COLONNADED STREET
A stretch of 27 m in length of the east-west Colonnaded Street had been uncovered in the course of the first and second phases of excavations at Tripolis. The earth deposit of 2.20 m in thickness, 4.80 m in width and 12.70 m in length in the middle of the street was removed and the street pavement of large slabs was exposed.
The excavations brought to light a stretch of 114 m in length. In the Roman period the Colonnaded Street had a width of about 10 m but probably about 400 AD a fortification wall was built in its north side shrinking the street to about 7 m in width; the fortification built with travertine blocks has an average thickness of 3 m reaching a height of 4.5 m at places. Along the east-west oriented Colonnaded Street runs the fortification wall equipped with a defensive tower and two (city) gates. As the population shrank in size due to various reasons in the sixth-seventh centuries the city also shrank; however, the two lines of pipes with a diameter of 16 cm installed along the south side of the street reveal that life went on in the city but some structures including the Colonnaded Street lost their original functions while others assumed new functions.
In the east part of the Colonnaded Street, which was uncovered during the first and second phases of excavations, the intercolumnar distances on the south side of the street varies between 1.95 and 2.55 m whereas in the north part, where the columns are in situ, the distances vary between 1.90 and 2.00 m only. In the western part of the street uncovered in 2012 the intercolumnar distances are 2.0 m on the average. Thus, the Colonnaded Street, which was originally built in the Flavian period, underwent alterations in the later phases of use. (Fig. 1) (Fig. 2)
a- South Portico of the Colonnaded Street
A portico 3 m in width wasexposed for a length of 33.60 m along the south side of the Colonnaded Street.
The floor of the portico is paved with polychrome mosaics installed on a blockage of creek stones and mortar. The extant parts suggest a composition of floral motifs scattered around the main background. However, the mosaic pavement has survived in a very small area.
Along the north edge of the portico runs a stylobate,following the topography and thus reaching a height of 25 to 70 cm; travertine columns rise directlyon the stylobate without any bases. Placed at about every 2 m, these columns have either Doric or Pergamene capitals with a height of 33 to 45 cm. The south side of the portico is bounded with a wall of creek stones and bricks, with a thickness of 90 cm. Based on evidence available and excavation finds (tree nails, charred beams etc.), it can be said that the south portico of the Colonnaded Street was originally roofed with a timber construction to protect the people from the sun and precipitation. The timber construction rested on the wall in the south and on the columns in the north; a certain slope would have easily drained the rain water to the street. According to evidence at hand, the portico’s inner height should have been about 3.50-4.0 m. (Fig. 3)
b- Rooms Adjoining the South Side of the Colonnaded Street
In the first two phases of work at Tripolis, a series of rooms thought to have had civic functions was excavated along the south side of the Colonnaded Street. These rooms of varying sizes have their north walls adjoin the south side of the Colonnaded Street. Access to these rooms are found on their southern sides at certain intervals. Their floors are paved with terra cotta plaques, travertine etc.
A row of six rooms extends parallel to the Colonnaded Street and four of them have been excavated. The rooms were in use during the Early Byzantine period. However, pottery finds and walls reaching a height of 1.5 m extending underneath the Early Byzantine period flooring of these rooms were uncovered in the sondages and these indicate that the origins ofthese rooms go back to the Late Hellenistic period. (Fig. 4) (Fig. 5) (Fig. 6)