On Friday, September 15, 2023, the excavation research carried out by the Aristotle University of Philippi team under the direction of the professor of Byzantine Archeology Natalia Poulos and with direct collaborators, the assistant professor of Byzantine Archeology Anastasios Tantsis and the emeritus professor of Byzantine Archeology Aristotle Mentzos, was completed.
15 AUTH students (11 undergraduates, 2 postgraduates and 2 PhD candidates) took part in the excavation. The research was funded by the regular budget and the Research Committee of AUTH.
This year the excavation continued east of the southern main street (decumanus) at the point where it meets the northern axis of the city (the so-called “Egnatia”). The continuation of the marble-paved road was revealed, on its surface where a coin (bronze follis) of the emperor Leo VI (886-912) was found, an element that helps to determine the duration of use of the road. At the point of convergence of the two streets, a widening (square) appears to be taking shape, dominated by a richly decorated building. The data from last year’s excavation led us to hypothesize that it was a fountain. The findings of this year’s research confirm this view and help us better understand its shape and function.
The research of 2022 brought to light part of the rich decoration of the fountain, the most impressive of which is the statue depicting Heracles barren with a youthful body. The recent excavation (2023) revealed the head of another statue: it belongs to a bearded male figure with a rich crown surmounted by a wreath of laurel leaves. This beautiful head seems to belong to a statue of the god Apollo. Like the statue of Herakles, it dates back to the 2nd or early 3rd century. A.D. and probably adorned the fountain, which took its final form during the 8th to 9th centuries.
We know from the sources as well as from the archaeological data that in Constantinople statues from the classical and Roman period adorned buildings and public spaces until the late Byzantine period.
This finding strengthens the hypothesis we formulated in 2022 regarding the way public spaces were decorated in the important cities of the Byzantine Empire, including Philippi. The excavation will continue next year.
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