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sapinuwa.bsky.social
Sapinuwa
@sapinuwa.bsky.social
770 followers 230 following 5.7K posts
I am an extremely over-qualified high school chemistry teacher. (Photos captured by myself unless mentioned otherwise.)
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Ancient artworks which would be a top attraction elsewhere are paved in remote corners in Musei Vaticani, which I never will understand 🫣🥲
A square mosaic of about 3x3 meters, with central Medusa bordered with floral patterns, around it is divided in small squares and rectangles which have geometrical motifs in it. It is paved on a wall in a narrow courtyard in Musei Vaticani, and there are 2 charts describing Sistine Chapel frescoes in front of the mosaic, partly obliterating it.
November 12, 2025 at 12:07 PM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
The chimeric buildings of Roma. Millenia solidified, compressed and squeezed into levels, grades, segments.
What a crazy and lovely city.
The columns of Hadrianus Temple are face to face with a modern concrete building inside Above the arches of Marcellus Theater rise modern day walls and windows A concrete building with a segment of the façade looking totally different, consisting of red tiles and marble entablatures
November 11, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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More than 1200k people visited Anıtkabir yesterday, this is the highest score ever in the history of the monumental tomb.
I was among this 1200k.
Me taking a selfie among the crowds in Anıtkabir.
November 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
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The last Phrygian monument we've seen yesterday (yes we missed many) was this, Aslankaya monument, with 2 sphinces on the acrotere, 2 lions on the niche below the acrotere and another lion to the north side of the monument.🏺
A cone shaped rock mass, the front side has been shaped as a building façade The acrotere shows the (eroded) sphinces Two standing lions On the side of the monument is a lion relief
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
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I was there I was there I was there 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
Me on Phrygian road failing to look at the camera
November 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
The ancient roads of Phrygia grooved by cartwheels.♥️
A limestone(?) ground with grooves all through. To the left the road has been eroded about 2 metres from the surface forming a tunnel and there are horizontal lines on its walls. The grooved bedrock and pines Another section, same road A general view of the territory
November 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
I wept. I always weep.
Anıtkabir, Atatürk's tomb a few minutes ago. He passed away otd 87 years ago. A little girl on a man's shoulders carrying a red rose and Atatürk's banner Crowds waiting to enter Anıtkabir
November 10, 2025 at 1:25 PM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
On one side of the road leading to Göynüş Valley in Eskişehir are the ruins of Yılantaş (ie, snake-stone), today as it was toppled down we do not see the snake that the monument took its name from, only the head of a lion can be recognized.
A lion relief on a broken stone block on the ground, only the head remains The lion relief among other broken blocks around A few stone blocks paved together, on the ground YILANTAŞ BURIAL CHAMBER The triangular ceiling beams can be seen because of the damage at the monument. A lion relief and a relief of a foot managed to come until our time. At the door there is a serpent relief and there are two warriors attacking to the serpents on both sides. Because the rock is upside this scene cannot be seen today down. It is dated to VIII-VIIth century B.С.
November 10, 2025 at 10:58 AM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
The territory seems attractive even if you're not much into archaeology.
Pine and oak woods partly cover the monument on the rock cliff.
November 10, 2025 at 8:48 AM
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Areyatis monument drawn by Charles Texier in 1839 vs Areyatis monument, now. Seems like some moron treasure hunter looked for something once in the solid rock constituting the monument.😖 🏺
A b&w drawing shows the low relief on the rock more or less intact Today there is a rough circular hole of about 30 cms diameter at the upper center. The monument seen a little from far AREVASTIS/MINOR YAZILIKAYA Areyastis/Küçük Yazilikaya monument is located on one of the rocks about 130 m from the Yazilikaya Cukurca road, 1.7 km north of Yazılıkaya Village. Although the monument was first noticed by L. de Laborde in 1826: Texar was the first to make a detailed description and engraving of the monument in 1834 The monument was so named because of the word Areyastin/Arezastin in the Palaeo-Phrygian inscription on the right of the upper acroleria. The monument is 5.50 m high and 4.15 m wide. The tuff mass in which it is located is about 17 m high and 7.60 m wide. The contours of the acroter are formed by two intertwined circles intersecting each other according to a certain geometrical system. The pediment is decorated with a series of lozenge motits in relief. The pediment moulding is thin and undecorated. The central pillar of the roof is thick and there are two symmetrical windows on both sides. The windows are closed with double-leaf shutters. The small relief roundels on the horizontal bands symbolise the heads of the metal rivets The façade is 3.70 m in size, close to square rectangular and enclosed by two frames. The outer frame symbolises the main side walls and is integrated with the upper main beam. Below the beam, a thick frieze exdends between the walls. It is one of the most intact examples of monumental facades. Due to external factors, the relief decorations on the frames and the inscription on the frieze have been eroded over time.
