Die Porta Taucheira und die Westnekropole von Ptolemais in der

Die Porta Taucheira und die Westnekropole von Ptolemais in der

Die Porta Taucheira und die Westnekropole
von Ptolemais in der Kyrenaika
Kooperationsprojekt des Instituts für Klassische Archäologie mit dem Architekturreferat des Deutschen
Archäologischen Instituts Berlin und der Universität Warschau.
Erste Kampagne November 2009
P
tolemais, auf griechisch auch Barkês Limên genannt, gehört zur libyischen Pentapolis und geht
weit in vorhellenistische Zeit zurück. Die Stadt liegt
an der Küste der Kyrenaika ungefähr auf halber Strecke
zwischen Euhesperides (Benghazi) im Westen und
Apollonia, dem Hafen von Kyrene im Osten. Im 6. Jh. v.
Chr. war sie als Hafenniederlassung von der weiter landeinwärts bereits auf einer Höhenstufe des Djebel Akhdhar gelegenen altlibyschen Großsiedlung Barke angelegt
worden. Als selbstständige Stadt wurde sie, wie ihr dynastischer Name Ptolemais verrät, im frühen 3. Jh. v. Chr.
von dem Lagidenkönig Ägyptens Ptolemaios III. neu
gegründet und gehörte zeitweise zu dessen Reich. Die hellenistische Polis durchlebte eine bewegte Geschichte durch
die römische Kaiserzeit und die Christianisierung durch
Byzanz bis zur Eroberung Nordafrikas durch die Araber
im 7. Jh. n. Chr. Aus allen genannten Epochen sind am
Ort noch Baureste und Fundmaterial unterschiedlichster
Art vorhanden.
Das Siedlungsgebiet der Stadt breitet sich zwischen
der Küste mit einem natürlichen Hafen im Norden, den
Wudiân Ziwana (im Osten) und Khambish (im Westen)
sowie den untersten Terrassenstufen des Djebel Akdhar
(im Süden) aus. Die antike Hafensiedlung mit einem durch
eine künstliche Mole mit Leuchtturm eingefassten
Ankerbecken nimmt den nordwestlichen Teil des Areals
ein und ist heute von dem modernen Dorf überbaut. Die
hellenistische Stadt breitet sich südöstlich von ihr auf flachem Terrain aus. Ihr hellenistischer, genau an den Haupthimmelsrichtungen orientierte Planentwurf ist durch die
orthogonal geführten Straßen, die langrechteckige Insulae
einschließen (sog. Hippodamisches System) noch heute
gut erkennbar. Die beiden Hauptstraßen durchlaufen das
Siedlungsgebiet axial in ziemlich genau der Mitte und
schneiden sich an der Platzanlage der Agora, die das poltische Zentrum der Polis bildete. Die von Osten nach
Westen verlaufende Straßenachse führt mit einer Brechung in stumpfem Winkel auf eines der Haupttore der
Stadt zu (vgl. topographischen Plan und Luftbild mit der
Markierung durch roten Kreis). Landseitig setzt sich diese
Straße durch das Wadi Khambish in west-nordwestlicher
Richtung fort und die am westlichen Rand des modernen
Ortes ankommende Asphaltstraße folgt dem Verlauf der
antiken, zur nächst gelegenen Stadt Taucheira (Tocra) führenden via maritima. Aufgrund dieser regionalen Verbindung hat man dem erwähnten westlichen Haupttor den
antikisierenden Namen Porta Taucheira gegeben. Nach
antikem Brauch befanden sich die Grabanlagen der Ein-
wohner von Ptolemais außerhalb der Stadt. Der topographische Plan verzeichnet eine größere Zahl von in den
anstehenden Felsen gearbeiteten Grabkammern und
Sarkophagen (blauer Kreis). Das Luftbild läßt darüber
hinaus ein noch weiter westlich an der Asphaltstraße gelegenes Gräberareal erkennen (blauer Kreis), in welchem
auch heute noch zwei monumentale Turm-Mausoleen
Topographische Karte und Luftbild von Ptolemais
hellenistischer Zeit als Landmarken den Blick des
Besuchers auf sich ziehen. Noch heute ist der topographische Bezug zwischen diesen Prunkgräbern und der
Landstraße gut nachvollziehbar. Abgesehen von diesen ist
in dem großflächigen Areal zwischen diesen Turm-Mausoleeen und der Porta Taucheira (Luftbild, gelbes Oval) mit
weiteren Bestattungsanlagen zu rechnen, deren Topographie, Struktur und architektonische Formen vollkommen
unbekannt sind. Da dieses südlich an das moderne Dorf
anbindende Gebiet für eine großflächige Überbauung
durch ein libysches Housing-Projekt vorgesehen ist,
besitzt die Erforschung dieses Areals eine gewisse
Dringlichkeit. Es steht zu erwarten, daß die heute noch
vorhandenen antiken Denkmäler in wenigen Jahren durch
das Bauvorhaben unwiederbringlich zerstört sein werden.
Porta Taucheira von Westen
Hellenistische Turmgräber in der Westnekropole von Ptolemais
Mauerwerk der der Porta Taucheira aus Bossenquader mit Randschlag und
Inschriften
Fragestellung und Zielsetzung
Ptolemais nimmt unter dem Aspekt der antiken Stadtplanung in Nordafrika eine Sonderstellung ein. In keiner
anderen antiken Stadt ist das hippodamische Parzellierungssystem der hellenistischen Zeit in der hier vorliegenden Deutlichkeit erhalten.
Gebündelte bauhistorisch-archäologische Untersuchungen an der Porta Taucheira und in den westlich landseitig an sie anbindenden Gräberfelder verstehen sich als
ein erster Schritt in diese Richtung. Hier wäre durch eine
detaillierte Bauaufnahme der Toranlage zunächst die Frage
ihrer Bauphasen und deren architektonischer Bezug zur
Stadtmauer zu klären. Der Bau besitzt einen breiten
Durchgang, der von massiven Vierecktürmen flankiert ist.
