The sea gave her back

Wonder in Israel as ancient Roman statue buried for centuries is uncovered by powerful winter storm

A long-lost Roman statue buried for thousands of years has been unearthed by massive winter storms that have lashed the coast of Israel this week.

The mysterious white-marble figure of a woman in toga and 'beautifully detailed' sandals was found in the remains of a cliff that crumbled under the force of 60mph winds and enormous 40ft waves.

The statue, which lacks a head and arms, is about 4ft tall and weighs 440lbs. It was found at the ancient port of Ashkelon, around 20 miles south of Tel Aviv.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339051/The-sea-gave-Wonder-Israel-ancient-Roman-statue-buried-thousands-years-uncovered-storm.html#ixzz18IM8bKHb

Workmen discover body of huge gladiator who was 'stabbed six times and thrown out with the rubbish.

Tall, powerfully-built and with a killer instinct he would have been a fearsome sight - especially if you were a gladiator facing him in the ring.

Archaeologists do not know his name but are convinced the remarkable discovery of the Roman gladiator's bones in York provide a clear clue of where the amphitheatre was in the city.

Back when he was fighting for his survival in the ring 1,600 years ago York was the Roman capital of the north and the ground underneath the Yorkshire Museum has long been thought of as the prime location for the site.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1337555/Workmen-discover-body-huge-gladiator-stabbed-times-thrown-rubbish.html#ixzz17jiftPnQ

A whole world down there! Underwater Art Museum unveiled on seabed in Mexico

A new art project is stirring off the Cancun coast in Mexico.

The new creation by British artist Jason deCaires Taylor has seen 400 individually cast human moulds taken from members of the Mexican public sunk to create the foundations of an artificial reef.

The project, which is called the Underwater Art Museum, has taken place in the Isla Mujeres National Marine Park, near Cancun, on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1321823/Underwater-Art-Museum-Mexico-unveils-Jason-Caires-Taylors-sculpture-reef.html#ixzz12ukxQ5D6

Roman bronze helmet found in a field sells for £2.3 MILLION... eight times its estimated value

A rare Roman bronze helmet found in a field by a metal detecting enthusiast, sold for an astonishing £2.3 million at auction today.

The immaculately preserved 2,000-year-old artefact, one of only three ever found in Britain, was discovered in a field by an unemployed graduate in his early 20s.

It prompted a five-minute frenzy of bidding at Christie’s in London before it was bought anonymously on the telephone for eight times its pre-sale estimate.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1318567/Roman-bronze-helmet-field-sells-2-3-MILLION--times-estimated-price.html#ixzz124XPwfjX

One day at Gallipoli

Last Saturday we first drove to the closest you can get to the Aegean Sea from Istanbul - the Saros Bay.

The water was clean but already rather cold and very shallow. This place is famous with divers because you can still find the sunken ships of the Gallipoli or Gelibolu as they call it in Turkish battle. After that we drove further down the peninsula to see the shores and hills where ANZAC and Turkish army fought.  For those interested in this part of history there is a film called ''Gallipoli'' with Mel Gibson (young and normal, before he became the MELtdown :)

I have also found a book by Louis de Bernieres (author of the wonderful ''Captain Corelli's mandolin'') called ''Birds without wings'' which tells the story of Gallipoli from the side of the villagers. 

Well, what can you do while you're there? There is small museum (entrance fee only 1lira) where locals brought the artifacts of the war - it's not big but quite interesting and worth the visit. 

The Aim of This Blog

Myra Tombs - Demre / Antalya

The reason behind this blog is to tell people about interesting historical places in Turkey. Having lived here since 2007 I am still discovering new sources of inspiration. So I want to keep a list of cities I have visited so far and information about them as well as the places I want to see in the future.