There are hundreds of broken columns among the ruins of Miletus, but this was the only one that was inscribed with a message. Although I can’t read the words, I know that someone once expressed an idea upon its stone face. The inscription reminds us that actual people lived here more than two thousand years ago. Miletus dates back to Minoan times, and later flourished under the Greeks, Persians, and Romans. Alexander the Great once walked its streets. By tilting my camera, I made the column run diagonally through the frame, adding energy to the scene. I converted the image to black and white to also make it seem timeless.