Pella, Greece

Made from two pictures to get the sharpest view of the coins

A complete pottery shop

This reminds me of Ephesus, the Hellenic Greek town on the coast of Turkey. It, too, was once a harbor town, but when you look across what used to be the harbor, you see nothing but fields today. The river that formed the bay totally silted it up and pushed the coastline away. Pella was in identical situation. Once abandoned, the river takes over and the harbor is no longer in existence.

An Ionian column's capital

The amphorae on display are all stamped by the departing port authorities and this is how this map was established..

The phalanx battle system of Philip II, Alexander's father, and of Alexander the Great. It also shows the excellent and standardized equipment of these soldiers. Not long ago I watched a show that compared the legionaires at the peak of Rome's power to those of a century or more later. In the beginning the Romans were superbly trained, equipped, and armored. At the time of Rome's decline, the legions, mostly of foreigners and citizens of vassal nations, were by comparison very poorly equipped and trained, and the downfall of the empire was in part because of that.

I am sure that everyone is long familiar with this painting of Alexander (on the left side) and the final moments of the Persian Empire