ARCHED BUILDING
The Arched Building was built to the north of the Tabernae and adjoining the Early Byzantine Church 4 on the east. The rectangular structure extends east-west and it measures 10.60 m north-south and 36.35 m east-west. It was originally built in the Late Hellenistic – Early Roman period but it assumed a second phase of use in the fourth century AD. The building comprises two rows of 15 arches, which rest on one side on the outer walls of the structure and on the other side on a row of columns placed along the axis; and it is covered with large ceiling slabs placed on them. A total of 14 columns, 20 arches and 88 ceiling slabs have survived.
As the city is located at the foot of a high hill many structures, above all the Arched Building entirely, were buried under erosion (Fig. 1). In the second phase of excavations undertaken in 2007 through 2009 a few pieces of ceiling slabs, one arch and one pillar had been uncovered; however, in the time that has elapsed since then the excavated areas filled in with erosion once again. In 2013 campaign, the entire monument was excavated; conservation and restoration were implemented (Fig. 2).
Situated in the centre of the city, the monument should have been at the heart of the commercial and social life (Fig. 3). Based on the excavated parts it is noted that the interior was accessed from the portico on the west (Colonnaded Gallery) and the Tabernae to the south (Fig. 4).
Work in the northern half of the monument (Fig. 5) brought to light evidence indicating a use as work-area or workshops for the production of metal, bone and pottery items whereas in the southern half of the monument (Fig. 6) the items produced in the northern half were put for sale. Then, the Arched Building seems to have served as an agora with both production and vending activities.
The north wall of the monument reaches a height of 4.95 m and has ten holes for air ventilation and daylight at the ceiling slab level. In addition, there are six consoles of travertine, which should have been placed there to improve the strength of the wall. The south wall is 5 m tall and has five holes for air ventilation and daylight as well as 30 holes for timber beams (Fig. 7). These holes held the timber beams that carried the timber roof over the sales points in the southern half.
