In another recent sign of Rome’s daunting reach in the Justinian Era, workers expanding a highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem recently discovered remains of an ancient Roman church from the 6th century. Its a reminder of Justinian’s efforts to revive Rome’s presence in what was then part of the Palaestina Prima province, including a massive building campaign in Jerusalem (continuing earlier efforts begun by the Emperor Hadrian).
For more on this recent discovery see this link:
History has always been written by the victors.
But what is it about the lingering power of Rome’s legacy in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople – Nova Roma – Byzantium), that 600 hundred years after Mehmed the Conqueror breached Constantinople’s walls, the modern Turkish government finds the Roman Empire to be such a threat? Or so it would seem given the resources that Turkey (led by Prime Minister Erdogan’s party) has devoted to programs to eliminate Rome from the archaelogical record by selectively restoring Roman monuments and buildings in Istanbul to emphasize their Ottoman influences at the expense of their Roman origins.
Perhaps the headline from this recent piece in the Financial Times should have read (encouragingly) as follows: “Rome Still Matters.”
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e697a0b2-0a97-11e5-a8e8-00144feabdc0.html#
ROME ON THE CUSP 