Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (14.2002(2003))

PALMYRA

SYRIA

TEST TRENCH IN THE STREET OF THE
GREAT COLONNADE

Marta Zuchowska

In connection with work in the western
sector of the ruins of ancient Palmyra, a test
trench was dug in the 2001 and 2002
seasons in the street of the Great Colon-
nade. ^ The trench, which was 3-50 m wide
and 14 m long, cut through the street in one
of the intercolumnia. A small section of the
south portico was cleaned down to the
Roman level. The chief objective was to
study the stratigraphy and to verify earlier
ideas about the dating of successive phases
of the main street of the town. In the course
of two seasons of excavations, a number of
layers corresponding to the phases of street
development came to light along with
substantial evidence of hydraulic instal-
lations constituting part of the ancient
sewage system (Fig. 1).
The most ancient feature found in the
trench were fragments of walls in the
southern part of the excavated area, made
of small stones in clay bonding and sur-
viving to a height of 0.7 m (Fig. 2: walls I
and II). They may have constituted the
corner of a bigger structure, which was
leveled when the street was traced. The
excavated area was too small to provide
more information on the layout and nature
of this building.

The tracing of the street was un-
doubtedly an important urban project.
Not only were preexisting structures
removed, but also an extensive water
supply and sewage system was put into
place. Under level I of the street two fresh-
water pipes were laid (cf. Fig. 2: pipes 2, 6)
beside a sewer made of small stones with
a carved stone trough and a large lime-
stone-slab covering (cf. Fig. 2: sewer).
The first street surface (level I) was
made of heterogeneous stone gravel and
clay. It did not survive long as two more
water pipes had to be laid soon afterwards
(cf. Fig. 2: pipes 3,4). The new surface of
the street corresponded to a time of growth
and prosperity in this part of the town. The
street level was raised and the ground
leveled. A tamped layer of limestone gravel
was introduced (level II) presumably after
the necessary pipes had been laid, although
these appear to have been either removed
or destroyed by later works. Some time
after that, yet another street surface of
limestone gravel appeared (cf. Fig. 2: level
III). It, too, was preceded by leveling
activities and the laying of another water
pipe (cf. Fig. 2: pipe 5). Level IV (cf. Fig. 2)
was the last phase in the use of the street in

1) The trench was dug in the western section of the Great Colonnade, near the octostyle portico excavated in previous
seasons. The work was directed by Prof. Michai Gawlikowski, assisted by the present author and Ms Elizabeth Katzy,
a student of archaeology from Tubingen. The pottery material was kindly identified by Dr. Grzegorz Majcherek.

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