These pillars have stood for over 2000 years according to historians, making them the oldest human structure I've ever laid eyes on!
When I flew internationally for the first time in October, many things were on my mind... What I did not consider was the cultural significance of the area I traveled to, the pull that brings tourists to Jordan from all over the globe every year.
These pillars are what remains of The Temple of Hercules, built under the rule of Geminius Marcianus in roughly 162 AD. Along with the Roman Theater, which lives on a short distance away, this structure is evidence of the long reach of Rome.
Due to some construction creating logistical issues, we decided not to walk over to the Roman Theater. Instead, I snapped this photo from the hill that houses both the temple and citadel.
Something about the way the city has casually swallowed up this ancient structure tickled me. Nearby I saw a woman hanging laundry on a roof within a stone's throw and wondered if the structure meant much to her after seeing it day in and day out.
Behind me, these pillars watched over the city like three centurions whose duty could not be pried from their fingers. After spending a few weeks in Amman, it was really cool to watch on with them, getting a panoramic view of the city!
It is believed that this temple was never completed. There is a whole history lesson to this, but instead of mixing in my understanding with some information from google, I'd rather keep this post about my personal takeaways.
The long and short is that the marble was likely reallocated to build a nearby church instead.
I thought it was incredible that these carvings still stood out so strongly after all this time. Maybe I am just an ancient site newbie, or maybe it is truly impressive. It made me ruminate on the lack of rain in this region, I can imagine that it is a huge bonus when it comes to preservation.
I wonder if the stone carvers who must have spent weeks on these intricate details would be pleased that they are still captivating people long after their grandchildren's grandchildren have passed away?
I imagine so. I took probably far too long soaking in these tiny details, my mind filled with fictional stories about what the lives of their creators must have been like.
This is what remains of the statue of Hercules that lived within the incomplete temple. I found it startling and a bit exhilarating that there were no ropes or barriers separating this ancient sculpture from visitors. You could just walk up and touch it if you wanted to, and indeed a few people did while I stood and admired it. I think touching the elbow of Hercules might be bad luck though, so I didn't.
I was once again baffled by the details that have been preserved here! Although the statue itself was toppled long ago, supposedly by an earthquake, the fragments that remain still bear gorgeous carvings. I'm a bit jealous of the skillsets one must have to make a stone hand look so realistic; I cannot even draw a face that looks human!
Fitting in with the devil-may-care attitude, these sarcophagi stood in the sun barrier free as well. My imagination told me this was because there were vampires in them; it's rude to enclose vampires between ropes when they already face so much adversity.
Although these were sort of rough and unornamented, nearby there was a fancier one.
This cute coffin had a nice little platform, although it did not have any signage to explain its significance. In fact, this entire portion of the site was largely without the pomp of information.
Perhaps these stone tablets explain what this all meant to those who left these relics here... Or maybe they just said something like "Vomitorium, that way"...
I noticed lots of lights sprinkled along this path. Apparently, they host events here at night from time to time. I suppose they keep one from wandering into one of the excavation sites on accident.
Indeed, there were many of those. A rare sign informed me that archeologists from all over the world were still actively exploring this location!
The troublemaker in me wanted to wander into this mysterious hole, but thankfully I was shoved away from such ideas by my fear of being lost in a cave. I just know there are mole people who live underground, and I'm not keen on meeting any of them.
Of everything I saw here, the temple stood out to me the most in this location of various historical periods. Just a short walk away is what remains of Amman Citadel, as well as a museum dedicated to archeological finds from throughout the country.
I didn't realize how many snaps I had taken to share here until I moved them all over to my computer! I was my intention to showcase the whole shebang in one post, but now I think it makes more sense to split it into two.
I'll be back soon to share The Amman Citadel, which melds different time periods together, as well as the cool stuff I saw in the museum. For now, I hope you had fun exploring The Temple of Hercules and it's surrounding artifacts with me!