Das Mauerwerk besteht aus sehr sorgfältig zugerichteten
Kalksteinquadern mit erhabenen Spiegeln und Randschlag. Auffälligerweise sind die Spiegel mit einer großen
Zahl von Inschriften überzogen: Hierbei handelt es sich
nicht nur um hellenistisch-griechische Epigramme, sondern auch um initialenartige Abkürzungen unter Verwendung diverser Kreuzformen sowie um sorgfältig ausgeführte arabische Schriftzüge. Der Bau hat demzufolge in
den verschiedenen Epochen der Stadtgeschichte eine ganz
besondere Bedeutung gehabt, die im Einzelnen noch nicht
geklärt ist. Der amerikanische Bauforscher Carl Kraeling
hielt das Tor für eine spätkaiserzeitliche Rekonstruktion
(3. Jh. n. Chr.) aus älteren hellenistischen Bauteilen. Dieser
Vorschlag ist anhand der vorliegenden Dokumentation
nicht nachvollziehbar und widerspricht dem Eindruck des
sorgfältigen, auf paßgenauen Stoß- und Lagerfugenschluß
achtenden Mauerwerks. Ebenso steht eine Lösung des
Problems der hellenistischen und spätantiken Stadtmauern noch aus: Ihre Ortung und Klärung der Verläufe liefert Aufschlüsse über die flächenmäßige Ausdehnung des
städtischen Siedlungsgebietes in den unterschiedlichen
Epochen. Die Chronologie kann durch gezielte, aber flächenmäßig eingeschränkte Sondagen ermittelt werden.
Die Untersuchung der Westnekropole verspricht nicht
nur neue Aufschlüsse über das nordafrikanische Sepulkralwesen der hellenistischen bis byzantinischen Zeit, sondern soll auch die infrastrukturellen Bedingungen auf dem
Land in Stadtnähe klären. Hierbei ist mit dem Nachweis
gewerblicher und landwirtschaftlicher Einrichtungen wie
Werkstätten, Stallungen, Scheunen und ländlichen Wohnhäusern zu rechnen. Durch die geplante Mitarbeit naturwissenschaftler Disziplinen wie etwa der Paläobotanologie
und Paläozoologie könnten für die Kyrenaika exemplarisch die ländlichen Lebensbedingungen in Bezug auf Flora und Fauna geklärt werden.
Methodische Ansätze
Die Dokumentation der Porta Taucheira wird vom
Architekturreferat des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts Berlin in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Lehrstuhl
Lehrstuhl für Baugeschichte der Brandenburgischen
Technischen Universität Cottbus in Angriff genommen.
Der Verlauf der angrenzenden Stadtmauer und die architektonischen Überreste in der unmittelbaren Umgebung
werden mittels GPS-Messungen kartiert. Diese Arbeiten
werden von der Leiterin des Architekturreferats, Frau Dr.Ing. Ulrike Wulf-Rheidt, der Architektin Dipl.-Ing. Alexandra Druzynski von Boetticher, dem Geodäten am
Deutschen Archäologischen Institut, Herrn Ulrich Kapp
sowie zwei StudentInnen ausgeführt. Die Polnischen
Kooperationspartner der Universität Warschau haben zugesagt, die Koordinaten ihrer Meßpunkte dem Projekt zur
Verfügung zu stellen. Somit ist gewährleistet, daß die
neuen Vermessungsdaten in die bereits von der polnischen
Seite erarbeiteten eingehängt werden können.
Der archäologische Survey der Westnekropole steht
unter der Leitung von Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Weber in
engerer Kooperation mit dem Archäologen Frederik
Berger, MA, beide vom Institut für Klassische Archäologie an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz. Sie
werden bei Bedarf von den Geodäten des oben genannten DAI-Teams unterstützt. Durch eine intensive Oberflächenbegehung sollen die landseitig zwischen der Porta
Taucheira und den hellenistischen Turm-Mausoleen sichtbaren antiken Baureste katalogisiert und mit GPS einge-
messen werden. Außerdem ist es die Aufgabe dieses
Teams, das Terrain in Hinblick auf eine zukünftige geomagnetische und geoelektronische Untersuchung zu prüfen. Alle Meßdaten laufen in der Datenbank des
Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts zusammen und werden zwecks Aktualisierung des archäologischen Gesamtplanes der Stadt mit den polnischen Kooperationspartnern ausgetauscht.
Zeitplan
Die für den Herbst 2009 vorgesehene erste Arbeits-kampagne wurde während der Vorbesprechung mit den
Polnischen Kooperationspartnern auf den Zeitraum zwischen dem 4. und 27. November 2009 festgelegt. Zu
Beginn dieser Kampagne sind zunächst die Arbeitsgenehmigungen bei der Generaldirektion der Libyschen Altertümerverwaltung in Tripoli einzuholen, so daß mit dem
Beginn der konkreten Arbeit am Ort nicht vor dem 10.
November gerechnet werden sollte.
In Ptolemais sind sodann einige organisatorische Vorbereitung wie etwa Einrichtung des Grabungshauses,
Beschaffung von Werkzeug, Vorstellung bei den örtlichen
Behörden (Antikenverwaltung, Bür-germeisterei, Polizei,
Vermessungsamt) und bei den archäologischen Instituten
der Universitäten Benghazi und Beidha zu erledigen. Die
aktive Feldarbeit soll um den 24. November 2009 beendet
werden, um noch Zeit für die Abfassung eines englisch/
arabischen Berichts zu haben.
Ptolemais 2009
A Report on the 2009 Campaign of the Joint Archaeological
Mission by the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, the
Technical University of Brandenburg Cottbus, and the Johannes
Gutenberg-University, Mayence, at Tolmeitha / Cyrenaica, Libya
by
Ulrike Wulf-Rheidt & Thomas Maria Weber
Introduction
By invitation and on the basis of a cooperation contract between the Directorate
General of Archaeology of the People’s Jumhurriyah of Libya and the German
Archaeological Institute, a first season of European-Libyan cooperation at the site
of Ptolemais / Tolmeitha, Cyrenaica, Libya, was scheduled and carried out
beween November 4th and 27th, 2009. The terms of cooperation are understood as
a first step toward a future research endeavour in the field by the University of
Warsaw, the German Archaeological Institute, the Johannes GutenbergUniversity at Mayence, and the Technical University of Brandenburg at Cottbus.
