The Roman temple of Bziza is a well-preserved first-century AD Roman temple in the Lebanese town of Bziza. It is dedicated to Azizos, a personification of the morning star in the Canaanite mythology. The temple's name is a corruption of Beth Azizo, meaning the house or temple of Azizos. The building has two doors that connect the portico to a square chamber. To the back of the temple lie the remains of the adyton where images of the deity once stood. The ancient temple was meant to function as the dwelling place of the deity. It was converted into a church and underwent architectural modification during two phases of Christianization: in the Early Byzantine period and in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The church, colloquially known until modern times as the Lady of the Pillars, fell into disrepair. Despite the church's condition, Christian devotion was still maintained in the nineteenth century in one of the temple's niches.

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

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1862:

American astronomer Alvan Graham Clark first observed the faint white dwarf companion of Sirius (both stars pictured), the brightest star in the night sky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius

1945:

Second World War: The British 3rd Commando Brigade defeated the Japanese 54th Division at the Battle of Hill 170, causing Japanese forces to withdraw from Burma's Arakan peninsula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hill_170

2000:

Alaska Airlines Flight 261, experiencing problems with its horizontal stabilizer system, crashed in the Pacific Ocean off Anacapa Island, California, killing all 88 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Airlines_Flight_261

2010:

James Cameron's Avatar became the first film to earn over $2 billion worldwide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_%282009_film%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

Tiggerish: (Britain) (Excessively) cheerful and exuberant; bouncy. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tiggerish

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.   --Norman Mailer https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Norman_Mailer