Turkey V - Philadelphia, Sardis, and Thyateira

After spending the morning in Heirapolis, we continued to the very small archaeological site marking Philadelphia. it's located in a modern town so most of the ruins are buried under other buildings -- only a few artifacts and two huge entrance pillars to an early Christian cathedral remain. Our third stop of the day was Sardis where much more extensive excavations have revealed a huge synagogue ruin with preserved original sections of the inside wall decorations remaining. Outside the synagogue can be seen the ruins of many shops, a Roman road, and Roman gymnasium. Nearby is the Temple of Artemis, dating to the second or third century BC. Our final stop for this day was Thyateira - another ancient site with only a small amount of excavation since most of the ruins lie under a modern city.