Die seltsamsten Orte der Antike

This book invites you on an expedition that is as thrilling as it is entertaining. It takes its readers across three continents, from the Hindu Kush in the east to the Pillars of Hercules in the west, from the misty Thule in the north to the sun-drenched Alexandria in the south, and introduces them to 40 truly strange places from a distant past: mythical metropolises like the original city of humanity (Eridu), settings of great love stories like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, mysterious sites like the City of Elephants (Ampameia), deceptive oracles (Abouneichos), the tomb of Cleopatra (Alexandria), haunted houses (Athens), skull collections (Entremont), and that sacred promontory on the Atlantic where you can hear a faint hissing as the sun sinks into the sea. Forget everything you think you know about antiquity - and look forward to a journey to gardens of love and ancient libraries of the East, to golden stables in pharaonic Egypt and haunted houses in Athens, to pirate cities in the mountains and to the center of the world! Beyond the Roman Forum and the Acropolis, there are places that no Latin teacher has ever mentioned. These include the once-powerful Eridu, known to the Sumerians as the original city of the world, as well as the tomb of the Egyptian ruler Cleopatra in Alexandria - a symbol of one of humanity's greatest love stories - and the City of Elephants in the Near East, where tens of thousands of animals were bred because the surrounding kingdoms wanted to equip their armies with them. And then there are the mysterious places of a distant past, where disturbing rituals were practiced, such as in the sanctuary of Gula in Isin with its dog cult, or in that city in Gaul where the Celts fitted the skulls of slain enemies into their doorways, which can still be seen today. To these and many other strange places of an unknown antiquity, Martin Zimmermann, one of the best, will guide you.