Dion

Friday, 26 May 2017

Dion was a sacred city at the base of Mount Olympus. The name itself means "of Zeus". It was started by Greeks in the 5th century BCE, and later occupied by Romans and Christians.

Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus

The sanctuary of Isis -- the Romans also accepted Egyptian gods.

Statue in the sanctuary of Isis.

Figures built into a wall.

Stones were re-used to make the city walls.

Pedestals

By Roman times, sanitation had become quite advanced. This is the remnants of a latrine. At one time this room next to the baths held more than a dozen toilets all draining into a sewer.

The Great Baths. These pillars supported a floor and hot air was circulated beneath the floor and through the walls.

A closer look at the floor pillars in the Great Baths.

Along the road in Dion.

The large floor mosaic in the villa of Dionysus is now preserved in the archaeological museum.

Another mosaic undergoing restoration in the museum.

I really liked these small mosaics of birds.

This was labeled a baby bottle, but it's really a very early "sippy cup".