A future envolvement of the Garyounis University at Benghazi with the scope of
mutual research and student trainee-programs is greatly appreciated by the
European side.
The present campaign had exclusively been funded by the German
Archaeological Institute and by the Department of scholarly promotion of the
Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mayence.
The senior staff of the 2009 campaign comprised the following persons:
- Ulrike Wulf-Rheidt, PhD, Director of the Architectural Department of the
German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Co-Director of the Mission.
- Thomas Maria Weber, PhD, apl. Professor of the Institute of Classical
Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mayence, Co-Director of the
Mission.
- Alexandra Druzynski, Dipl.-Ing., Architect, University Cottbus, Assistant
Director of the Mission.
- J. Frederik M. Berger, MA, Archaeologist, Institute for Classical Archaeology,
Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mayence, Assistant Director of the Mission.
- Ulrich Kapp, surveyor, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin.
- Reinder S. Neef, PhD, Palaeo-Botanologist, German Archaeological Institute,
Berlin.
- Dörte Brüning, Dipl.-Ing., Architect, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin.
- René Hahn, student in Architecture, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin.
Acknowledgements
Work of the 2009 season was carried out on the legal basis of a two-years research contract signed by Dr. Saleh Abdallah Rajab al-‘Aghab, Director General
of Archae-ology of the People’s Jumhurriyah of Libya, and Prof. Dr. Ulrike WulfRheidt, Director of the Architectural Department of the German Archaeological
Institute, Co-Director of the Mission. We extend our gratidute to Dr. Saleh Abdallah, to Dr. Hafeth al-Waldeh, to Mr. Idris Ghatanash, to Dr. Osama al-Vasani, to
Mr. Mustafa Turjman for help in organzising the visa formalities, in providing the
exellent in-field facilities at Tolmeitha.
Further thanks are extended to His Excellency, Mr. Matthias Meyer,
Ambassador of the German Federal Republic, Mr. J. Gust, Chargé d’Affairs, and
Mrs. Macher for manyfold support during our stay at Libya.
The work in the field was supervised during the absence of Mr. Faraj ‘Abd
al-Karim by Mr. Ibrahim Tawahni, Director of the Department of Archaeology of
the Cyrenaica (Benghazi district), Mr. Ramadan Sa’ad Hammad and Mr. Sa’ad
Sharif. The protection by the Libyan Tourist Police and the Belediye of Tolmeitha
was greatly appreciated by the team, and thanks for this are extended to Brigadier
Nasser Ibrahim and Mr. Amran Younis Abdallah ‘Abu Shuwal, Esq. Further
thanks go to Mr. Munsaf ash-Sharans, the lessor of the temporary excavation
house, to the drivers ‘Abd al-Salam ‘Ali Mesoud and Mohammed Mahmoud alGazi, to the workmen Khaled ‘Abu Shelfah und Izdin ‘Isa, and to the people of
Tolmeitha for their friendly hospitality.
We also acknowledge gratefully the help of the representatives of the
Department of Archaeology at Tocra, Mr. Mohmmed Hashim and Mr. Abd alMawla M. Arufie. They provided us a number of insider-information and pleasant
stays at the site of ancient Taucheira. As an extremely friendly colleague we have
the pleasure to refer to Professor Ahmad Bouseian of the Institute of Archaeology
at Garyounis University at Benghazi. He helped us a lot with his expertise knowledge of the area, with advice and comments. We will be happy and grateful to
him for a future close cooperation with him and his Department.
Contents of the Present Report
1. The Taucheira Gate at Ptolemais by Alexandra Druzynski.
2. The Western chora of Ptolemais, by Frederik Berger & Thomas Maria Weber
3. The Western necropolis of Ptolemais, by Frederik Berger & Th. M. Weber
List of objects found during the campaign in November 2009
No.
001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
010
011
012
013
014
015
Findspot
00003
00021
00033
00034
00035
00038
00041
00044
00064
00082
00080
00094
PT Surface, west
PT Sondage 3
Pt Sondage 3
016
PT Surface
017
018
019
020
021
022
023
024
PT Sondage 4
PT Sondage 5
PT Sondage 5
PT Surface
PT Sondage 3
Acropolis
Acropolis
Unrec. finds
Description of content
3 fragments of pottery; 1 mortar fragment.
1 fragment of pottery.
8 fragments of pottery.
3 fragments of pottery.
3 fragments of pottery.
2 fragments of pottery; 3 metal finds.
2 fragments of pottery.
5 fragments of pottery.
4 fragments of pottery.
1 fragment of oil-lamp.
1 fragment of stonerelief.
2 fragments of pottery.
9 fragments,of pottery.
Object made of bone.
5 fragments of pottery; 1 metal find; 1 fragment of
mortar/ stuccho.
2 mosaic stones; 1 fragment of stone mosaic; 1 mort
ar/ stuccho fragment ; 1 stone-object.
1 metal find, needle, 1 fragment of mortar/stuccho.
5 fragments pottery.
1 fragment pottery.
3 metal finds; 4 fragments of oil lamps.
3 fragments of pottery.
8 fragments of pottery.
5 fragments of pottery.
3 fragments of oil lamps, 2 fragments of mortar/
stuccho.
It is herewith stated, that the above mentioned objects have been found by the
joint mission of the German Archaeological Institute and the JohannesGutenberg-University, Mayence, during the campaign in November 2009. All
objects were transmitted on 25th November 2009 to the Departement of
Antiquities in Benghasi to the care of Mr. Ibrahim Tawahni.
1. The Taucheira-gate of Ptolemais
by
Alexandra Druzynski
The aim of the architectural investigation for the first campaign was a detailed
documentation of the Porta Taucheira and the adjacent city wall. Due to the fact
that it was not possible to solve the customs problems we had to work without
technical equipment and therefore had to change the aspired working program. It
was nevertheless possible during this campaign to survey the elevation of the southern, western, and northern façade of the Porta Taucheira on a scale of 1:50. The
survey was being based on photogrammetry. Documented was the present condition including weatherings as well as masonry marks dating from the construction period, and later added graffiti. All the masonry marks were sampled in a
catalogue. The catalogue includes 26 types of masonry marks. The detailed analysis of the distribution of the masonry marks will help to reconstruct the construction progress of the gate. Also a planned comparison with masonry marks of
dated buildings in the inner city may help to determine the chronology of the building phases of the gate.
