Turkey 

  Turkey surprised me. I knew I would love Greece, and I did, but this was my first visit to Turkey. I have discovered what many others already knew: you can’t swing a dead cat here without hitting a 2,000 year old stone column. 
  This country has been home to people for more than 5,000 years, and they created works of art and engineering scarcely equaled yet today. Greeks, Seleucids, Romans, Byzantine, Ottomans, modern Turks have all lived here. 

  This panel (from the Sebastian at Aphrodisius) depicts the emperor Augustus being honored by the God of War Nike, with an anguished captive at his feet and a “trophy” taken from a conquered army at his side. This is Roman theology in a nutshell.

  We had the advantage of an excellent guide , Cenk, and a knowledgeable trip leader Don Carlson, in learning about the 1st century, and drawing a line from there to the present. 
  The more I learn about this story, the more my perceptions of who we and who I am are challenged.