in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC
onwards as a Phoenician/Carthaginian settlement and grew rapidly under
Roman rule from the 1st century AD onwards. Public buildings included a
basilica, temple and triumphal arch (pictured). Its prosperity, derived
principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine
town-houses with large mosaic floors. The town fell to local tribesmen
around 285 and was never retaken by Rome due to its remoteness. In the
late 8th century it became the seat of Idris ibn Abdallah, the founder
of the state of Morocco. Volubilis was abandoned by the 11th century.
Its ruins remained substantially intact until an earthquake in the mid-
18th century and subsequent use of the stones for building Meknes.
During and after the period of French rule over Morocco, about half of
the site was excavated and some of the more prominent buildings were
restored or reconstructed. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large
Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volubilis>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1210:
Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated by Pope
Innocent III after he commanded the Pope to annul the Concordat of
Worms.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_IV,_Holy_Roman_Emperor>
1812:
Napoleonic Wars: During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Marshal
Michel Ney's leadership in the Battle of Krasnoi earned him the nickname
"the bravest of the brave" despite the overwhelming French defeat.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Krasnoi>
1943:
Second World War: The Royal Air Force began its bombing
campaign against Berlin (ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin_(RAF_campaign)>
1963:
The first push-button telephone was made available to AT&T;
customers.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-button_telephone>
2003:
With its ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health,
the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made the state the first in the
U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
full circle:
1. Through a rotation or revolution that ends at the starting point.
2. (idiomatic) Through a cycle of transition, returning to where one
started after gaining experience or exploring other things.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/full_circle>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
So... all of time and space, everything that ever happened or
ever will — where do you want to start?
--Steven Moffat
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steven_Moffat>
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