Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia Archaeological Excavations and Research, 1977-78

8/10/2019 Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia Archaeological Excavations and Research, 1977-78

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Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia: Archaeological Excavations and Research, 1977-78

Author(s): James WisemanSource: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Winter, 1978), pp. 391-429Published by: Boston UniversityStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/529493

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1.

Introduction

During

the

summers

of 1977

and

1978

the

joint

American-Yugoslav

Stobi

Project

conducted

archaeo-

logical

excavations

chieflyin

two

areas

of the

ancient

city

of

Stobi

in

Yugoslavian

Macedonia:'he

Episcopal

Basilica

and its

immediate

environs,

and

within

the

structures hat

successively

ccupied

he

site of the

Cen-

tral

Basilica.2

There

were

additional

short-term

ex-

cavations

in the

Theater

and a

few

other

areas

both

withinandoutsidethe walls of theancientcity.The ex-

cavations

were

the

eighth

and

ninth

consecutive

summersof

researchby

the

Project

and

mark

he end

of

the

current

program

of

major

excavation

at

Stobi.

Duringthe

next

three

years,

including

he

summers

of

1979 and

1980 at

Stobi,

the

Project

staff

will be

con-

cerned

primarily

with

the

study

and

publication

of

the

resultsof

those

excavations,

andwith

conservation.

1.

Preliminary

eports

of

earlierwork

by the

Projectare

by James

Wiseman

and

Djordje

Mano-Zissi,

"Excavations

at

Stobi, 1970,"

AJA

75

(1971)

395-411;

"Excavationst

Stobi,

1971,"A

JA 76

(1972)

407-24;

"Excavations t

Stobi,

1972,"

AJA 77

(1973)

391-403;

"Ex-

cavationsat Stobi, 1973-1974,"FA 1 (1974)117-48;"Stobi:A City

of

Ancient

Macedonia,"

FA 3

(1976)

269-302.

These

reports

will be

referred o

hereafteras

W-MZ

(1971),

(1972),

(1973),

(1974), and

(1976)

respectively.

tudies n

the

Antiquities f

StobiI, II

(Beograd

1973,

1975),

James

Wiseman, d.,

will be

cited as

Studies

and

II.

2. Cf.

the

map of

Stobi

published

n

W-MZ

1976)

272-73, ig.

2. The

Episcopal

Basilica

and its

adjacent

structures,

along with

the

Via

Sacra,

are

designated

n

that map

by the

numbers

18-22;

he

Central

Basilica

s No. 6.

3.

The

principalaims

of the

Stobi

Project

have

been

discussed n

W-

MZ

(1974)120

and

W-MZ

1976)

269-70.

The

work

of

both

seasons

was

rewarded

by

results

significant

or

our

understanding

f the

evolutionof

ur-

ban

life at

Stobi and

of the

form

of

the city

itself

from

the 3rd

century B.C.

to

the

late 6th

centuryA.C.

when

Stobi,

as an

organized

ocial

community,

ceased

to

ex-

ist.

Other

discoveries

provide

additional

documentation

for

the

importance

of

Stobi

as a

regional

center

for

ecclesiastical,

commercial,

and

artistic

concerns.

This

importance s

in part

a

resultof

the

strategic

ocation

of

the town at thejunctureof the VardarandCrnarivers

(FIG.

1),

but

other

factors

more

directly

related

to

human

behaviour,

as

revealed

n

the

material

remains

and

their

context,

contributed

to

the

ascendancy

of

Stobiin

this

region

of the

Roman

Empire.

n

particular

recent

discoveries

urther

attestto

the

presenceat

Stobi

of an

active

and

evidently

prosperous

Christian

com-

munity,

andof

skilled

groupsof

artisans.

What s

more,

some of

the

most

significant

resultsof

the

past

two

seasons

contribute o

our

understanding f

Early

Chris-

tian

architecture,

and

the

history

of

religions

(pagan,

Jewish,

and

Christian)n

Macedonia.

