Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (17.2005(2007))

PALMYRA

SYRIA

PALMYRA
EXCAVATIONS 2002-2005
(INSULA E BY THE GREAT COLLONADE)
Marta Zuchowska

Insula E in the downtown district of Palmyra was the object of further excavations and
measuring in 2005 in an effort to complete studies of architecture uncovered in 2002 and
2003 in the area between the portico of the Great Colonnade on the south, the facade of
Basilica I on the north, 'Diogenes Street' on the east and 'Oil Press Street' on the west.1
Despite the fact that the 23 separate loci identified in the excavations of the 2002-2003
seasons represent different phases of occupation of the area, the original designations were kept
for the purposes of this preliminary report {Fig. 1}. The present work concentrated on specific
features in various parts of the quarter and the results made it possible to distinguish
a number of occupation phases of insula E and correlate them with the observed stages in the
history of the Great Colonnade.

1 The work lasted from May 14 to June 16, 2005, and was carried out by Dr. Marta Zuchowska with the assistance of
Dr. Grzegorz Majcherek, Mr. Szymon Maslak, archaeologists, Mr. Marcin Wagner, documentalist, and Ms Aleksandra
Kubiak, student of archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology of Warsaw University, under the supervision of the
Palmyra expedition director, Prof. Dr. Michal Gawlikowski.

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