Many of these broken columns are nearly identical in size, which tells us that the original columns were constructed in multiple segments, stacked upon one another. Alexander the Great dedicated the city of Pirene in 323 BC. Its ruins are the most spectacular surviving example of an entire ancient Greek city, intact except for the ravages of time. These broken columns, once part of the Sanctuary of Athena, still lie on the ground where they fell. This Ionic temple was finished during the Roman occupation, and dedicated to Emperor Augustus. The columns are gray in color, and the ground was covered in brownish grass when I made this photograph. By converting the image to black and white, I unify the scene and create a more coherent and timeless image.

( You can see a documentary image of these same broken columns, including a nearby partial reconstruction of the Athena Sanctuary, in Dick Osseman’s pbase gallery on Pirene at:
http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/image/76472615 )