Other

activitiesat

Stobi

in

1977

and 1978

ncluded

conservation

of

walls,

especially n the EpiscopalBasilicaarea,and mosaics;

cleaning

and

preservation

f

frescoes;

andthe

studyof a

number

of

groups

of

artifacts,

especially

glass

and

ceramic

pottery.4

4. Virginia

Anderson-Stojanovic

ompleted

a

study of

the earlier

pottery at

Stobi as

her

Ph.D.

dissertation:

"Pottery

of

the Late

Hellenistic

and

Early

Roman

Periods at

Stobi,"

Department

of

Classics,

University

of

Texasat

Austin,

1977.A

study

of the glass

by

Dragan

Stojanovicwas

acceptedas

a

Master's hesis

in

Archaeology

at

the

University

of

Beograd n

September,

1978.

These

works will

Stobi

in

Yugoslavian

Macedonia:

Archaeological

Excavations

nd

Research,

1977-78

James

Wiseman

Boston

University

Boston,

Massachusetts

The

ancient

cityof

Stobi

has

been

he siteof

archaeological

nvestigations

nd

conservation

y a

joint

American-

ugoslav

taff

since

1970.The

ite is

located n

Yugoslavian

Macedonia

t the

uncture f

the

Vardar

nd

Crna

rivers, a.

150

km.

north

of

Thessaloniki,

Greece.The

Stobi

Project

s an

interdisciplinary

n-

dertaking

oncerned

with

problems

elating

o the

natural

nd

man-made

n-

vironmentsf

the

people

who ived

at

Stobi

and n

the

vicinity

rom

the 3rd

cen-

turyB.C.

to

the

late 6th

century

C.

The

1977and

1978

ield

seasons

concentrated

n

excavationsn

the

Central

Basilica/Synagogue

Complex

nd

the

EpiscopalBasilica. naddition, rograms f study,conservation,ndrestoration

of

architecturalfeatures

ere

continued.


3/40

392

Stobi in

YugoslavianMacedonia:

Excavations nd

Research, 977-78/Wiseman

The Project is

sponsored by Boston

Universityand

the National

Museum of Titov Veles.

Funds for the

supportof

the Project n 1977

and 19785were

provided

serve as the

bases for the definitivepublications f

glass and pottery

vessels now being prepared by Dragan Stojanovic'and Virginia

Anderson-Stojanovic'.

5. In 1977 and

1978 the Co-directors

f the Projectwere

Wiseman

and

Blaga Aleksova,

Professorof Art History at

the Universityof

Skopje; he

formeralso servedas Field

Director.A1B. Wesolowsky,

BostonUniversity,was DeputyDirector

or Wisemanduring

muchof

July

and August, 1977.The

Administrative irector

n 1977wasTiho

Najdovski,

Directorof the National

Museumof Titov Veles.Nikola

Tripbev

succeeded Najdovski both as

Director of the

National

Museumof Titov Veles and

Administrative irector

of theProject n

1978.Other

staff memberswere as

follows (the yearis cited for

per-

sons present during only

one year). Dean L.

Moe, Minneapolis,

Minnesota,

upervisedwork in the

CentralBasilica/Synagogue,

nd

was

assistedbyProfessorWilliam

Poehlmann 1978),St. Olaf

College;

Eleanora

Petrova (1978), ArchaeologicalMuseum

of Skopje, and

Anita Moe, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Area supervisors in the

EpiscopalBasilicawere:

ZvonkoBeldedovski,National Museum

of

Stip;

Ricardo J. Elia,

Boston University;Professor

Ruth Kolarik,

Colorado

College;KleantiLjakovska,Universityof

Skopje;Djordji

Petacki,

National Museum of Titov

Veles; Carolyn S.

Snively,

University f Texasat Austin.

Business

Manager nd Inventory:Lucy

Wiseman,Boston

Universi-

ty. Records: Caroline

Downing Hemans

(architectural),who also

assistedas anartistand

draftsman,ndianaUniversity;Lynn

Stowell,

University f

Michigan t Ann Arbor,

and CaseyElia (1978),

Univer-

sity of

Massachusetts t Boston.

