DOI article:
Majcherek, Grzegorz: Excavations at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria in the 1989 season
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42008#0083
3rd cent. AD and large quantities of potsherds among which there is a rich set
of wine amphorae of Heroitic production.')
STREET R<
A deep trial pit was sunk on Street R4 in the vicinity of the main entrance
to House H. A large fragment of the street paving made of large irregular
dolomite slabs was cleared along the facade of house H. The pavement showed much
wear over a long period of time. A section of identical paving had been
discovered in another part of the same street in the 50-ties when a sounding was
made under the present cinema "Amir".?' According to pottery evidence the paving
9
mus*havebeeniaidsomewhereinthe6thcant. AD. It also became clear from the
evidence that the original street width in this period was much greater than had
been supposed so far and equalled about 9.5m.
About 0.3m below this surface the remnants of an earlier street surface
were discovered. The earlier paving was made in much a similar fashion.
Further excavations in the sounding led to the clearing of and extensive
part of the city sewage system. The relics consisted of several channel
sections," rebuilt multiple times, once again testifying to a long history of use
coveringaperiodfromlsttothe6thcent. AD. Just under the paving there was
a small N-S channel about 0.4 mwide.lt was constructed of disproportionately
large regular blocks which must have come, presumably, from the dismantling of
some earlier structures. The channel, running off to the south, ied to a
rectangular pit connected to a street collector located along the facades of the
houses. This main drain, 0.6m wide, was constructed in the Early Roman period
and continued its use in much later times as well. Its bottom was reached at
about 3.7 m below the latest street paving. It was built of small blocks set in
n For these amphorae see J.-Y. Empereur,Un atelier deDressel 2-4 enRgypteau
Illesiecledenotreere, BCE suppl.XIII (1986), 599-608.
See A. Adriani, Scavi escoperte allesandrine (1949-1952), BSAA41, 1956,
fig. 6.
79
of wine amphorae of Heroitic production.')
STREET R<
A deep trial pit was sunk on Street R4 in the vicinity of the main entrance
to House H. A large fragment of the street paving made of large irregular
dolomite slabs was cleared along the facade of house H. The pavement showed much
wear over a long period of time. A section of identical paving had been
discovered in another part of the same street in the 50-ties when a sounding was
made under the present cinema "Amir".?' According to pottery evidence the paving
9
mus*havebeeniaidsomewhereinthe6thcant. AD. It also became clear from the
evidence that the original street width in this period was much greater than had
been supposed so far and equalled about 9.5m.
About 0.3m below this surface the remnants of an earlier street surface
were discovered. The earlier paving was made in much a similar fashion.
Further excavations in the sounding led to the clearing of and extensive
part of the city sewage system. The relics consisted of several channel
sections," rebuilt multiple times, once again testifying to a long history of use
coveringaperiodfromlsttothe6thcent. AD. Just under the paving there was
a small N-S channel about 0.4 mwide.lt was constructed of disproportionately
large regular blocks which must have come, presumably, from the dismantling of
some earlier structures. The channel, running off to the south, ied to a
rectangular pit connected to a street collector located along the facades of the
houses. This main drain, 0.6m wide, was constructed in the Early Roman period
and continued its use in much later times as well. Its bottom was reached at
about 3.7 m below the latest street paving. It was built of small blocks set in
n For these amphorae see J.-Y. Empereur,Un atelier deDressel 2-4 enRgypteau
Illesiecledenotreere, BCE suppl.XIII (1986), 599-608.
See A. Adriani, Scavi escoperte allesandrine (1949-1952), BSAA41, 1956,
fig. 6.
79