of it as an American soap opera based upon the theme of “boys will be boys.”
(more…)13 September 2023
The reading of Homer’s great epics is a huge genealogical challenge. Characters are Greek gods and demi-gods, immortals and mortals. Often, they are called “son of” rather than by their given names, which often can be multiples. Also, Romans used their own set of names, adopting but a few from the Greeks.
The best remembered tales are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. However, Virgil’s Aeneid actually describes the sacking of Troy. Myths and tales about the battle for Troy passed down through oral traditions. And everyone knows how all whispering campaigns usually end.
(more…)13 September 2023
For this traveler, two important sites are on my itinerary. One is forever linked with Winston Churchill and the other to Brad Pitt. Both are sites of great historic significance.
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