SUNDAY, AUGUST 1: LECTURES plus ESNA

Today’s adventures look at two sites from the Greco-Roman era in Egypt, when the Ptolemies ruled, right before the country was absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Esna (slide show) is home to the recently restored Temple of Khnum, the Egyptian god who fashioned mankind from clay. Best known for its hall with massive floral capitals on its pillars, the temple has an astronomical ceiling with a highly detailed zodiac illustration.