Follow us on NEWSLETTER FAR HORIZONS ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL TRIPS Volume 18, Number 2 • Fall 2013 Published Erratically by Far Horizons • P.O. Box 2546 • San Anselmo, CA 94979 USA (800) 552-4575 • (415) 482-8400 • fax (415) 482-8495 • www.farhorizons.com • email: [email protected] Dear Travelers, FEATURED As the August moon waxes in the Buddhist month of Esala, the Perahera, JOURNEYS the largest and most colorful festival in Asia, takes over the medieval royal city Burma (Myanmar) of Kandy in Sri Lanka. For a week, the processions include fire jugglers swinging December 1 - 19, 2014 flaming torches, lively acrobats, a cacoph - Enjoy the Land of the Golden Pagodas in Yangon; ony of percussionists pounding traditional Bagan, where more than two thousand spires rise above drums, almost 5,000 dancers clanging the horizon; ancient Mrauk-U; and the bustling, vibrant finger cymbals, musicians, whip crackers, city of Mandalay. Burma’s prodigious number of temples torch bearers, and as many as 100 wildly is the perfect symbol of a country in which Buddhism adorned elephants (think flashing lights pervades every aspect of life. Along the way, revel in not and velvet, bejeweled garments!) . The just the fascinating history but the hospitality of the tradition dates back to about 300 B.C. and Burmese people, including those in the many villages is intended to invoke the blessings of the around Inle Lake. gods for rain, fertility, successful crops and good health. I was there last month Iran with a group! What a flamboyant and jubilant event…never to be forgotten. April 9 - 25, 2014 And, although there are few tourists to be seen, Sri Lanka has so much more to Embrace the cultural diversity of Iran and follow the offer. This lovely island’s fascinating history spans at least three thousand years path of the author of the first human rights charter, and the magnificent remains of each civilization are stunning, including six Cyrus the Great, to his powerful Achmaenid dynasty UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Sites – Galle’s Old City; Kandy; the Buddhist sites of Pasargad and Persepolis. Waves of invaders mural paintings in the caves at Dambulla; the medieval capital of Polonnaruwa; throughout the country's long history – the Greeks Anuradhapura founded in the 4th century B.C.; and Sigiriya with its exquisite accompanying Alexander, Arab armies, the Turkish tribes paintings. This isle also has lush rain forests, verdant tea plantations, and that forced their way westward from Central Asia, and remarkable wildlife of which 22% is found only here. Certainly, one of the high - finally the Mongols – all left their mark upon the people lights for me was viewing The Gathering, where in the evening huge herds of of Persia, creating a vibrant tapestry that at its core, elephants, along with their adorable playful calves, come down to the edge of is indelibly today’s Iran. While traveling from Isfahan to a lake to graze. What a sight! Shiraz to Yazd, witness the unforgettable remains left by previous empires. As I hope you have noticed, we are adding more ‘history’ themed trips, and two new ones have been added to our 2014 calendar. In the Path of Genghiz Khan follows the story of this great man and his descendants through Mongolia and China as they created the largest empire in history. The trip will be led by The Great Courses (The Teaching Company) lecturer, Andrew Wilson, an award- winning professor and an expert in both military and Asian history. In the Path Egyptologist and of the Frankincense Trail traverses the peaceful country of Oman, located on the Great Courses Scholar, Indian Ocean and long a trading route. I’ll remind you to also look at our In the Path of the Crusader Knights that travels through Cyprus, Rhodes and Malta, Dr. Bob Brier , along with In the Path of the Olmec traversing the remote areas of Mexico. now has a website - I hope you enjoy our latest newsletter and will pass it along to friends. And keep http://drbobbrier.com - watching our blog as we post interesting tidbits on the latest archaeological and where you can learn about historic discoveries along with tales from our travelers. his latest publications, his lecture schedule, Happy travels, and the trips he leads for Far Horizons. You will also find him on Facebook - Mary Dell Lucas https://www.facebook.com/DrBobBrier Founding Director Zeugma: A Tale of Two Destructions By Professor Jennifer Tobin In the year 2000 an international team of archaeologists answered a call. The ancient Graeco-Roman city of Zeugma, which once straddled the Euphrates River in what is now Turkey, was in peril. The Turkish government planned to install a dam across the mighty Euphrates, bringing more reliable electricity and