Architects: rederickP. Hemans, I,

IndianaUniversity;MilenkoMilojevic',

kopje;Angel Milanov,

Titov

Veles;assistedby Anne

MarieBaranowski1978),

CornellUniversity;

Iv Miladinov

1978),University f Skopje;and Craig

Morgan 1978),

Cornell University. Cornell

University provided

travel funds for

Baranowski.Artists and Draftsmen: Dragan Stojanovic' 1978),

Chambersburg, ennsylvania nd

Universityof Beograd,who

also

assisted in various areas of

conservation,and

BlazeKuzmanovski

(1977), Academy

of Arts, Ljubljana.Ceramics

Analysts: Professor

Virginia

Anderson-Stojanovic'1978),

Wilson College, and

Ankica

Milosevic' 1977), University

of Beograd. Photographers:

rofessor

William and

Janet Berry, Boston

University 1977); Judy

Durick,

Fredonia, New

York (1978); Bore Levkov,

National Museum of

Titov Veles (darkroom

echnician).Aerial

photography y Professor

Wilson and E. Myers 1978),

MichiganState

University,assistedby

Nancy Stuart.

Geochemist:Salvatore

Valastro,Jr. (1977),

Radiocar-

bon Laboratory,

University f Texasat

Austin.

Conservators: (Frescoes)

Djordje Georgievski,

Conservation

Instituteof Macedonia,and

TrajanVitlarski,

Universityof Skopje;

(Mosaics)EftimDimovski 1978),

National Museumof Bitola;

Lazo

Djakovski, National Museum of Bitola; Slave Kirkovski (1978),

NationalMuseumof Bitola, and

Momcilo Petrovski,

Conservation

Institute f Macedonia;

Architecture)Milan

Ivanovski 1978)and Zi-

voin Vincic

(1978), Conservation

Institute of

Macedonia;

(Laboratory)

DjordjinaGabricevic',

National Museum of Beograd

assisted by

Ljubomir Grujcic'

technician, 1977). Art

Historian

(Frescoes):Zagora Nikolovska,

ArchaeologicalMuseumof

Skopje.

Administrative

Assistant and General

Manager, Stevo

Andov,

NationalMuseumof Titov

Veles. Studentassistants

n variousareas;

(1977)Angel

Dimovski,Valentino

Dimovski,ZoranJulovski,

Viktor

Lilcic',LjiljanaNedelkovka,

Krste Martinovski,Lazo

Plavevski,and

Dobrila

Stojanovska,all fronl the

Universityof Skopje; 1978) Bil-

Figure1.

Mapof the CentralBalkans.

Namesof ancient ites

are n

smaller etters.Drawingby

B. O. Davis.

by the Socialist

Republic of Macedonia,

by a grant to

Boston University

from the National

Endowment or

the

Humanities (an outright

grant in 1977 and a

matching grant in

1978), by a grant from the

Kress

Foundation,and by a number

of private

contributorsn

the United States.All

membersof the Stobi

Projectare

grateful for the generous support provided by these

organizations nd

individuals.

2.

CentralBasilicaand

Synagogues

Excavationbelow

the Central Basilicahas

enlarged

our understanding

f the occupational

history of the

area,6 but

a number of

specific details,

especially

regarding he periods

of use and re-use

of some of the

architectural emains,have yet

to be worked out.

The

drawing n

Figure 2, therefore,

s preliminary:

ome of

the wallassociations

epresentedhereare

basedon ten-

jana Djodjevic',

niversity f Beograd;

DimceNaumovski,

University

of

Skopje; Mirjana Petkovic',

University of Beograd; and

Ivica

Tanaskovic',

University of Skopje.

Other staff membersfor

brief

periods of

time were Professor

ElizabethGebhard, University of

Illinois at

Chicago Circle,assisted by

MargaretFarwell, Chicago;

Professor

TomicaIvanov geologist),

University f Skopje;

Apostolos

Keramidcliev,

ArchaeologicalMuseum of

Skopje; ProfessorIvan

Mikulcic',Universityof

Skopje;and Voislav

Sanev,Archaeologica

Museumof

Skopje.

6. See note 2

for location.A studyof the structures

ere,basedon ex-

cavations hrough 1975,

has recentlyappeared:

Dean L. Moe, "The

Crossand theMenorah,"

Archaeology 30 (1977) 148-57.


4/40

Journal f Field

Archaeology/Vol.

