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Of course, this contact with history isn’t quite as simple and un-mediated as it may seem. The Pantheon in Rome is an almost unique example of a building that has actually survived to its full height without major modern intervention. The basic rule of thumb is that any wall you see on an ancient site that is more than two metres tall has been rebuilt in the last couple of hundred years, unless proven otherwise. There are exceptions. The great triumphal arches in Rome survived because they were incorporated in later houses and fortresses, and were revealed again when those structures were removed (even so the famous Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum is as much nineteenth-century as it is first-century AD). But the rule of thumb applies even to the most celebrated sites and buildings.
It was certainly a shock for me, when I first looked at the early photographs of the Parthenon from the late nineteenth century, to discover that it was then much more of a ruin than it is now and had certainly not yet acquired its now iconic silhouette. It was a something of a surprise for Virginia Woolf too, who visited Athens both before and after the major campaign of construction in the 1920s. On the second occasion, she wrote of the temple in her diary, 'It is larger than I remembered and better held together’. She was righter than she knew. It wasn’t, as she imagined, a trick of memory; there had been a wholesale rebuilding.
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The same is the case at Pompeii, which does not after all look now like a town that was found buried after being battered by a devastating volcanic eruption (nor, for that matter, like one that was pounded a second time by allied bombing in World War II). Across the town, collapsed walls have been rebuilt, houses have been re-roofed (in a plausible replica of what might have been once there), mosaics have been patched and paintings retouched. The Segovia aqueduct has had quite a lot of work done on it too. The Romans were great builders, but they didn’t build to last 2000 years.
I do not think this is much of a crime. A new roof is often the only way of preserving what remains underneath. And every now and then I find myself half wishing that, despite the fun I’ve had in clambering over them, someone had had the nerve to rebuild some of those bleak little stone walls that are all that’s left of most of the Roman structures in Britain. But it is a reminder that we should keep our wits about us when we choose to take a trip back in time, and that we are likely to be closer to real antiquity,cheap authentic jordans, if we look down – at those stepping-stones and drainage systems – rather than up.
Palmyra, prior to its destruction by ISIS Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
It’s a reminder too that we should not be too awe-struck by the ancient heritage around us. It’s important to look after what has survived as best we can, without making it unapproachable (I dread the day when most of us are asked to visit a replica Pompeii because the real one is too precious). And we should try our best to understand, hands on, what it tells us about our own world and history. In a week in which ISI...other building in Palmyra, that could hardly be a more topical question.
1. The Acropolis,http://mylovesong.me/user/blogs/view/name_kciksookk/id_208011/title_jordan-shoes-Online-Store-KicksOkok/cheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, Athens, Greece
The Parthenon is just one of several famous temples that you can still visit on the Acropolis,http://qsng.qlbaby.com/E_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg, a place which manages even now to work its magic, despite the heat, crowds, and cacophony of guides haranguing their parties. Part of the excitement of the place is continuing history. The standing buildings all date to the glory days of the fifth century BC, but the newly restored Parthenon has preserved the traces of the Christian church built into the earlier pagan temple, and sharp-eyed visitors will spot holes along its fa?ade where the bronze letters of an inscription honouring the emperor Nero were once fixed.
The Parthenon Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
2. Aphrodisias, Turkey
A couple of hours journey from the Turkish coast (Kusadasi and Bodrum are the nearest large resorts), this Roman city is one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the last 50 years – a theatre, council chamber and temples, complete with some extraordinary sculpture, have been unearthed. The highlight is a sanctuary devoted to the worship of the Roman emperors, with 80 large sculpted panels still surviving. These include the first known image of the province Britannia (she is shown being close to raped by the emperor Claudius), and a marvellous scene of the empress Agrippina crowning her young son Nero.
Aphrodisias, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the last 50 years Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
3. Delphi,cheap retro jordans, Greece
This was the place where the most famous oracle in the ancient world conveyed its sometimes riddling advice to Romans as well as Greeks. You can still see the temple where the oracle was based, the stadium where races were held in the regular festivals, and the elegant treasuries where different cities housed their rich dedications to the god Apollo. It’s in a stunningly beautiful setting, high up in a mountain valley. Energetic visitors should hike further above the main site to the spooky “Corycian cave”, sacred to the nymphs, where 1000s of tiny offerings in bronze and pottery have been discovered. It’s a very different religious atmosphere from the grand sanctuary below.