water to this desolate region, but also creating a lake that would submerge the ruins of Zeugma. For four months the excavators worked tirelessly, trying to learn as much about the city as possible before it was Travel with Professor Jennifer Tobin immersed in water. As the reservoir level rose they on Eastern Turkey’s Lost Kingdoms, uncovered remarkable villas, outfitted with sumptuous May 17 - June 1, 2014. mosaics and gorgeous wall paintings. These were lifted and taken to the city of Gaziantep, where they can now be seen in a new museum. dining rooms for the elite were subdivided with makeshift walls to create barracks. Wall paintings were defaced by The archaeologists also uncovered vivid evidence for the graffiti, scratched by idle soldiers nervously awaiting the destruction of the city in antiquity. Zeugma stood on the Persian invasion. When it came, it came swiftly. Dishes of eastern edge of the Roman Empire, a stone’s throw from food were found abandoned as the Roman soldiers raced to Rome’s greatest enemy, the Sassanian Persians. In the meet the Persian attack. But the Roman army was defeated, 250’s AD the Sassanians swept deep into Roman territory, the soldiers killed or taken prisoner, and Zeugma was burned. destroying cities in their path. One of these was Zeugma. The excavations revealed deep layers of burning evidence Destroyed first by fire and then, recently by water, the city of that the whole city had been engulfed in fire. An analysis of Zeugma has suffered greatly. However, one could argue that the finds buried in the wreckage reveals that the civilian if the dam had not been constructed, we would never have inhabitants of Zeugma had fled before the destruction, and learned Zeugma’s story – it would have been one of the many the city had been turned over to the Roman army. Rooms ancient cities in Turkey waiting to be excavated. The good with fine mosaic floors were transformed into granaries to news is that the reservoir only covers one third of Zeugma – feed the troops. Colonnaded courtyards that once served as much lies safely underground awaiting future research. 2 • www.farhorizons.com Dear Traveler, The great Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini, one of very few explorers traveling in Africa at the beginning of 1900, described Ethiopia as an “incredible mosaic of cultures”. And it is very true. Probably no country in the world has the diversity of landscape, people, and cultures that you will see in Ethiopia. I have the fortune of being the scholar on our Far Horizons Ethiopia trip. I have been in Ethiopia many times and I do archaeological work there. But we will talk about me later. This is about you and the beautiful adventure that you are about to embark on. Traveling through the Omo Valley you will experience the amazing beauty of its wildlife and the fascination of the many tribes that still inhabit the region. And you will see a dramatic change in both landscape and people when we will be traveling north, through the archaeologi - cal and historical route that represents such an important piece of Ethiopian history. We will start with Aksum, the splendid capital Discover of the ancient Aksumite kingdom that became powerful by trading gold and precious stones with pharaonic Egypt and the Rome of the Caesars, and that is believed to house the Ark of Ethiopia the Covenant, the real one… We will see Lalibela, home to massive monolithic churches that eleventh century masons carved into solid mountainsides; the Lake Tana, with its atmos - pheric monasteries; and Gondar where we will Travel with Dr. Cinzia Perlingieri walk through hallways and courtyards of on Ethiopia: The Wonders of the medieval palaces where kings, courtiers, and Horn of Africa, April 12 - 26, 2014. early Portuguese explorers plotted royal intrigues... Usually this is the point when our local guide and I take over the dance floor of the main ballroom for an improvised traditional Ethiopian dancing performance. And while we are at it… We will take a trip to the Semien National Park to see the highest mountains in Africa. An incredible formation of grassland plateaux separated by valleys and deep gorges, and rising to high pinnacles populated by families of gelada baboons. A totally unique spectacle that you have never seen before if you have never been to Ethiopia. It will not be easy all the time. Sometimes we will get up early, we will walk long distances and drive on bumpy roads, and every now and then we will complain about the food! But I promise you that you will not regret a second spent on this trip. If you love to travel you will love to travel in Ethiopia and at the end, a little shaken, you will say “WOW! What a journey!” And I will be there to shake your hand, and tell you “You did it.