Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (8.1996(1997))

PALMYRA

EXCAVATIONS 1996
Michal Gawlikowski

Working from Aug. 31 through Oct. 8, 1996, the Mission
continued the excavations, started in 1988, of three blocks on the
northern side of the Great Colonnade.1 The goal, hopefully to be
achieved within the next five years, is to uncover and make
accessible to the public a substantial sector of the downtown area,
featuring monuments of the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic
periods. We are much closer to this goal now than after the 1995
season described in my last report.
EXCAVATION AREA
The three blocks the Mission is engaged in excavating are
marked E, F and G on Gabriel's plan. While the first block includes
a 2nd century basilica converted into a church and the second is
residential in character, the third was occupied by some kind of
public building, as indicated even prior to the actual excavations by
the visible remains. Indeed, the large courtyards could hardly have
belonged to ordinary housing. This impression was corroborated

1 In absence of the present writer during the first three weeks, the mission
was directed by Dr. Grzegorz Majcherek. The team included Miss Anna
Witecka and Mr. Slawomir Kowalski, archaeologists; Mr. Tomasz Szmagier,
photographer; and two students, Miss Ewa Swiniarska and Miss Marta
Zuchowska. While in Palmyra, we enjoyed as usual the unfailing hospitality
and helpful co-operation of the officials of the Palmyra Museum, who are also
our friends of many years: Mr Khaled As‘ad, Director of Antiquities and
Museums of the Palmyra region, and his associate Mr Ali Taha, who served as
inspector attached to the Mission. It is my pleasant duty to acknowledge their
contribution, which was essential to the successful outcome of our field work.
May they be assured of our sincere appreciation of their efforts. We were
happy to present some of the results to the Director General of Antiquities and
Museums, Professor Sultan Muhaisen, during his visit to the site.

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