For the aspired reconstruction drawings of the gate in all its building phases, a
catalogue of all stones belonging to the gate and now lying east and west of the
gate was developed. The catalogue includes the description and true to scale sketches of 31 stones with interesting details for the reconstruction. They were surveyed on a scale of 1:10. This work is going to be continued during the 2010 campaign.
After cleaning the surface, the walls to the east and the connecting ramparts to
the south and the north were documented in a ground plan, scale 1:50. Those
walls partially belonged to the original gate, other parts were added in later times.
While cleaning the surface of the north-eastern part it became obvious that the
area displayed a still undisturbed stratigraphy. In the next campaign with a selective sondage this stratigraphy should be investigated. Beside pottery, the layer
contained small pieces of wood. Since those samples are highly important for the
dating, probes are to be implemented here during the next campaign.
Furthermore, the complete city walls as well as the walls on the slopes of Jebel
Akhdhar were given a first inspection. The course of the rampart was measured
with GPS coordinates. While the western part of the city wall and also the walls
of the acropolis can be traced on the whole, the course of its eastern part especially in the plane so far could not be located in detail. This endeavour, too, has to
be completed during the next campaign, as well as the detailed survey of the
Barca Gate and the Quarry Gate. This documentation is going to enable us to
determine the chronological order of the building phases of the fortifications.
Also, it will allow us to further assess the differences in building technology between the representative city walls in the plane and the walls on the mountain slopes.
For the understanding of the development of the city a detailed survey of the
acropolis would be of great value. The pottery lying on the surface of the acropolis indicates that there existed a settlement from classical times onward.
Following research programs should be taken into consideration for the campaign
2010:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
a section of the Porta Teuchira on a scale of 1:50.
a sondage to clarify the stratigraphy of the gate including the sampling
of the pieces of wood
Ground plans of the Barca Gate and the Quarry Gate on a scale 1:50.
a detailed survey of the whole city wall on a scale of 1:500.
a detailed plan of all remains of the acropolis on a scale of 1:500 including the sampling and the investigation of the pottery
Taucheira gate, drawing of the western elevation (original drawing in scale 1:50)
Taucheira gate, view from southwest
Sketch from catalogue of stones
(original drawing in scale 1:10)
City map pf Ptolemais indicating the topographical location of the Taucheira gate (red circle)
2. The western chora of Ptolemais
by
Frederik Berger & Thomas Maria Weber
2. 1. The chora survey of 2009
In the frame of the 2009 campaign at Tolmeitha / Ptolemais, an overregional survey was carried out in order to determine the natures, the infrastructures, and the
logistic conditions of the hinterlands of the two neighbouring ancient cities Taucheira (modern Tocra) and Ptolemais. This investigation merged into a detailed
documentation of the ancient cemeteries lined along the traffic arteries in the
extramural territory of the latter city. According to previous accordances agreed
with our Polish colleagues of Warsaw University, the present survey was strictly
limited to the extramural area west of Ptolemais, ranging from the Tolmeitha gate
at Tocra to the so-called Taucheira gate at Ptolemais. A similar investigation of
the city’s eastern territory is planned in near future by our Polish partners.
The geomorphical conditions between Tolmeitha and Tocra may clearly be
divided into three sectors, running more or less parallel to the coastal line: A) The
littoral strip consists of a narrow line of the sandy shore developping dunes
towards the south. These dunes are bordered by an irregular shield of limestone,
badly cliffed by aeolian corrosion caused by the salty sea winds. On the south,
this cliff adjaces a broad strip of arable land with red fertile soils. B) On the south
the agriculture zone beyond the dunes is surmounted by a terrain terrace of irregular width, raising about 6 to 15 meters above the sector A. This strip of land has
arable soils as well but is intersected by steep wudian accumulating bulks of sediments and pebbles. In geological terms, this terrace provides more rocky stretches
rather than sector A. It reaches toward south sector C), the foothills of the Djebel
Akhdhar. Its slopes are separated from each other by the valleys of the torrents.
These are not perennial but irrigated by sudden floods during strong winter rain
falls. The mountainous zone is of rocky nature allowing only pastural use of meadows and wild pistaccio bushes. All three sectors reach a maximum width of
about four to eight kilometers at approximately the half distance between
Tolmeitha and Tocra, narrowing toward the west where the modern coastal
asphalt road merges into the Benghazi-Mardj-highway.
The chora survey of 2009 was confined to sector A. The coastal strip has been
A
B
C
The area between Tolmeitha and Tocra according to Google-Earth, sectors A-C
explored by the present authors by a walk of about 45 kms during five days. The
result was a catalogue of 114 findspots (abbreviated “FS”) which were photographed, briefly described and measured with GPS-data.
These finds may be classified into the following categories:
2. 2. The ancient coastal road: According to C. H. Kraeling (1960, p. 36), a
coastal road connected Taucheira with Ptolemais and continued from the latter
city to the settlement of Ausigda, located some 45 km east of Tolmeitha. This settlement is first mentioned in the AD 2nd century by the Alexandrian geographer
Ptolemy, and the tabula Peutingeriana maps a number of additional villages
along the coastal line inbetween these cities. Until the 2009 campaign, only one
milestone of this via maritima was known:
It was found just west of Ptolemais and
assigned to the years of the Tetrarchy (late
3rd cemtury A.D.) as a monument refering
to a repair of the road by Diocletian.
Physical remains of this important ancient coastal road were identified by the
present authors at a distance of some 5 kms
east of Taucheira at FS 00008-00011 (fig.
1). The trace can be followed from the
Tolmeitha gate at Tocra along the southern
border of the rocky spur which separates
the dunes from the arable land. In terms of
construction, it blueprints other roads of
the Roman empire: Slightly elevated on a
sort of dam, fitted by layers of splitted sto- Alignement of the Roman via maritima (FS 00009)
nes and dumb, the street was once flanked
on booth sides by the fossae. An accumulation of stones resembling a banquette reinforces the southern border of the alignement. Measuring an average width of ca. 6 m, the trace was subdivided by a
middle strip of pointed stones into two lanes, each measuring about three meters
in width, enough for an allowance of ancient carriages of about 2,5 m in width.