November 10, 2025 at 8:46 AM
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Also- I think the façade was painted once
A closeup of the akrotere of the façade of the tomb showing red paint at the edges Another similar closeup
November 10, 2025 at 7:35 AM
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I am too tired to share anything else for now, except this usual security guard 😁- Almost in every ancient site with rock monuments I've seen nestling rock nuthatchs and Gerdekkaya wasn't an exception.
This bird really loves archaeology.
#Archaeobirds
A grey, white and orange bird on a rock Same bird climbing on the rock monument Same bird from back
November 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
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This is the view looking out from the tomb- isn't it too beautiful for the dead to enjoy?🫣
The valley beyond with sowed fields extending till the forest hills
November 9, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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Our next stop was Gerdekkaya monument, another rock tomb build in Hellenistic age in the shape of a Doric temple (I particularly loved the roof carved as if made of wooden beams)
The façade of a rock carved as the entrance of a temple, with 2 colums in front. There are 2 semilunar carvings below it View from below, a semilunar cell, the main chamber of the temple/tomb, the columns and the false-wooden roof seen Looking at the vast valley from tomb chamber Inside there are several burial cells
November 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
sapinuwa.bsky.social
See the grooves on the rock road that leads to both monuments.
A smooth white rock road with two shallow grooves. Kırkgöz rock monument seen at the end. Same road, the other end, closer
November 9, 2025 at 5:38 PM
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A single day is never enough to see everything in Phrygian valley, we did what we could anyway.😁
Located next to Yazılıkaya monument, Kırkgöz rock formation has been used as a monumental tomb with 2 chambers in Hellenistic period, and as a multiple store settlement till Byzantine times.
A rock mass as tall as a 3-store building, with multiple cells carved out on it From inside cells and broken roofs are seen There are grave pits carved on the bottom rock From an opening on the side Yazılıkaya is partly seen
November 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
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Ca 800 BC Phrygians in midwest Anatolia made open air sanctuaries by smoothing natural rocks located in distinctive places. Yazılıkaya monument, carved as the façade of a megaron and dedicated to mother goddess Kybele (Matar) is the greatest of them.
The inscriptions haven't been deciphered yet.
🏺
A brown rock mass, smoothed on one side, shaped as a house with an inclined roof, has a shallow "door" pit at the center, the façade is decorated with + shaped patterns, on the acrotere and on one side there are inscriptions in Phrygian script. Inscrptions, closer İnscriptions, closer The + shaped motifs of the rock face
November 9, 2025 at 5:24 PM
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Seeing this in the middle of nowhere, behind the pleasant colors of the autumn and within the sweet scent of the bushes around was unforgettable, I am in heavens.♥️
🏺
Areyatis (or Arezatis) monument, a rock cut open air sanctuary of Phrygians, near Han in Eskişehir. The smoothened façade of a rock shaped as a megaron's front is seen behind yellow and brown oak trees.
November 9, 2025 at 2:09 PM
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These are so close to real!😍
A hoopoe photo with an erect orange crest
November 8, 2025 at 7:15 PM
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Wait, where did I photograph this thing in Vatican? I don't remember having seen it at all. So funny and lovely isn't it?😍🏺
Inside of a kylix, two dancers on both sides of a seesaw, and a lyre player at the center. From Vulci, 550-530 BC.
November 8, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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Once again repeating: They were all colored.🫣
Etruscan marble sarcophagus, the deceased is lying down on the lid, on the long side is a procession with carts and offerings, and the faces and body parts of humans are colored orange.
November 8, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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Greek fashion week.
The three goddesses parading before Paris.
📌 Gregorian Etruscan Museum, Vatican.
🏺
An amphora with 3 standing women in different patterned chitons, Hermes (?) and Paris.
November 7, 2025 at 6:22 PM
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#FrescoFriday Heading from the Egyptian section to Braccio Nuovo of Musei Vaticani we passed through a narrow vaulted corridor which has bird painted fresco plates on its walls.
#archaeobirds
A rectangular red plate on a white background, on it there are 2 crested black and white birds resembling lapwings
November 7, 2025 at 7:40 AM
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I only recently learned that Ankara has a district named after Remzi Oğuz Arık
2 number plates on a building writing "Atatürk Bulvarı Remzi Oğuz Arık Mahallesi"
November 7, 2025 at 7:25 AM
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Dacians sculpted by Romans, in Palazzo Altemps, Capitoline and Vatican, respectively. Why were they carved of pavonazzetto marble? To mention their "impurity"? 🏺
A standing man in a tunic and a Phyriygian cap, the face and hands are in black marble, the rest is pavonazzetto. Upper side of the body of a bearded dressed man, pavonazzetto marble, the arms are missing The upper side of the body of a bearded man wearing a chiton and a Phrygian cap, hands clenched in front
November 5, 2025 at 7:45 AM