Dura Europos

Named Europos by the Greeks and Dura by the Romans, the history of Dura-Europos is founded on powerful cultural and religious crosscurrents of late antiqu

ity. Located in modern day Syria, the ancient city overlooks the Euphrates River and is protected by cliffs on three sides. The fourth side looks out across a flat steepe toward the ancient oasis Palmyra. The location of the city was ideal for strategic control over the manufacture and trade of the rich Mesopotamia agricultural lands nearby. Although superficially a Greek city, foreign imperial powers based in the Mediterranean or Iran dominated the city politically and wielded heavy cultural influence, while Syro-Mesopotamian people and nomadic caravans flocked

to the urban center. Art Historically, the city is of profound significance for in its walls are preserved remains of more than a dozen different cult buildings and shrines of the polytheistic religions of the Near East and the Mediterranean. Furthermore, excavations have revealed rare early worship centers for the monotheistic creeds of Christianity and Judaism, long before acceptance by the Roman state.