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Palmyra:Architecture
Fig.10.HouseF,theperistyle(Locus35)intheforeground
Thesecondarystreetswerelaidoutatthesametimeasthecorrespondingsectionofthe
Colonnadeandmarkedbycornerstonesintendedtobejoinedlaterbythewallsofhouses.In
frontofeachblockasectionoftheColonnadewasexpectedtofollow,howeverthiswasnot
thecasewiththeblockweexcavated.Instead,anemptylotwasleftalongthefacingave-
nue,whiletheexcavatedresidencewasbuilt56mfromthelinefollowedbyothersectionsof
theColonnadetotheleftandright.Todate,thereisnoevidencetosuggestthatthispartof
thedesertplateauwasusedinanysignificantwaybeforetheadoptionofthecurrentcityplan.
Wehavehereanentirelynewquarter,delimitedonthegroundbymunicipalauthoritiesand
filledgraduallybyprivateinvestorsinthesecondhalfofthe2ndcenturyC.E.
Thestonefabricofthestructureispreservedtoaheightof1to1.5matthepresentground
levelorslightlyabove,andapparentlywasneveranyhigher.Thisstonesoclesupportedmud-
brickwallsofwhichonlyafewsquare,flatbrickssurviveinthefill.Thefillitselfismostly
theproductofthemudbrick)sdisintegration.Thedoorwaysandcolumnswiththeirarchitraves
weretheonlystoneelementsrisingabovethesoclelevel.Remainsofthistypearecharacter-
isticofnearlyallruinsthroughouttheresidentialquartersofthecity.
Thechronologyofthehousewasestablishedduringthefirstseasonofexcavation.While
asoundingintothefoundationsuncoveredearly2nd-centurysherds,thestyleofthecapitals
andstuccoworkpointstothesecondhalfofthecentury.Manystuccomouldingswererecov-
eredinsomeoftherooms,sealingthedestructionlayerdatedbypotteryandcoinstothelate
8thtoearly9thcenturies.Itisimplied,therefore,thattheoriginalceilingsremainedintactfrom
thebuilding)sconstructionthroughitscollapseover600yearslater.
TheinteriorofthehouseiseasilyaccessibleviathreedoorsfromDiogenesStreet(Loci3,
32,and38)andfourfromChurchStreet(Loci16,17,25,and44).Internalaccessisprovided
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