(continued from Leptis Magna or What Rome
must have looked like - Part I)
At the end of
Leptis Magna's Market, the Cardo continues through a rectangular Byzantine city gate to reach
the Old Forum resting on Punic remains.
This Old Forum automatically triggers visions of what may have been
visible in Rome! The square is surrounded on all sides by temples, one for every god that matters, it
seems. Immediately to the left is a temple that was converted into a church.
Clockwise, followed by a portico and altar to Antoninus Pius, the Temple
of Liber Pater, the Temple of Augustus and Rome, the Temple of Hercules, and a stele to Caius, son of Hanno. To the right are the Curia and an Old Basilica, in
front of which is a small temple to the goddess Cybele. In the middle of this
carefully paved Forum is a Baptistery.
The sand-covered street behind the Old Forum is an invitation to
climb to the dune top, where the beautiful deep blue Mediterranean
shines as it has done over the centuries. All is calm!
Today, the Wadi Lebda is only a small river or a dry river bed, but
in its heyday, it was Leptis Magna's harbor, complete with quays and jetties. We can
still see the holes into which poles were inserted and used by the ships to tie their
anchor ropes. This port was short-lived. The river had been very skillfully
diverted, and several dams were built upstream to prevent the sand would silt
up the harbor. However, the harbor mouth was oriented in such a way that the
undercurrent from the sea drew the sand in, and the harbor silted up anyway.
Surprisingly, great master builders like the Romans could make such a mistake!
Yet, this port appears as if it could be used again once the harbor
is filled with water! The quay follows the river's course with a curvature
towards the sea. There are also downward steps at regular intervals to enable
the loading and unloading of the ships. At the head of the peninsula stood a
lighthouse.
In the days of Septimius Severus, an impressive colonnaded street, 420 meters long, ran
parallel to the Wadi Lebda from the city center down to Leptis Magna's harbor.
This Via Colonnata was 40 meters wide and paved with white marble
slabs. It was flanked on both sides by a ten-meter wide portico, reducing the
central avenue to 20
meters. The Stoas were supported by 125 grey-green
cipollino columns resting on a white marble base and crowned with white marble
Pergamese capitals. The red-tiled roofs provided shade in summer and protected
the citizens from the rain in winter. It must have been a sight for sore eyes!
What remains today is a non-inspiring dirt road with bits of columns
and carved stones. But the side street provides a helpful visual tool as half a
dozen similar cipollino columns still stand tall.
Behind these columns arises the high outside wall of the Severan
Basilica, built by Septimius Severus and completed by his son, Caracalla, in 216 AD. This two-storied monument measures
92x40 meters. The hall is crowded with two rows of two-stories monolithic
columns made of red Aswan granite set on white marble bases and carrying
white marble Corinthian capitals.
Like all Basilicas, this was originally a court of law converted
into a church in Byzantine times. Quite unique in the present case is an apse
at each end. Both apses are framed by white marble pilasters and half-columns
decorated with high reliefs of plants and animals. On the north side are carved
figures of Dionysus with satyrs and Maenads, whereas the south side shows the
Twelve Labors of Hercules. On a sunny day, the depth of the skilled artwork
really shows. In the middle of the apses are two substantial red granite columns
with white marble Corinthian capitals topped with griffons that supported the
roof. Like all other buildings in Leptis Magna,
the walls were constructed using local limestone that was readily available.
The roof would be made of wood. There may well have been windows underneath
that roof to let the daylight in. At the center of the Basilica, there is also
a kind of pulpit that is only partly visible. In an adjacent room on the south
side of the Basilica, the Byzantines built a cruciform Baptistery.
This Basilica is another illustration of the glory of Rome, considering its size, the use of precious marble
and granite, and the craftsmanship of the details, of which there are many.
The Basilica's west side corresponds to the Imperial Forum's short
side, the Forum Novum Severianum, a gigantic square of 60x100 meters. The high
walls of the surrounding buildings accentuate the size. Originally a portico
ran around the Forum, supported by Pergamese columns as found on the Via
Colonnata. They are only visible on the Basilica side, where part of the
portico is occupied by a row of shops.
The beauty of this Imperial Forum may be found among the arches that
spanned the top space between the columns. The area above each column and
between the arches is filled with roundels depicting reliefs of the head of
Medusa or a Nereid. A row of arches has been reconstructed on the left (long)
side of the Forum, resting on Pergamese capitals. In total, at least 73 of
these large medallions have been found. All Medusa heads are different and look
at you from under deeply furrowed eyebrows. A Nereid head is clearly placed at
the end of the row.
Opposite the Basilica on this same Forum stood the Temple of the Gens Septimia, to the worship
of the Septimius family. It is said to have been built following the typical Roman pattern,
high on top of a podium, and decorated with columns of red Aswan
granite. No wonder this Forum is meant to be a
replica of Trajan's in Rome.
Septimius
Severus' message was clear: his native city could not be inferior to Rome!
I arrive at the other end of the Via Colonnata, in a vast oval
square originally surrounded by the 72 columns of the Stoa. Overlooking this
space stood a Nymphaeum several levels high. The back wall was entirely covered
with marble, and the many niches were decorated with the most graceful statues.
In and around the fountain stood many columns and other marble artifacts. The
large water basin that ran alongside the street counted several fountains. The
scant remains still testify to the monumentality of this construction.
Opposite the Nymphaeum is the empty space of an unpaved Gymnasium.
The adjacent Baths of Hadrian skillfully fill the area towards the Wadi Lebda
and the Nymphaeum.
Those who have seen the Baths of Caracalla
in Rome
will recognize the sense of grandeur, although the remains of these
thick walls are less telling. The bathing areas
themselves, however, are better preserved: the Frigidarium, Tepidarium, and
Caldarium, all carefully lined with white marble. Unique are the two Sudatoria
connected to the Caldarium. This was a kind of sauna where pipes distributed
the heat along the walls and under the floor. The complex also had two pools
with adjoining latrines, and the pavement consisted of large white marble tiles.
Unlike Roman constructions elsewhere made with bricks, the local
limestone of Leptis Magna was used for these Baths also. Another
striking feature is the porches on either side of the Tepidarium, where the
sloping walls ensured more efficient air circulation and ventilation. Most
statues from these Baths have been moved to the Museum in Tripoli – worth a visit of its own!
[Read more at Leptis Magna or What Rome must have looked
like - Conclusion]
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