The pavement consisting of irregularily broken, medium-sized limestones quarried in the vicinity guaranteed an easy travelling both on carriage as on horseback
as well as by foot even in rainy seasons when the normal earth tracks rapidly were
transformed into unpassable swampy mud.
At FS 00012 another unexpected discovery supplements our knowledge about
the via maritima: A socket of a milestone still stands in situ, and the inscribed
Roman milestones of the via maritima (FS 00012)
broken column shaft has fallen beside it. The Latin inscription was illegible for
the present authors, thus the deciphering should be submitted to a specialist in
epigraphy. This document is of high importance for the history of the road and
should be discussed in comparison to the above mentioned milestone preserved
in the Tolmeitha Archaeological Museum today. This find was shown to the
Director of Antiquities of the Cyrenaica, Mr. Ibrahim Tawahini, and to Professor
Ahmad Bouseian on November 12th, and a future transport to the Museums of
Tolmeitha or Tocra was urgently recommended.
The map of F. W. Beechey dating to 1822 (Kraeling 1960, 40 fig. 4) records
the via maritima approaching Ptolemais north of the western cemetery quarries.
This trace is comprehensive by the general axis of the street running closely along
the coast, but as well by the orientation of the tombs. Apart from the still paved
trunks at Tocra and Tolmeitha, this ancient road must be considered as widely
destroyed. The disappearance of this important traffic line may be explained by
historical, physical, and technical factors: At first, the historical lack of permanent maintainance caused damages and interruptions. The neglectance of caretaking was a consequence of the decline of a centralized political power and urban
aurthorities responsible for public work. This resulted in a proceeding errosion
due to wind and sudden waters, and a partly coverage by dunes. The main factor
for the destruction of the ancient road was the technical development in modern
agriculture: Tractor supported deep ploughing allows the extraction of even solidly founded stones, and bulldozing for the reinforcement of field borders against
the sand dunes leads to a thorough dislocation of ancient building material from
its original spots.
2. 3. Villages, hamlets and farmsteads: Only few remains of villages, hamlets and farmsteads have been reported during the 2009 survey. The coastal line
was thus only scarcely settled in antiquity as this is the case in present times.
Larger settlements are, for example, FS 00033-34, all located in the vicinity of the
sandy shore. A number of well dressed ashlars lined in an orthogonal layout, point
to the existance of an agglomeration of dwellings. One of these is furnished with
an apsidially curved wall oriented to the east, most likely a smaller village chapel
for the Christian cult. The site FS 00041 occupies a prominent hill in the ‘Abu
Trabah area and houses today a modernly constructed maqam of a Muslim saint.
The foothills of this hill display high-quality ashlar masonry of orthogonal plan
which implies the assumption, that the Muslim sanctuary followed an older predecessor of considerable importance. This main structure is surrounded by muslim tombs and traces of ancient dwellings. Two other structures of similar character are Gasr Mahlouf (FS 00049) and Gasr Sirah (FS 00061). Monumental as
well are the foundations of a building, constructed in ashlars of headers-and-binders technique around an Italian ruin (FS 00069). Several dwellings are linked
with agricultural production such as presses and mills (FR 00055; 00094). These
are linked in many cases with rock-cut recesses, courtyards and chambers chisseled out of older quarries.
It is impossible to determine the chronology and the use of these structures by
surface finds only. Pottery sherds, randomly collected by the authors during the
2009 survey, date in their majority to the Later Roman Imperial and to the
Byzantine periods. Serveral of these sites, as FS 00033-00034, for instance, could
be explored by clearance, systematic pottery assamblages, and sounding, in order
to retrieve more detailed information on their functions and history.
2. 4. Surveillance posts, mansions, and toll stations. An important question concerns the boundaries of the urban territories of Taucheira and Ptolemais. In
analogy to other communities in Northern Africa and the Middle East, it may be
assumed that the lands surrounding these poleis were a matter of the urban souvereignity. In the case of Ptolemais it has been evidenced by written sources, that
these fertile lands belonged to the property of the royal court of the Egyptian
Lagid dynasty during the Hellenistic period.
Due to the lack of border stones, the boundaries of the urban chorai are rather
difficult to locate. Possible limitations given by physical features of the landscape such as deeply cut wudiyan or rocky cliffs remain a matter of speculation. On
the other hand, two sites were ruled out during the survey that might be linked
with a system of surveillance in the form of check-points. A building orthogonal
Modern tower with possible remains of a toll post station (FS 00078)
in plan adjacing the ancient via maritima at FS 00014-19 might have been a sort
of a mansio where the animals had been given rest, water, and fodder.
Immediately east of it, the road climbs a sort of bridge or barrier. Such an interpretation can only be prooved by future clearance and soundings. Another possible check-point has been still in use in recent times: The modern tower of FS
00078 still today dominates the panorama as a landmark. A closer glance showed
that the modern tower occupies the foundations of an ancient predecessor which
monitored a passageway in the size of the road, chisseled in the virgin rock just
south of it. The extistance of large storage jars lowered into the rock supports the
assumption of merchandise activities at that point. Also in this case, the proof for
an identification as a toll post station can only be provided by more detailed studies of the site in the future.
2. 5. Field Boundaries: The catastral plan of the modern field boundaries
most likely reflects the Roman land surveying of the agrimensores. This does not
apply to the actual square extensions, but rather more to the orientations of the
fields. Even though slight shifts are possible, the longitudinal layout follows
north-southern, the latitudinal east-western directions. It is interesting to state,
that most of the buildings attested in sector A follow the same grid system in their
planning.