, 1978 393

tativeinterpretationshat

may be altered n

the course

of the stratigraphic

analysis that

is currently

in

progress.7

The Central

Basilica,a Christian

churchof

the

5th and 6th centuries,

s shown in light outline

in

Figure2.8Synagogue

I,whichwas built in

the early4th

century

A.C., iS represented

n the drawingby walls

in

heavyoutline; hatched ines designatewallsof the lst-

3rd

centuries .C.9 Room

designationsby numberrefer

only

to Synagogue I.

Room 1 is the

long, main hall

of Synagogue I.' The

floor was paved with

mosaic, the bema for

the torah

shrine

stood against he

east wall,and a benchwas built

along

at least part of the

south wall towardsthe east.

The mannerof

communicationbetween

Room 2,

SE of

Room

1, and other parts

of the synagogue

s still un-

known. Room

2 may evenhave been

two spaces nstead

of one,

as is suggested

by the discovery n 1978 of

one

face

of a cornerof a wall at an elevation

appropriate

or

Synagogue I. A portion of the eastwall of Room 2 was

found

in 1977 and, as can

be seen in the drawing,

s in

linewith the east

wall of Room 1.

To the east

of Room 2, at a distance

of 1.10 m., part

of a wall parallel

to the east wall

of SynagogueII

has

been

cleared.The new

wall is irregularly oursedwith

stones

set in earth mortar

and bedded only on earth,

some two courses

below the use

level associatedwith

the

wall. This construction

s considerably

ess substan-

tlal

than the lime-mortared

walls founded

on bedrock

that are elsewhere

a part of Synagogue

II. The wall

is

also

associatedwith a

street to the east, presumably

runningN-S, that

was discovered n 1978.

The street is

preserved or a distanceof 2.4 m. to the east whereit

was cut through

by the foundation

of the east wall

of

the

basilica. Several stones

with flat surfaces and

a

number

of pebbles that were preserved

n the hard-

packedsurface

indicatethe nature of the

road metal.

The street sloped

down, NW to SE, elevations

136.33m.

7. The narrative in

this section is based in part on the

staff reports of

Dean Moe and William

Poehlmann.

8. For

a detailed plan of the basilica see

Moe, op. cit. (in note 6)

152.

Readers

may find it helpful to

refer to the following elevations

above

mean sea level for- the successive

structures in the

Central Basilica

area: basilica, nave floor, 139.31 m.; bedding of mosaic of Synagogue

II, 137.74

m.; floor of Synagogue

I, 137.5 m.; flagstone

courtyard

below

the eastern end of Room 1 of Synagogue

II, 136.7 m.; floor

of

1st century A.C. structure below

east end of south aisle

of basilica,

135.47 m.; bedrock below the

western end of the basilica

south aisle,

136.32 m.

9. The

Hellenistic walls below

the narthex of the

basilica are not

shown

in fig. 2; see W-MZ (1972)

409- 11.

10. See

the plan of Synagogue

II in Moe, op. cit. (in note 6) 154-55;

cf. Ruth Kolarik

and Momcilo Petrovski, "Technical

Observations

on Mosaics at Stobi,"

Studies II, 66-75, figs.

1-2.

to 136.25

m., and presumably

oined the

E-W stree

already

identiEled utside

the north wall

of Room 1.

The presence

of the

N-S

street and the

insubstantia

natureof the

new wall leads the excavator,

Dean Moe,

to suggest

that the wall served

as a screen o set-off

the

Synagogue

I complex rom the

street o the east.

Room 3, west of Room 2, projected lightly nto the

south

side of Room

1 and communicated

directlywith

it through

a wide doorway.Another

doorwayopened

o

the south into

a predecessor f

the Houseof Psalms;

he

western imit

of the room is unknown.

(It was on the

east

wall [Wall 16]

of Room 3 that the

grafElti f three

menorahs

were foundin 1975.") Excavation

n 1978by

W. Poehlmann n the

space between

Wall 16 and the

foundation of the

nave/narthex wall

of the basilica

resulted

n the discovery

of a plastet iloor at elevation

137.61

m. This floor

was deElnitely use

level associated

with the plaster

bearing the

menorahs;and since

the

thresholdsboth to north and south are ca. 50 cm.

higher,

we may reasonably

supposethat

therewas at

least one step

for eachthreshold

n Room3.

