03 July, 2015
(6 / 10) Next
Mtskheta, Georgia
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 1,000 BC
The placement of Georgia in Europe is perhaps contentious, but given the widely-accepted definition of the continent’s border beyond the whole Caucasus region, it is fair to consider the country as European. Mtskheta, north of the capital Tbilisi, is thought to have been founded around 3,000 years ago, and is notable as the place Georgians accepted Christianity – the country’s main religion today – in 317. Collectively, its historical monuments, including the Holy Cross Monastery of Jvari, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Samtavro Monastery, are a UNESCO's World Heritage Site. They are described as “outstanding examples of medieval religious architecture in the Caucasus”, and archaeological findings inside them prove a high level of skill in masonry and pottery.
Picture: AP
(6 / 10) Next
Kutaisi, Georgia
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 2nd millennium BC
Kutaisi, a city in western Georgia, was the capital of the Kingdom of Colchis, an ancient region of the southern Caucasus, from as early as the second millennium BC. The city has been the centre of multiple conflicts between Georgian kings, and Russians and Ottoman rulers, and was an industrial centre when Georgia formed part of the Soviet Union. Its state historical museum contains 16,000 artefacts relating to Georgian history and culture. More interestingly, perhaps, Kutaisi is also home to a martial arts museum. The Bagrati Cathedral, pictured, was restored in 2012, against the wishes of UNESCO, which then placed it on its list of World Heritage Sites in danger, saying the project would “undermine the integrity and authenticity of the site”.
Picture: AP
Argos, Greece
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 5,000 BC
Árgos, in the north-eastern Peloponnese, 12km from Nafplio, has been inhabited, at least as a village, for some 7,000 years, and was a significant centre during the Mycenaean period (1600–1100 BC), although became most prominent during the reign of the tyrant king Pheidon, in the 7th century BC. In the Greek myths, the city was named after the son of Zeus and Niobe, and Homer’s Iliad describes it as a renowned horse-breeding centre. Hera, the goddess of women and marriage, was particularly revered, and the Argives honoured her with a temple and an annual festival. Mycenaean tombs, the sanctuary of Aphrodite and a theatre with capacity for 20,000 people can be seen today.
Read more: Greek islands travel guide
Picture: AP
Yerevan, Armenia
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 782 BC
Some 30 years before Rome was founded, the city that is now Armenia's capital was serving as an important stop along the caravan routes from Asia to Europe. It was invaded by Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols and Turks, and later by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the capital of the Republic of Armenia has seen the growth of cultural institutions (it is home to a bewildering number of museums). Tourism is also developing slowly - a handful operators currently offer guided trips to the country.
By Lizzie Porter
Picture: AP
Athens, Greece
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 5,000 BC
The Acropolis has been inhabited since at least 5,000 BC, and Greek legend says that the city of Athens won its name after Athena planted an olive seed in a contest with Poseidon. With the resulting tree seen as more valuable than the water that Poseidon released from a rock with his trident, the goddess of wisdom, war and the crafts was named as the city’s patron. The birthplace of democracy, the city has been held in such esteem that invaders have historically conquered the city, but not ransacked it, or enslaved its citizens. The Athenians defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, after which the city entered its golden age, under the rule of Pericles. Socrates, Hippocrates and Sophocles all worked in its bounds, to be followed by Aristotle and Plato. Today, visitors can admire the Acropolis as well as Plaka, the city’s oldest residential quarter, and Mt Lycabettus, the highest vantage point and a world away from any financial worries.
Picture: AP
Cádiz, Spain
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 1,100 BC
Phoenicians from Tyre in Lebanon founded Cádiz in 1,100 BC, and was known to them as “Gadir”. They used it as a base for amber trading, and later the Romans took it as a naval outpost. Obscurity followed for a period, before the city found fame when a man named Columbus used it as his depature port for his second and fourth voyages to the Americas. Annie Bennett, one of Telegraph Travel’s Spain experts, describes how the sea is “always discernible in the golden light shimmering at the end of the long, straight streets, flanked by stone mansions painted in pastel tones of pink, green and blue.” The elegant city is also good for food and drink – try manzanilla sherry and tortillitas de camarones (shrimp tortilla).
Picture: AP
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 4,000 BC
The remains of a Neolithic settlement at Plovdiv suggest a history spanning 6,000 years for a city dominated by the Thracians, then the Macedonian Greeks, and then the Romans, who built it up into a significant conurbation. Ruins from this period are very much in evidence today: the ancient theatre of Philippopolis (Plovdiv’s name in antiquity) is in the city centre, as is the 2nd-century stadium, built to seat 30,000 spectators. The city was seized by the Ottoman Empire in the 14th century, and only freed after the Battle of Philippopolis in 1878.
Picture: AP
Chania, Crete
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 4,000 BC
Excavations of the ancient city of Kydonia are taking place on Kastelli hill above the harbour at Chania on Crete. The ruins are thought to date from the Minoan period (2,100-1,100BC) and Kydonia probably came into its own around then, but traces of inhabitation at the site date back to the Neolithic period. Homer said that the city was one of the most important of the time, and frescoes, pottery and coins have all been unearthed on the site, which is open to view today. It is thought that the Saracens destroyed Kyronia in around 828, and the Venetians later built on it the settlement that would become modern-day Chania. The city is arguably Crete’s most attractive, with its walls, beaches, museums, boats and all important tavernas creating an amiable atmosphere.
Picture: AP
Patra, Greece
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? c. 3,500 BC
Excavations show that the area that is now the city of Patra has been inhabited since the Early Helladic period in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Like many other cities in Greece, it was later occupied by the Turks, while it was then set on fire by Muslim Albanians in 1779. After an earthquake in the 6th century, a castle was built on the side of Mount Panachaico, and to this day the city is divided into Lower and Upper districts. The modern city, on the coast in western Greece, has around 200,000 inhabitants .
Picture: AP
Prev (6 / 10)
Thebes, Greece
When did the earliest inhabitants settle? 3,000 BC
Evidence of buildings with rock-cut foundations, drains and mud brick walls shows Thebes has been inhabited for some 5,000 years, although the placement of the modern town on top of the ruins has made piecing together the history of the ancient settlement difficult. Found in central Greece, the city is important in Greek mythology, supposedly as the birthplace of Hercules and the terrorising ground of the Sphinx before her riddle was solved. Today, Thebes is a market city, and although some tourists come to see ruins, other bigger draws nearby such as Athens keep visitor numbers relatively low.
Picture: J Matthew Harrington/Wikipedia
Read more: www.telegraph.co.uk
Prev (6 / 10)
GEL