2. 6. Wells and channels: The largest group in number (some 42 FS) are
wells which are still in use in recent times. They attest that natural watering
during the rainy winter seasons had to
be supplemented by artificial irrigation during the hot, dry sommer
months. The traditional system of
hydraulic water drawing has today
been abandonned due to the introduction of motor pumps.These wells are
irregularily arranged in three graded
rows just behind the rocky protection
shield against the dunes. They consist
of a deep, rectangular shaft, always
located at the north of the installation,
measu-ring normally three to five
meters at their sides and piercing
through the rock at a depth of about
three meters in order to reach the table
Traditional well originating in the
of the non-salty ground water. The
Roman period
shaft walls consists sometimes still of
high quality ashlar masonry, indicating a Roman or even Hellenistic origin. In
many cases, the construction has been altered in later times, clearly discernible
by different masonry techniques. Traditionally, the water was drawn in a basket
fixed on a rope, driven over two wooden pulley beams and balanced by a weight.
The water was then poored into a smaller elevated sink basin and chanelled from
there into a larger open cistern. For further distribution on the fields the water was
guided via underground qanatir, the covers of which are still discernible deviating from the open cistern in various directions. A closer examination of this irrigation system in the future is desirable in order to clear the question in how far
these qanatir had been connected to each other.
2. 7. Quarries: Quarries are limited to the rocky spur between the sandy
shore and the arable land. They are always linked to human settlement activities.
In frequency and augmented size they focus to the environs of the cities where
they found primary use as compounds of rock-cut chamber tombs. The smaller
quarries in the central parts of the coastal chora preserve frequently installations
for the industrial exploitation of agricultural goods such as mills and presses.
2. 8. Tombs: There are major muslim cemeteries in the coastal area of the
chora at the sites of villages and around the hill of the saint (FS 00041).
According to oral informations given by farmers and shepherds of this area, the
Arab resettlement of this area goes back to the early 19th century, and the cemeteries had been in use until the Libyan revolt against the Italians onto World War
II. Few burials attested in sector A might go back to the Middle Ages and to
antiquity. In their majority, they consist off rock-cut rectangular shafts. Chamber
tombs are extremely rare.
2. 9. Forts and “blockhouses” in sector B: It was one of the aims of the present survey to identify a group of buildings documented by the Oriental Institute
of the University of Chicago during the 50es and published by C. H. Kraeling in
1960 (p. 105-107). Accordingly, they are located “along the old track leading
down the coastal plain from Ptolemais to Taucheira”. Kraeling calls seven of the
overall eleven structures “forts or blockhouses” while the remaining four are to
be more properly identified as farms.
Kraeling’s Forts 1, 3A and 4 (Kraeling 1960, 106 figs. 34, 36 not fig. 35!), the
latter today called by the local inhabitants in Arabic Gasr Mahlouf (FS 00049),
are located on the seaside. Fort 3A is the site of the modern tower (FS 00041),
hypothetically interpreted as a check point above. All other Forts are to be found
in sector B on both sides of the modern asphalt road. The distances given by
Kraeling are not in direct air line, but only approximative, probably measured in
the 50es during the car drive including side tracks. Fort 2 (Kraeling 1960, 106
fig. 33) raises to a considerable height in its northern and southern elevations
south of the asphalt road at a distance of 12 kms from Tolmeitha, and it is called
nowadays Gasr al-Sheikh in the local dialect (FS 00524). It is surrounded by an
extent muslim cemetery and foundation traces of dwellings. The figures of Forts
4 and 5 must have been confused in the publication of the American scholars. Fort
5 (Kraeling 1960, 106 fig. 35 not fig. 36!) is Gasr (Khirbet) Sigba (FS 00523),
measuring 24 meters in its east-western extension, while the smaller Fort 4 must
be the Gasr Mahlouf. Finally, the well preserved Fort 6 (Kraeling 1960, 106 fig.
37) with a strong enclosure wall is located in front of the military camp at a
distance of 6,5 kms from Tocra. Obviously these fortified buildings had the duty
to protect a traffic line running close by. The same might be true for the large
“byzantine citadel” (FS 00377-00378) which nestles on the foothills of the Djebel
Akhdar to the southwest of the Barke-gate immediately beyond the Wadi Khambish.
2. 10. Recommendations for future work in the chora: It is, without any
doubt, evident that the present survey conducted in the area west of Ptolemais
was only an initial approach to understand one of the most interesting cultural
landscapes of Libya in its historical dimensions. The monuments described open
a new chapter in the history of the region since they report on conditions and
situations that written sources do not reach.
The following projects are to be recommended for the forthcoming season
planned for the late summer months of 2009 with an enlarged team of specialists
and students:
1. Survey of the sectors B and C of the Ptolemais chora. All monuments visible on the surface will be recorded by GPS data, description and photographs. A
staff of three persons is required for a time period of about five weeks.
2. Clearance (including systematic surface pottery assemblage) and probe
soundings at the via maritima (FS 00009) and the two mile stones (FS 00016).
The aim is to document the technical structure of the road and to determine the
chronology by a sondage at an undisturbed spot. This project requires a time of
about two weeks, field work should be carried out by two workmen, six studens
(Libyan / German) under the supervision of a senior archaeologist. The fragments
of the milestones should be carried either to the Tocra or to the Tolmeitha museum. The inscribed part should undergo an intensive study by a specialist in epigraphy.
3. Clearance (including systematic surface pottery assemblage), surveying
and probe soundings at the site of the mansio (FS 00014), the street barrier (FS
00015) and the adjacent village (FS 00016-00019), as well as at the site of further village to the east (FS 00033) including the chapel (FS 00034). All above ground structures will be documented in a topographical map by tachymetric surveying and added to the geodaetic net. The aim is to determine the nature and the
chronology of these stations at the via maritima and its relation to these sea side
villages. This work must be carried out by four workmen, a surveyor, six students
(Libyan / German) under the supervision of two senior archaeologists. The time
scheduled for this project is estimated up to four weeks.
4. Clearance (including systematic surface pottery assemblage), surveying
and probe soundings at the site of presumed toll post station (FS 00078). The
methodology and the staff is the same as in project Nr. 3. The scheduled time will
be about three to four weeks.
On the long run the following research programs in the western chora of Ptolemais should be taken into consideration:
A) Intensive studies on the wells and qanatir including soil drill probes for an
archaeo-botanological analysis. It would be futile to study all wells in the same
intensity, but a characteristic selection should be chosen in accordance with specialists.