Delphi, home of the famous oracle Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
4. Masada, Israel
It was on this desert hilltop that the Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 AD) was finally stamped out, the last rebels – it is said -- committing mass suicide. The arid climate means that the Roman siege works still stand out: the encircling wall, the army camps, the huge ramp built up the mountain that eventually gave them access to the enemy stronghold. On the hill itself the most impressive survival is the earlier palace of King Herod. With typical autocratic bravura, he built a luxurious residence (and bathing suite) in the middle of the desert on a hill with no water.
The former palace of King Herod Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
5. Oplontis, near Naples, Italy
The Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum are essential places to visit. But for a more peaceful journey back into the Roman world there is little to beat the grand villa at Oplontis (conveniently near the rail station of Torre Annunziata) also buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Whether it is the family villa of the emperor Nero’s wife,jordans for cheap, Poppaea, as often claimed, is quite uncertain. But it is certainly a villa on an imperial scale, with an Olympic size swimming pool, and cleverly designed gardens. And you sometimes have it all to yourself. (Editor's note: Mary Beard will be going to Oplontis on a Telegraph Tour, for which a very small number of places remain. See full details here.)
Oplontis is a quieter alternative to Pompeii Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
6. Ostia, Italy
Rome’s port at Ostia was covered up by sand as Rome declined in the early Middle Ages. It’s only a short train ride from the city centre,http://www.bjfshfe.com/E_GuestBook.aspcheapjordanshoesfreeshipping.com/bolg,Kicksokok.com, but it feels a world away from the noise and bustle – almost a second Pompeii,cheap jordans, even if not quite so well preserved. The highlights for me are the bars and the multi-seater lavatories (much restored, to be honest), but also the offices of the commercial shipping companies that operated from Ostia. Each office had a mosaic on its floor, with a logo of its business, from elephants to grain measures.
Ostia is almost a second Pompeii&nbsp,cheap jordans free shipping; Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
7. Paestum, Italy
The little town of Paestum, 100 kilometres south of Naples, is a wonderful mixture of Greek and Roman. It was originally one of the many Greek settlements in southern Italy and the star survivals are three large temples dating back to the sixth century BC. But equally impressive are the slightly later painted tombs, including a famous image of a young diver entering a pool of water -- a reminder of a whole tradition of ancient painting that we have largely lost. And finally, there is a well-preserved little Roman town, which takes the history of the place into the sixth century AD.
Paestum is around 60 miles south of Naples Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
8. Pantheon, Rome
The “Temple of all the Gods” erected by the emperor Hadrian in the second century AD was preserved when it was converted into a church of the Virgin Mary five centuries later. It’s the only substantial Roman building that you can literally walk into, as it was two thousand years ago. It is still an extraordinary display of Roman power and expertise. The concrete span of the dome was the widest in the world till 1958. And the coloured marble in the columns and floor was part of the profits of empire, brought from 1000s of kilometres away.
The Pantheon is an extraordinary display of Roman power and expertise Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
Telegraph Tours: Antiq...terranean with Mary Beard
9. Segovia, Spain
Go to Segovia for one single stunning Roman view, and a spectacular piece of Roman engineering. The huge aqueduct (pictured top), built at the end of the first century AD, on a series of double-decker arches almost thirty metres tall, still comes right into the middle of the modern town, dominating the central square. There is little else Roman to be seen, but Segovia is a World Heritage Site, not simply for the aqueduct, but also for its medieval architecture, from palace and cathedral to monasteries and taverns.
10. Timgad, Algeria
North Africa is the home to many of the most impressive Roman remains anywhere,cheap jordans online, increasingly inaccessible for troubling political reasons. Algeria is now one of the more feasible destinations, and several specialist tours are available to the Roman sites. The Roman city of Timgad, on the edge of the Sahara, is one of the best places to visit. Established around 100 AD, as a new town for veteran Roman soldiers, it has a perfect suit of the usual urban accessories: forum, theatre, temples and markets. And it boasts one of the very few surviving public libraries in the Roman world.
