Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: frog

Butrint is a ruined city located around 20 kilometers south of Saranda. It stretches across a peninsula that is surrounded to the north and east by Lake Butrint and by a canal, which flows into the Ionian Sea after around two and a half kilometers. Numerous cultures have left their marks on Butrint. Butrint was originally one of the main towns of the Chaonians, an Epirote tribe. The oldest finds date from the 10th to the 8th century BC. Excavations uncovered pottery from the 7th century BC. Ceramics from the 6th century BC from Corinth and Attica have also been found. A fortification has existed on the Acropolis since the 6th century BC. In the following centuries Butrint was largely Hellenized linguistically and culturally. It was one of the largest cities in the region at this time and had several magnificent buildings. In 228 BC, Butrint became a Roman protectorate and was was part of the part of the province of Macedonia since 146 BC. In 48 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar visited the city and declared it a veterans' colony. Since there was resistance to this, which was discussed (by Cicero) in the Roman Senate, the city only received a small number of colonists. But shortly after the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Emperor Augustus renewed his plans to make Butrint a veterans' colony. The city doubled in size and experienced its heyday in the next few decades. The city was named Colonia Iulia (or Augusta) Buthrotum in honor of the emperor and minted coins as such. With the Christianization, Butrint became the seat of a bishop in the 4th century. Butrint survived the raids during the Migration Period unscathed due to its protected location on a peninsula. At the end of the 6th century Butrint was one of the few towns in Epirus that retained its status as an episcopal see. Colonization by the Byzantine authorities seems to have taken place in the 9th and 10th centuries. It remained an outpost of the Byzantine empire fending off assaults from the Normans until 1204 when following the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantine Empire fragmented. In the following centuries, the area was a site of constant conflicts. In 1267, Charles of Anjou took control of Butrint and Corfu. In 1274, Byzantine forces re-entered Butrint. The Charles of Anjou and the orthodox Nikephoros allied and drove the Byzantines from the area in 1278. From 1284 the Angevin control was limited to Butrint and nearby Corfu. The Republic of Venice purchased the area including Corfu from the Angevins in 1386, however, the Venetian merchants were principally interested in Corfu and Butrint declined. By 1572 the wars between Venice and the Ottoman Empire had left Butrinto ruinous and the acropolis was abandoned. Here are the ruins of a very large temple of Asclepius, the god of medicine. It is believed that there may have been some ancient kind of clinic or rehabilitation center in Butrint. Today only animals relax in the warm (healing) water.

The place, once inhabited by Celtiberians, was taken by the Romans. In the 8th century, the Arab-Moorish armies advanced into the area and gave it the name Tirwal. In 1171, the Aragonese king Alfonso II conquered Tirwal to strengthen his kingdom's southern border after the Almohads captured the city of Valencia. He “founded” Teruel what empowered him to facilitate the repopulation of the region. After the inhabitants took part in the conquest of Valencia, Teruel was granted the title of city in 1347 by Pedro IV of Aragon. In the Middle Ages, the Jewish and Mudejar communities gained significant importance in the city's social and economic life. During the Spanish Civil War, the city changed hands several times and was virtually destroyed. The German Junkers Ju-87 dive bombers were used for the first time in the Battle of Teruel. After the final conquest by Franco's troops, the infamous Condor Legion also briefly used the airfield. It is estimated, that the two sides suffered up to 140,000 casualties between them in the three-month battle. Today Teruel is a thriving town with a population of about 36.000. In 1220 disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi founded a Franciscan monastery in Teruel, whose hermitage was demolished on the orders of the Archbishop of Zaragoza to begin building of this church in 1392. The Mudejar cloister dates to the 14th century. Strange creatures populate the corners

A convent under the patronage of St. Peter was founded in Blesle within the 9th century by Ermengarde d’Auvergne, the mother of Guillaume le Pieux, who founded Cluny in 910. The construction of St. Piere (now a parish church) started end of 11th century. Within a hunderd years, most of the church was built, only the south portal, the tower and parts of the apse were done in the 14th century. "L'église Saint-Pierre" is remarkable for it´s interesting layout and the richness of romanesque carvings inside and outside. Here one of the capitals outside the apse. A carving of "Luxuria", standing for lust, one of the "Seven Deadly Sins". Luxuria is mostly carved, breastfeeding two snakes. Here it is a snake and large frog. The frog itself is a symbol of vanity and lust. Both animals have obviously "excaped" from the two male figures on the side. The leftone holding a round object (tambourine?), the rightone wearing a kind of necklace, maybe a form of moneybag. Note that the Luxuria´s legs are lost, only the two feet and a part of a tigh (next to the frog) survived the times.