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Roman Theater of Heraclea Lyncestis

Битола, Italy

Roman Theater of Heraclea Lyncestis

Founded in the middle of the 4th century by Phillip II, the father of Alexander the Great, Heraclea Lyncestis ("the city of Hercules on the land of the lynx"; ''Lyncestis'' being an ancient moniker for Upper Macedonia, mountains of which are still home to a number of lynx), this is the only site in

the country that is actually associated with the ancient Macedonians, although most of the ruins that can be seen today date back to the Roman and the early Christian period. Only a small portion of the city has been unearthed, including a theatre, two water fountains, a courthouse, baths, the bishop's palace and two basilicas (but, save for the theatre, you'll need a lot of imagination to visualize how these buildings looked like in their heyday, as all that is left are their foundations). What actually worth seeing on the site are the '''mosaics''' of the big basilica, made in the 5th century. The floor mosaic in the narthex is the most complete presentation of the world as they understood it back then. In the centre of a rectangular field there is a fountain out of which a grapevine comes (as a symbol of Christ's teachings) and peacocks and deer are gathered around (as symbol of eternal life), meaning if you accept the teaching of Christ you’ll have eternal life. On the left and on the right there are 5 trees rich with fruits with birds flying around (representing the garden of Eden and the afterlife), and a huge red dog called Kerber (Cerberus) is guarding the entrance. Below t

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