History Image Bank - Western Europe I

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Although not much of the site remains today, Mycenaean civilization erected several fortified palace complexes on these hills in the fifteen century B.C.E.

Since the island of Delos was the legendary birthplace of Apollo, it was viewed as the most sacred of the Greek Isles. Shown here is an emaciated lion statue showing the effects of 2,500 years of wind erosion.

A street with adjoining houses on the island of Delos. The settlement on the island eventually had to be abandoned for lack of natural water. Under Rome, Delos became a free port and a slave market.

The temple to Asclepius on the Aegean island of Kos, near to which Hippocrates composed his famous oath to which doctors still swear today.

The acoustics at this great outdoor theater at Epidaurus are so clear that a whisper on stage could be heard from any of its 14,000 seats.

The Athena Temple on the island of Aegina testifies to the magnificence of fifth-century B.C.E. Greek architecture.

The Parthenon, which dominated the Acropolis of fifth century B.C.E. Greece and the Athens of today, represents the glory that was Greece in the age of Pericles. From Greek temple to Christian church and then to Turkish mosque, the Parthenon underwent several transformations only to have its central hall blown up by a Venetian rocket in 16

Towering over the valley beneath the slopes of the sacred Mt. Parnassus, these columns at Delphi evoke the mysterious power of the Delphic Oracle.

This bas relief in the museum of Delphi depicts the lively scene of a battle, even including a lion.

The Great Altar of Zeus from Pergamum, along with its library, palaces, and fortifications, made Pergamum one of the cultural centers of the Hellenistic world. This altar was taken to Berlin by a German archaeologist in the nineteenth century, when it was the practice to remove archaeological treasures from their country of origin.

This bas relief of "Athena and the Giant" from the Pergamum altar reflects the excel-lence of classical Greek sculpture.

These ruins at Palmavera, on the island of Sardinia, show how the neolithic Nuraghe people knew how to construct vaulted roofs over their houses as early as the third millenium B.C.E.

As manifested here at the five-temple complex at Agrigento on the island of Sicily, the ancient Greeks selected elevated sites upon which to erect their temples. As Aristotle said, "the site should be a spot seen far and wide which gives due elevation to virtue and towers over the neighborhood."

Ancient Greek architects learned how to erect a slightly angled roof over their temples, thereby deflecting more weight to the exterior colonnades and thus freeing the central hall from the forest of pillars found in Egyptian temples. Shown here is the fifth-century B.C.E.Temple of Concordia at Agrigento. Its triangular lintel adds a lightness to the massive temple.

This fifth-century B.C.E. Greek theater at Syracuse witnessed the first performance of The Persians, by Aeschylus.

Adjacent to the Greek theater at Syracuse is a Roman amphitheater, as shown here.The central pit contained the animals needed for the extravaganza spectacles.

The ruins of the Roman city of Nora, located on a site previously occupied by the Carthaginians, overlook the bay in southern Sardinia.

The floor of this Roman bath at Nora was constructed of kiln-dried brick covered in sandstone. The heating unit was placed underneath to provide the heat for Rome's famed steam baths.

This mosaic floor at Nora decorated an elegant Roman villa which was replete with columns.

An exterior view of the twelfth-century C.E. Monreale Cathedral, near Palermo, Sicily.

The interior of the Monreale Cathedral is renowned for its ornate twelfth-century gilded mosaics.

Resplendent here are the ramparts and the castle of the Knights of Malta, who successfully defended their Catholic stronghold against the Muslim Turks in 15

Piazza Banchi (Banking Square) in Genoa reputedly was the site of the first bank in Western Europe.

Although Venice has a long history dating back to the Roman era, its heyday occurred in the fifteenth century, when it was a major Mediterranean commercial city. Here we see the Campanile Tower and the Doge's Palace, with St. Mark's Cathedral in the background.

Built on pilings over 150 canals, Venice represents an engineering and architectural wonder. Shown here is the Grand Canal, the main thoroughfare of the city.

Rivaling Venice in influence was the Italian city-state of Florence. Known primarily as the gem of the Italian Renaissance, Florence boasted a panoply of artists and writers. This view shows the Arno River and the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio.

As opposed to the Gothic cathedrals of northern Europe, with their awe-inspiring upward thrust, Florence's cathedral, known as Il Duomo, emphasizes horizontal dimensions. Its massive dome, completed by Brunelleschi in 14is considered one of the architectural wonders of the Renaissance.

The Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge spanning the River Arno, has housed the gold shops of Florence right up to present times.

The Gothic basilica at Assisi, which was erected over the tomb of St. Francis, contains frescoes by the Italian artists Giotto and Cimabue.

The Cathedral at Milan, with its flamboyant facade recently steam-cleaned, is a good example of late Gothic architecture.