Les Antiques de Glanum & Glanum

Thursday 31 May 2012 Continued

Following our tour in St. Remy-de-Provence we headed up the road to Les Antiques de Glanum.

L'Arc Municpal

Le Mausolee

Le Mausolee was especially impressive due to its size and the clarity of the carvings after thousands of years of being exposed to the elements.  Dr. O'Brien pointed out Achilles protecting his fallen cousin/lover.  This is clearly a monument showing victory and triumph.

From Les Antiques de Glanum we walked up the road to the Glanum archaeological site.  Glanum was first settled by the Gauls in the 6th and 7th Century BC and was later influenced by Hellenistic (Greek) and Roman governments.  Today the site is all excavated ruins.

I really appreciated the signs and brochures (and personal tour guide Tim).  Without them I wouldn't have had a clue about what I was looking at.  I especially liked the sketches showing the different layers of the site's complex history - color coded by historical/governmental era.

 I was surprised to see pieces of stone which were still very detailed - like the flowers above.  We saw the well and the sacred springs and the elaborate gutter system incorporated into the city.  I like the well and springs the best.  Something about water always soothes my soul and makes me happy.

Glanum Well

Tim, David, and I wandered all the paths and discovered a great look out over the entire site.

Me overlooking the ruins of Glanum

I really enjoyed this site.  It brought back memories from when I visited Pompeii twelve years ago.  Seeing an entire city interpreted - houses, places of worship, functional systems, etc.  You get a real idea of what life could have been like.  The things and places that are important in a community.  Fascinating to imagine.  With each new culture introduced, I could see how it built upon the previous rather than destroying and rebuilding.

For more photos of Glanum click here.