Dura-Europos, 'Pompeii of the Syrian Desert'

Dura-Europos in Eastern Syria is a classic abandoned ancient city. Excavations (1920-1937, renewed 1986-2011), revealed spectacular remains. These comprised elaborately decorated buildings, including a painted synagogue and a very early Christian church, and astonishingly well-preserved artefacts. The city seemed suddenly frozen in time, leading to Dura often being called 'the Pompeii of the Syrian desert’.

There is some truth in this nickname, although it remains only a half-truth. To begin with, Dura is not in true desert at all: rather it lies in a region of dry steppe which gets a little winter rain, and directly overlooks the fertile Euphrates valley. Further, it was destroyed by human violence rather than a natural catastrophe. Nevertheless, the discoveries made there share much of the immediacy and drama of the ruins of Pompeii. Again like Pompeii, Dura was a relatively minor city--yet its treasures tell us an exceptional amount about ancient life more generally.

Dura was founded by Macedonian colonists around 300BC, and later became largely populated by Syrians. Falling under Arsacid ('Parthian') rule, it was later annexed by the Romans, before its final destruction by the Sasanian 'Persians' (Iranians) in the AD250s. Its remains give us our most vivid insight into ancient life in the Middle East, especially during the centuries between the time of Jesus and the coming of Islam.

What's in a name (or two)? Dura-Europos was never called Dura-Europos...