Volubilis is a partly excavated Roman city in Morocco near Meknes. Built in a fertile agricultural area, it developed from the 3rd century BC onwards as a Phoenician/Carthaginian settlement and grew rapidly under Roman rule from the 1st century AD onwards. Public buildings included a basilica, temple and triumphal arch (pictured). Its prosperity, derived principally from olive growing, prompted the construction of many fine town-houses with large mosaic floors. The town fell to local tribesmen around 285 and was never retaken by Rome due to its remoteness. In the late 8th century it became the seat of Idris ibn Abdallah, the founder of the state of Morocco. Volubilis was abandoned by the 11th century. Its ruins remained substantially intact until an earthquake in the mid- 18th century and subsequent use of the stones for building Meknes. During and after the period of French rule over Morocco, about half of the site was excavated and some of the more prominent buildings were restored or reconstructed. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed for being "an exceptionally well preserved example of a large Roman colonial town on the fringes of the Empire".

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volubilis

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1210:

Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III after he commanded the Pope to annul the Concordat of Worms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_IV,_Holy_Roman_Emperor

1812:

Napoleonic Wars: During Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Marshal Michel Ney's leadership in the Battle of Krasnoi earned him the nickname "the bravest of the brave" despite the overwhelming French defeat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Krasnoi

1943:

Second World War: The Royal Air Force began its bombing campaign against Berlin (ruins of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin_(RAF_campaign)

1963:

The first push-button telephone was made available to AT&T; customers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push-button_telephone

2003:

With its ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made the state the first in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodridge_v._Department_of_Public_Health

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

full circle: 1. Through a rotation or revolution that ends at the starting point. 2. (idiomatic) Through a cycle of transition, returning to where one started after gaining experience or exploring other things. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/full_circle

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

So... all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will — where do you want to start?   --Steven Moffat https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steven_Moffat