Thessaloniki's
metro system is four years behind schedule, but that is not really surprising
given that each stage of excavation for the metro has revealed more of the
ancient town that lies beneath Greece's second city.
Founded
by Alexander the Great's general and successor Kassander in 315BC on the
Thermaic Gulf, the city has enjoyed continuous occupation, testament to the
importance of its strategic position in terms of access to the hinterland and
trade.
The city
was named for Thessalonike, Alexander's half sister who was born following a
famous victory in Thessaly. Alexander's father Philip liked to name or even
rename his wives and daughters after events.
The city
has been continuously occupied since the fourth century BC and so any kind of
excavation for new buildings or works in its historic centre are likely to
encounter layer upon layer of evidence of the city's fortunes over the
centuries.
Of the
ancient city, it is possible to see parts of the city walls built by Kassander,
the Forum with its Hellenistic baths, the remains of the palace complex of the
Emperor Galerius and the currently under threat temple of Aphrodite. The
artefacts in the museum bear witness to the importance and wealth of the city
in Hellenistic and Roman times, and rescue excavations continue to reveal
important public buildings.
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AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis
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This time
it is a monumental Roman road that has been discovered: archaeologists have
uncovered more than 80 metres of an ancient road built by the Romans in the
third century AD. The ancient road is only a few meters away from the modern
street known as the Via Egnatia and was found when the workers were excavating
the metro station 'Aghia Sophia'.
The
marble paved street was laid around the third century AD and maintained for at
least three centuries. Games and other graffiti, indicating some of the
activities of the people who passed along the road, have been uncovered
scratched into the surface and ruts from horse-drawn cart of chariot wheels
also mark the road. Viki Tzanakouli, an archaeologist working on the project,
told The Associated Press the marble surfaced road was about 1,800 years old,
but remains of an older road built by the ancient Greeks 500 years earlier were
found underneath it.
"We
have found roads on top of each other, revealing the city's history over the
centuries," Tzanakouli said. "The ancient road, and side roads
perpendicular to it appear to closely follow modern roads in the city
today."
The
monumental Roman road seems to be the Decumanus Maximus of the city. The
Decumanus was the main road of a Roman town, oriented east to west and crossing
the most important part of the city. At the points where the Decumanus entered
and left the Fora or main squares of the town they were paved with marble, just
as in this case.
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AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis
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The
excavated stretch of road is 82.5 metres long and 10 meters wide. On the south
side of the road the base of a huge colonnade can be seen, and this seems to
suggest that this might have been a section of a 'via colonnata' or colonnaded
street of the type so famous in some of Rome's eastern cities such as Palmyra
and Apamea. Seven column bases are still preserved in situ in Thessaloniki,
giving an idea of the grandeur of the original structure.
The south
side of the road was connected to a series of public buildings that seem to be
of mixed use, but indicating commercial and manufacturing activity. The ancient road climbed gradually uphill towards the east
and passed beneath the Arch of Galerius and the related palatial buildings
which in themselves are an illustration of the importance and wealth of the
city.
The
excavation has also revealed a huge number of small finds, including jewellery,
sacred utensils, and tools, and hundreds of gold and bronze coins in addition
to a large amount of pottery.
The
intention is that the marble paved road will be raised so that it is on
permanent display for passengers when the metro opens.
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AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis
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