Athar Tulmaythah Things to Do Tips by grets

Museum - Columns

These Corinthian columnds were found in the private palace on the arcaeological site. At the top you should be able to make out the head of Zeus.

Museum - mosaics

Another delicate piece of mosaic found in the museum, this byzantine work of art dates from the 4th century and is known as The Four Corners.

Museum - Statue of Ptolemy

This marble statue depicts the Egyption Emperor Ptolemy who ruled over Ptolemais in the third century and who gave the city its name.

Museum - Fountain

This marble fountain with bas relief depicts the Dancing Maenades.

The Maenades were the priestesses of Bacchus. They were known as the 'bad girls' from legends that they would drink wine, entice innocent young men to join them in their celebrations, and kill them while they slept off their excesses. They were in fact enthusiastic to the extreme, showing frenzied frivolities as if they were under the spell of some demonic power.

Museum - Staue of a gladiator

This 2nd century marble statue shows the gladiator Epomedum.

Usually, gladiators were condemned criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves bought for the sole purpose of gladiator fights. There were also mercenaries in those days - professional gladiators who volunteered to participate in the games.

Website: http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/consortium/gladiators.html

Museum - Statue of Venus

This second century statue of venus shows the goddess of love and beauty . She is
also known as Aphrodite in Greek Mythology.
Venus was born of the Sea and the Sky and is also associated with the rites of Spring and Fertility.

The city of Venice was named after this goddess, and also the planet Venus. Spiritual healing and astology charts are also affiliated to the goddess.

Museum - Medusa

The mosaic of Medusa was found in the Villa of Columns.

Medusa was once a beautiful maiden with glorious hair, but Athena turns her into a monster in a rage of jealousy, turning her beautiful locks into hissing serpents. She became such a cruel monster that everyone who looked at her where immideately turned to stone in sheer fear. Athena leant her shield to Perseus, who also wore Hermes' winged shoes, and he approached Medusa while she slept, making sure he did not to look directly at her, but using her image reflected in the bright shield, he cut off her head and gave it to Athena, who fixed it in the middle of her Aegis.

Although best known as a Greek goddess, Medusa was actually imported into Greece from Libya where she was worshipped by the Libyan Amazons as their Serpent-Goddess. In her images, her hair sometimes resembles dread locks, showing her origins in Africa.

Website: http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html

Museum - Four Seasons Mosaic

The central room in the msuem is dominated by the fabulous Four Seasons mosaic which was found in a villa on the site.

Starting from the top left and going in a clockwise direction, you can see Summer, Spring, Winter and Autumn.

Baths

These Byzantine public baths date from around the 5th century. The depression in the middle of the picture would have been the frigidarium, or cold bath.

Marble floor

Along the length of the Monumental Street, fragments of marble can still be seen on the floor - the whole street would once have been covered like this.