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A Late Roman
Streetscape
This trench was the first in a sequence placed
in an area away from the theatre itself and was in
part aimed at exploring the physical setting south
of the main structure.
The actual area excavated is in the backyard of an
early 20th century stone house which is today
occupied by members of the expedition. When first
explored, this area was very overgrown and
neglected. When cleared the surface remains showed
it to have been a traditional Cypriot garden
complete with vegetable patch, well, chicken-coop
and outdoor oven.
In April 1995 a 4 x 2m trench was opened as a
trial. By the end of the season a depth of 60cm had
been reached. The deposits included the modern
garden with plaster-lined rubbish pit. Underneath
this was a heavily burned ashy deposit, probably
medieval, perhaps the result of some kind of
'industrial' activity. Underneath this level was
the top of a massive stone tumble made up of large
cut blocks of limestone. It could be seen to have
fallen from south to north.
In 1996 a decision was made to expand work in this
area. The original Trench 3A was expanded to 5 x
3m, and two ofthers of the same size (3B and 3C)
were opened (see plan). The results were
surprising. A two-metre deep straigraphy was
uncovered before bottoming out onto bedrock. It
reveals several distinct episodes.
The collapse first detected in 3A proved to extend
across all three trenches. It was difficult to
excavate as mechanical equipment had to be brought
in to lift the many large blocks of stone which had
fallen in the presumed earthquake.
Careful excavation in 3A established a detailed
stratigraphy accompanied by a series of artifacts.
The blocks of the collapse came from a high but
seemingly hastily-constructed wall which had fallen
across a paved street with heavier blocks crashing
through the paving in some places. This street was
probably a main thoroughfare in and out of the main
NE gate of the city. This hypothesis is supported
by the discovery of an elaborate drainage system
cut into the bedrock and running alongside and
underneath the street.
The main deposits are well dated by a series of
about one hundred coins to the third and fourth
centuries AD, some of which are illustrated here.
They were also rich in pottery and glass, and these
will be the subject of a detailed study. The
typology of 3rd- and 4th-century pottery and glass
in the Eastern Mediterranean is not well understood
in detail at present, and it is expected that, when
fully studied, this material will make a major
contribution to our general knowledge. The
earthquake seems to have occurred fairly soon after
400 AD.
This trench was excavated under the leadership of
Cameron Petrie in 1995 and Helen Nicholson in
1997.
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