"Under Augustus,
Prosperity built temples.
Aphrodite reigned."
— h/t ChatGPT
Today's photo-of-the-day is from the ruins of Aphrodisias,
an ancient Roman city in southwestern Turkey. "Aphrodisias, named
after its patron goddess Aphrodite, was founded in the 2nd century
B.C. on the site of a rural sanctuary of Aphrodite. In the 1st century
B.C., Aphrodisias came under the protection of the first Roman
Emperor, Augustus, and this initiated a period of prosperity and
growth. A nearby marble quarry supplied the ancient city and sites
around the empire such as Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, with a supply of
high-quality white and blue marble."
"The monumental gateway to the city's main sanctuary, the Tetrapylon
at Aphrodisias is one of the city's most impressive monuments. The
remarkable preservation of the structure—about 85% of its
physical fabric survives—allowed for a complete scientific
reconstruction, which was completed in 1991."