B) An intensive survey investigation on the “byzantine citadel” to the southwest of wadi Khambish including the forts published by C. H. Kraeling.
3. The western necropolis of Ptolemais
by
Frederik Berger & Thomas Maria Weber
According to ancient pagan burial customs, the cemeteries of the city of
Ptolemais were located outside of the inhabited settlement area. Only in Christian
time it became customary to place the graves inside or in the environments of
churches and sanctuaries of martyrs or saints, also within the cities. The aim of
the present project is to investigate the extramural graveyards in order to achieve
data on the social stratification of the urban population, their religious habits and
their cultural assessments within the ancient northern African society. Only a rather thorough and careful documentation of the preserved monuments may serve
for the presumed premise for a wider overregional comparative study with other
sites like Taucheira / Tocra and Apollonia / Soussa. Such an endeavour requires a
close cooperation with our Polish partners who will investigate the eastern necropoles of Ptolemais in future. It is also hoped by all of us that the Libyan side will
join this project because both sides can profit from each other by the exchange of
technical knowhow and acquaintance with the local conditions.
At the present preliminary survey of the western necropolis of Ptolemais, the
authors of this report recorded some 400 tomb structures in the western extramural area of the city. The area used for burials focuses mainly on the seaside zone
A (northwest of the city), while it is widely faded out in the western and southwestern outskirts. This phenomenon may preliminarily be explained by the overbuilding of this area by the modern village of Tolmeitha. During the time of our
stay at Tolmeitha, a sewage digging program along the streets in the northern
quarters of the modern village was carried out by a Brasilian Company. Due to
the indefatigable vigilance of Mr. Sa’ad Shareef, numerous burial contexts had
been recorded. Along the foothills of the Djebel Akhdhar, only scarcely scattered
rock-cut chamber tombs were observed.
The rich material documented hitherto allows some preliminary conclusions
which arouses further scholarly problems for future investigations.
Total aerial view of the western necropolis of Ptolemais according to GoogleEarth
Detail of the quarry necropolis FS 00158 with GPS documented tomb installations
3. 1. Topographical and geological conditions
As already stated by the American Expedition at Ptolemais under the directorship
of C. H. Kraeling, a substantial feature of the Cyrenaican coastal cities is the profound use of quarries for burrials. The question, whether the rock-cut premises
originated premarily from quarrying activities or whether they were originally
planned as burial compounds, is not easily to be answered: Various of the socalled quarries display a clear orientation to the general planning grid in strict northsouthern and east-western extension and have “monumentalized” entrances in the
shape of stepped ramps, that is why it seems doubful that their origins lay in
arbitrary stone cutting. On the other hand, Kraeling (1960, p. 108) assumes, that
the oldest quarry of Ptolemais, located immediately west of the later amphitheatre, originated from the earliest time when the harbour of the Libyan inland city
was installed.
In the rocky spur along the coastal strip A west of the city, five major quarries were reported (Kraeling 1960, p. 108 mentions only four). They first occur
west of the modern military camp at the entrance of modern Tolmeitha. The frequency of free standing mausolea and rock cut chamber tombs within these quarries is best understood by the above detail map with recorded GPS coordinates.
The area outside the rocky spur offered only facilities for entirely constructed
burial buildings and free standing coffins. It is evident that all these constructions
concerned only the upper social levels of the Ptolemean urban society. How the
graves of the poorer people looked like can be evidenced by the finds of the mentioned sewage construction project: They consist of simple ditches according to a
sort of vernacular architecture, sometimes covered by undressed stone slabs or
tiles, sometimes the skeletons were associated with humble finds of pottery.
3. 2. Typology of Funeral Architecture at Ptolemais
During the 2009 survey the authors were able to distinguish five general types
of burial architecture. It deserves further investigation to clear the problem if
these types are the result of a chronological development or if the variations are
more or less contemporary, but caused by social differences of their owners and
users.
3. 2. 1. Free Standing Tower and Temple Mausolea. The first and most
impressive group in appearance are constructed mausolea raising upon a rock-cut
cube or on a constructed terrace. These buildings sometimes intend to represent
sophisticated temple-shaped monuments of Grecian blend, as oberservable by
scattered architectural decorations, combining Doric metopetriglypha-friezes with fluted
column shafts and Ionic capitals. The most impressive specimen of this type is FS 00195,
called Qasr al-Phira’oun in the
local dialect (cf. Kraeling 1960,
p. 112-113 fig. 39), which has
been previously studied and
restored by Italian archaeologists. The actual impression
with the the high conjectured
portal on its southern elevation
is misleading, because the main
facade with three false doors Tower tomb (“Qasr al-Phira’oun”) of the
Western necropolis FS 00195.
faces northwards where the via
maritima runs through the
necropolis. A hellenistic date of
this tower tomb has commonly
been accepted due to its resememblage of masonry to the
Taucheira gate. Few scholars
connect its construction with the
person of Ptolemy VII Phykson
and interpret its compound as a
part of the royal estate belonging
to one of the leading families of
Cyrene (for details see Kraeling
1960, p. 113). The new documentation of the Taucheira-gate, Pseudo-masonry at the sockle of tower tomb
FS 000163 in the western necropolis of
started by our colleagues from
Ptolemais.
the German Archaeological Institute (see here chapter 1) will enable us, to reconsider these questions on a new
platform of the scholarly discussion.
Cubical rock sockets for similar tower-shaped mausolea are found in the
immediate vicinity of the Qasr al-Phira’oun. One of them displays an interesting
feature that might have value for a new chronological classification not only of
these funeral monuments but also for a larger number of rock-cut types. The facade of tomb FS 00163 figures on its entrance elevation pseudo-masonry by incised ashlars in an isodomic arrangement. This kind of illusive masonry first
appears in the middle Hellenistic period such as in the entrance corridor (dromos)
of the Macedonian tomb at Pydna or in the thalamos of Lyson and Kallikles at
Vergina. The same element becomes a Leitmotiv of the First Pompeijan Style in
Roman Republican wall painting.