At least

part of the north wall of Synagogue

II was

originally

used as a wall of Synagogue

, the Synagogu

of

Polycharmus,which

seemsto have been destroye

latein the

3rd centuryA.C.'2 spaceto

the south of this

wall was delimited

by the re-use of an

E-W

wall in line

with the laternorthernedge

of Room 3 of Synagogu

II.

A thresholdand some paving

slabs of the

earlie

enclosed

space were

found still in place

in 1971outside

tle NEcornerof Room

3, and fragments

f paintedwal

plaster bearing

the repeated

legend. HoAvxapyos/

o

7rctT?1p/ eVXt11J ("Polycharmus

the Father, as a votive

offering"),

were found in the

late 3rd centurydestruc

tion

depositimmediately

verlying he floor.'3The

two

N-S

walls

shown in hatching

in Figure 2 also belong

originally

to an earlier

phase,but the one further

east

may have been re-used

as the eastern

erminusof this

room of Synagogue

; the western

end is unknown.

Poehlmannhas recently

uggesteda

2nd centurycon-

struction

date for Synagogue

,'4 and his

excavationsn

1978 below

Room 3 of Synagogue

II resulted n

some

evidence or

datingthe original

constructionof

Wall 16

to

the sametime.

A still earlier period

of use is represented

by the

11. W-MZ 1976)

295-96, igs. 30-31;

Moe, op. cit. (in note 6)

154.

12.

On the Synagogueof

Polycharmus ee W-MZ

(1971)406-10;W-

MZ (1972)410; W-MZ(1974)

ig. 32 and the referencesited n

those

reports.

13.

W-MZ 1972)410 and

fig. 6.

14. In a paper

presented t the Stobi

Symposium,PartII, in August

1977. The proceedings

of the Symposium

will appear shortly as

Studies

III.


5/40

l

394 Stobi in YugoslavianMacedonia:Excavations ndResearch,1977-78/Wiseman

0 5 lOm.

F P H 1978

Figure 2. Simplified plan showing the Central Basilica (in outline), Synagogue II (in heavy lines), and earlier Roman walls

(hatched lines). Drawing by Frederick P. Hemans.

Figure 3. Synagogue I or earlier structure. Molded stucco on wall. View from west.

- l -

l l -

X

ROOM 3 , ,

, 1,',

X n | | ROOM 2

L1 | rl I I


6/40

Journal

f Field

Archaeology/

Vol.5,

1978

395

much

at variance

both

withthe

Via Sacra

andthe

grid

pattern

discernible

n other

parts

of the

city,

had

long

been

a

subject

of

debate.'9

The

preserved

architectura

sculpture,

mosaics,

and

frescoes

prompted

specific

questions

of chronology

and

more

general

discussions

of

the

place

of

the basilica

n

the

history

of

Early

Chris-

tian art and architecture.The presenceof a sunken

crypt

in the

apse

played

a role

in

speculation

regarding

a possible

predecessor

o the

presbyterium,

rior

to the

opening

of the

new

excavations.20

One

of

the results

of these

and

other

considerations

(including

he

overall

aims

of the

Project2')

s

that the

area

of

the

Episcopal

Basilica

has

been

a major

concern

in our

excavations

andstudy

at Stobi

since

1970.

It

has

been

our

hope to

trace

the

occupational

history

of the

site

occupied

by the

basilica

and

its associated

struc-

tures

from

earliest

times

to

the demise

of

the

city,

and

to

correlate

our

understanding

f the

changes

hat

took

place

there

with

the

changes

that

could

be

noted

throughexcavationselsewheren the city. Studyof the

phases

of the

basilica

and

its

predecessors,

f any,

we

felt,

would

also

contribute

to

our

knowledge

of

the

evolution

of early

Christian

art,

architecture,

nd

even

liturgy

n

ancient

Macedonia.

The

factthat

Stobi

was

in

a

region

that

received

strong

cultural

nfluences

both

from

the

East

and

the

West

added

still

greater

signiElcance

o such

nvestigations.

Excavations

n

the

basilica

area,

therefore,

have

been

conducted

anrlually

by

the

Project,

beginning

n

1970,

except

for

the

1976

study

season.

