Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (10.1998(1999))

PALMYRA

SYRIA

EXCAVATION AREA

City block G currently under exploration
includes a square peristyle courtyard (G.l)
excavated in 1996, and Church II (G.2)
cleared last year to the north of this peri-
style. It was already clear by then that fur-
ther dependencies of the church lay to the
north and east of the main body of the
building.
There were three doorways in the north-
ern wall of the church opening into an area
where no traces of ancient buildings could
be seen. This area was delimited on the
other side by the ruins of yet another
church, and on the west by a continuous

wall running from the Church Street com-
ing up from the Great Colonnade. The area
appears to have been used as a late cemetery
(G.3), in connection with Church II.
Already last year we had discovered a dou-
ble burial in the NW corner of the church,
obviously made in the ruins.
To the east, a door at the end of the
northern aisle opened into a paved court-
yard (G.4.1) with four columns in the mid-
dle forming the supports for a light well
(Figs. 1-2).
It was thought after the last season
that this feature, occupying the place

Fig. 2. Axonometric reconstruction of the Baptistery
(Drawing A. Dolot)


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