3. 2. 2. Rock-cut Chamber Tombs: By far more frequently preserved rather
than other funeral types are chamber tombs cut into the soft stone of the steep vertical borders of the quarry borders. Only few specimen with a chiselled dromos
leading down to the facaded chambers can be claimed today, one located to the
west of the modern military camp (FS 00121) and three others at a wider distance
in the western chora (FS 00081-00083). Some of these chambers consist of natural caves or badly weathered chisseled rectangular to square rooms. The majority has an axilal sequence of at least two rooms, the first one serving as a type of
vestibule and giving access to one or two lateral chambers. As funeral installations for the inhumation or cremated remnants of corpses serve small wall niches
and horizontal burial wall shafts (loculi). Due to the fact, that most of the tomb
chambers are filled with debris and modern garbage or reused as cattle stables,
only in few cases cist
graves lowered into the
floor could be observed.
The Greek inscription of FS 00267 yields
the information, that a
rock-cut chamber tomb
consited in antiquity of
the “house” (sêkos) and
an enclosure wall (períbolos). In most of the
cases, they were designed for the burial of
families (heautô kai toîs
Rock-cut chamber tomb FS 000337 in the western
téknois / idíois). Great
necropolis of Ptolemais.
attention has been paid
by the owners to the
embellishment of the facades. A number of the specimen preserves a finely chiselled false door in order to avoid access for robbers or illegal users. A larger
number show illusive masonry in an identical manner as the above tower tomb.
Niches for the insertion of inscribed stone slabs, oftenly furnished with gabled
tops, are common, sometimes inscriptions have been carved directly on the background of the niches. These inscriptions are not always clearly legible and thus
deserve to be restudied by specialists
in ancient epigraphy. Extremely rare
on the reverse are figural representations such as the female bust on FS
00260. Sometimes small naiskoi in
Ionic order crown in flat relief the lintels above the entrance doors. The rich
material of the western necropolis
provides many facilities for further
studies in detail which should be
undertaken during the subsequent seasons.
3. 2. 3. Constructed Tomb Houses: Another type of funeral buildings
may probably closely be linked to
sepulchral types predominant in cen- Tomb with the rare representation of a
tral Italy. It is represented by a larger
human bust FS 00260.
number of free standing one-roomed
houses constructed out of splitted stones and casted with ancient Roman concrete (opus caementitium). According to surface finds, this type focuses on the area
northwest of the Taucheira gate and west of the Amphitheatre. It seems that these
relatively small buildings formed coherent units, partly sharing the long walls
with each other. Several of them preserve undecorated stone sarcophagy or fragmented lids lying on their floors. Similar buildings are variously attested especially in the mass necropoles of the Roman capital such as those at Ostia and on the
Isola Sacra. Also in this case, it might be recommended to take some well preserved specimen for a detailed study into consideration.
3. 2. 4. Shaft and Cist Tombs: As already stated by C. H. Kraeling, burials
in shafts had been common at Ptolemais since the Hellenistic period. In most
cases, these shafts had been chiselled out of the virgin rock. They are variously
attested upon the borders of the quarries forming groups of three or more, many
times oriented in east-western direction. Sometimes burial shafts and cists are
associated with chamber and temple tombs, lowered into the floor. As isolated
installations, these shafts can only be dated when the context of the inhumation
is preserved.
3. 2. 5. Sarcophagi: Stone sarcophagi had been widely used either as isolated funeral monuments or associated with constructed house shaped tombs. Only
few specimen are decorated, the majority consist of simple stone boxed covered
by a prismatic lid. Normally the head and footends of the lids are reinforced by horizontal bars.
As attested in the case of Quintus’ sarcophagus
from the eastern necropolis, these barssometimes
bore the name of the person inhumated in the sarcophagus.
3. 3. Ethnicity and Social Stratification
The necropolis at Ptolemais is relatively rich in Inscribed lid of a sarcophainscriptions, almost exclusively written in Greek.
gus, Ptolemais, eastern
During the campaign of 2009, a complete corpus
necropolis
of some 60 inscriptions has been assembled by the
authors, only a part of them being previously published.
Among the specified names Roman ones, like Claudius, Markus and Iulius
are more common, but always written in Greek. Nevertheless also numerous
names of Hellenic origin have been recorded. So far Athenaios is the only recorded name pointing to the probable origin of one deceased. The quality of the
inscriptions is very heterogeneous, ranging from crude graffiti cut in the unpolished rock to properly set letters in a tabula ansata- or naiskos-frame.
Concerning social stratification the most interesting inscription is that of FS
00366, where a kaisaros doulês is named, designating the tomb of a slave from
the royal court. A thorough revision of these documented inscriptions by a specialist for epigraphy, planned for the campaign in 2010, could help clarifying further important questions of ethnicity and social stratification.
3. 4. Recommendations for future work in the necropolis
The 2009 season opened a new perspective for research in the cemeteries of one
of the most important Greco-Roman cities of the Cyrenaica. In order to make the
monuments available for further study, a profond documentation is inevitable.
The lack of plans and sections deserves intensive cooperation of architects and
archaeologists. In some instances clearance and excavation should be taken into
consideration. The coherence and structure of the cemetery might be better understood after a geophysical prospection supported by kite airal photography.
1. New documentation of the tower tomb of Qasr al-Phiran’oun (FS 00167)
with plans and sections in order to enable a comparative study with the Taucheira
gate.
2. Clearance and excavation of the round structure (FS 00254) which is probably a cylindrical mausoleum. This type of tomb is rarely attested in eastern
Libya but might be compared to the archaic circular mausoleum in the necropolis of Cyrene. There are remains of decorated blocks such as a metope-triglyphonfrieze an the base of a column which compares to the architecture of Nr. 1.
3. Clearance and excavation of square foundation structures (FS 00349)
which is preserved in four layers of masonry. This ruin represents probably the
type of a temple tomb.
4. Clearance and excavation of the house-shaped tombs with opus caementitium masonry (FS 00476) close the the western city wall. Only further investigations in the field may prove our assumption that these ruins belonged to funeral
buildings comparable to those of the central Italian mainland.
5. Clearance and excavation of the rock-cut chamber tomb with its quadrangular courtyard (FS 00121). This funeral building is of great interest because it
occupies isolated the top of a flat hill. The location probably points to a special
social status of the owners.