Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki Historical Sightseeing

You can never miss this Arch of Galerius while you are in Thessaloniki, especially if you are doing the walking tour of Thessaloniki sightseeing. It is there out in the open for all to see. I wonder if it has become too ordinary a sight for the locals there.

The place did look like a meeting place for all, and they all seemed busy chatting with each other. Only a few tourists like me stood gaping at the crumbling but massive structure of Arch of Galerius. What stunned me to silence was the contrast of 21st century apartment complexes and the 3rd century Roman arch!

Frankly those modern buildings looked pale in comparison to this grand architecture. It is really impressive of they have preserved such small packets of history while letting the city grow around it the same time!

It was built in AD 303 by Galerius, then Caesar of east to celebrate his victory over Persians in AD 297. Made of marble and brick, the exact date of construction is from 298 CE to 299 CE.

The third smaller arch has disintegrated and disappeared over a period of time, but the remaining structure has some amazing carvings. They are mostly stories and scenes from the battle between Rome and the Persians. Some of them have eroded away and those that survived time speak volumes of unwritten history. Thessaloniki was important then, it is important today too! What a great city!

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