Timgad, on the edge of the Sahara Photo: AP/FOTOLIA
How to visit the sites
The following specialist operators offer tours to some, or all of Mary’s recommen dations: Ace Cultural Tours (01223 835055; aceculturaltours.co.uk); Andante Travels (01722 713800; andantetravels.co.uk) - including a tour to Timgad; Cox and Kings (020 7873 5000; coxandkings.co.uk); Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirkerholidays.com); Martin Randall Travel (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.com); Peter Sommer Travels (01600 888220; petersommer.com).
Telegraph Tour: The secrets of Pompeii, with Mary Beard
Discover the lives of gladiators, slaves, citizens and senators in the Roman world on this exclusive five-day tour with the tour operator Andante in the company of expert scholars - including the writer, broadcaster, and academic Mary Beard - and enjoy special access in buried cities and palatial villas set around the Bay of Naples. Full details of the tour.
Mary Beard’s new book SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Book, ?25) is published on October 20.
Driving
At peak periods in summer expect world-class traffic jams on the main road. Even in April, it has taken me two hours to do the final two miles. To avoid this, ignore the main, sign-posted road into town. Continue beyond this indicated turning, heading instead for Gassin or La Croix-Valmer. There, take the side roads, via Ramatuelle and the Ste Anne chapel, to arrive at the back of St Tropez. Alternatively,cheap air jordans, arrive before 7.30am and leave after 9pm.
Another option is to drive to St Rapha?l or Ste Maxime, leave your car there and take the ferry across the bay. In St Rapha?l catch the Bateaux de St Rapha?l shuttle service (see above). In Ste Maxime, make for the Bateaux Verts (00 33 494 492939;?bateauxverts.com) at 14 Quai Léon Condroyer. It’s around 15 minutes to St Tropez: ?7.50 one way, ?13.50 return (children four - 12 years old, ?4 one way, ?7.50 return). B?teaux Verts also run summer services from Port Grimaud, Marine de Cogolin and Les Issambres. Check the website.
Cruises
Ships anchor in the harbour and passengers are tendered ashore, right into the heart of St Tropez. Everything you need to see – shops, cafés, restaurants, quaint old streets, central square – is within a 10-minute walk. The very efficient tourism office (00 33 494 974521;?sainttropeztourisme.com) is right on the port at Quai Jean Jaurès.? Or you might pick up the Passeport Croisières leaflet specially produced for cruise-ship passengers. Alongside lots of adverts, this provides an overview of the main things to do and see in St Tropez. Get it from the hostesses awaiting as you disembark, at the Capitainerie, at the Tourism Office or on-line at?ot-saint-tropez.com.
Getting around
Walking
Most of the streets are barely two donkeys wide. Public transport is virtually non-existent and taking a car will only involve more traffic jams. The only way of getting around is on a pair of legs. That said, the beaches of which everyone has heard – essentially, Pampelonne – are nearly four miles away. They’re not even in St Tropez but on the territory of the neighbouring commune, Ramatuelle.
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At peak periods in summer expect world-class traffic jams on the main road- the only way of getting around is on a pair of legs
Credit:
This content is subject to copyright./Fraser Hall
A few shuttle buses run to the beaches, but only from the more upmarket hotels. The solution is to hire a bicycle or scooter. Try Rolling Bikes (00 33 494 970939;?rolling-bikes.com) at 14 Avenue Général Leclerc.?They will rent you a push bike from ?12 a day, a 50cc scooter from ?35 a day.
Should you want to see St Tropez from the sea, try a one-hour boat trip from the Vieux Port with Transports Maritimes Tropeziens (00 33 494 550992;?tmt-aquila.fr). You’ll appreciate the beauty of the bay and the headland and, in all likelihood, the modesty of Brigitte Bardot’s house. ?11 for adults, ?6 for under-10s, free for under-4s.
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