Legendary city of Agamemnon, one of the leaders of the Greeks in the Trojan War. Coming to Mycenae, we are traveling back a thousand, fifteen hundred years earlier than the time of Roman greatness and the Nabateans that we saw in Jordan - 1600 to 1200 BC. But like all great civilizations, the Mycenaean met its doom. Their place was swept aside by people who did not even have writing. Let us see if we can put ourselves in their shoes at the time of judgment.
Imagine you are the last King of Mycenae
You live in one of the great fortress/palaces of your world
You look out over the lands you control to the very Aegean Sea
But the moment has come
The feared Tour Bus Tribe who revere no one and no place have arrived
Relentlessly they make their way up to assault you
They mass before the very Lion Gates you set up to mark you greatness
Sadly you have become weak as a people
Your place is now ruins
All there is left is to take your body
And deposit it in the vast tomb you've created
Alas, now there is nothing but the remnants for those to ponder your greatness thousands of years in the future
Your death mask
The weapons buried with you
They will excavate and find
Jewelry
Figurines
Pottery
Examples that show that you surrounded yourself with bright, painted interiors
They will look at this figure from 1200 BC
And notice the uncanny resemblance to a scene from a Church in Citta di Castello Italy, 2400 years later!
Let us leave this ancient world and go to the modern city of Nafplio
We encounter the day-to-day of Greek living
We enjoy a good meal
Saganaki - Fried Cheese
Stewed Green Beans
Lamb braised in lemon
Grilled Fish
Then back into the town
The spirit of the photographer is with us
As are the echos of Ottomans and Venetians who both once ruled over this coast
And finishing with a burst of color
2 comments:
I am enjoying so much both of your blogs!
You are true ambassadors of my country!
(isn't Nafplio the most beautiful town...?)
the art looks very Egyptian. COINCIDENCE?? I think not.
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