By 1976

much

of

the

area

south

of the

basilica,

where

the

well-preserve

Baptistery

s

located,

had

been

cleared;

an earlier

major

phase

of the

basilicahad been identifiedand various

repairs

and

alterations

representing

less

extensive

building

activities

had

been

recognized;

a great

deal

of

new

evidence

for

the

history

of

the area,

the

buildings

and

their

decoration

had

been

recovered;

nd

part

of

a

building

witha

frescoed

wall

had

been

found

some

4

m.

below

the

mosaic

floor

of

the basilica

south

aisle.22

he

earlier

building

(Building

A)

was

conjectured

o

have

been

a church.23

19. Dj.

Botskovic',"Quelques remarques sur la Grande Basilique de

Stobi

et

son

rapport

envers

la

structure

urbaine

de

cette

ville,"

Charisterion

eis

Anastasion

K. Orlandon

4

(Athens

1967/68)

184-89.

20.

Ernst

Kitzinger,

"A

Survey

of the

Early

Christian

Town

of

Stobi,"

DOPapers

3 (1946)

93-98.

21. W-MZ

(1974)

120.

22.

W-MZ

(1971)

398-401;

W-MZ

(1972)

420-24;

W-MZ (1973)

397-

99; W-MZ

(1974)

142-46;

W-MZ

(1976)

283-93.

23.

W-MZ

(1974)

143.

hatched

walls

(FIG.

2)

discussed

above,

a

flagstone

courtyard

ramed

by

those

wallsbelow

the

eastern

end

of

Room

1 of

Synagogue

II,ls

and

a

room

with

hand-

somely

decorated

walls

found

in

1977

and 1978

below

theeastern

end

of

the south

aisle

of the

basilica.

All

the

walls

are

shown

in

hatching

n Figure

2. The

newly

dis-

coveredroom has a hard-packed lay floor; t is 5.8 m.

long

(E-W)

and

2.2

m.

of its

width

(N-S) are

preserved:

there

may

be a doorway

n

the

NW corner.

The

walls

of

this

room

were

covered

with

molded

stucco

(FIG.

3),

some

of

which

was

painted,

since

a few

fallen

fragments

were

found

bearing

a

red

stripe.

The

room

was

destroyed

in

an

intense

fire

sometime

during

the

1st

century

A.C.t6

ottery

of

the

1 t century

A.C. was

also

recovered

below

the

floor.l7

Moe

suggests

in

his

1978

staff

report

that this

room

is

to be

associated

with

the

courtyard

andthe

complex

of

walls

adjacent

on the

NW

that

have

already

been

mentioned.

t is

worth

noting

in

this

regard

hat

the

clay

floor

of

the room

is at

elevation

135.47m. and the flagstonecourtyard ies at elevation

136.7

m.,

that

is,

more

than

a

meter

higher

than

the

floor

of

the

room.

Excavations

were

carried

o

bedrock

below

both

the

west

and

central

parts

of the

basilica

south

aisle

and

no

trace

of intensive

occupation

n the

Hellenistic

period

was

found.

The

potter's

shop

located

beneath

the

basilica

narthex

and

western

end

of

the

nave

may

have

been

anisolated

structure

n the

edge

of the

town

in the

2nd-

1st

centuries

.c.l8

3. The

Episcopal

Basilica

A. Excavations ndGeneralComments

The

Episcopal

Basilica

s the

largest

element

n

an

ex-

tensive,

Early

Christian

ecclesiastical

complex

border-

ing

a

major

street

(the

Via Sacra)

in

the

sw

area of

Stobi.

Excavation

n

the

1920s

and

1930s

resulted

n the

uncovering

of much

of the

basilica

as

it existed

in

its

final

phase

in

the

late

6th

century

A.C., along

with

the

structure

to the

NE identified

as

the

Episcopal

Resi-

dence,

and

the

semicircular

ourt

on

the

Via Sacra

hat

enhances

he

entrance

o

the

atrium

of the

basilica

FIG.

4).

When

the

current

Stobi

Project

was being

planned

n

1969,

a

number

of

problems

hat

had

been

raised

by

the

previously

excavated

emains

of these

structures

reatly

interestedus. The orientationof the basilicaitself, so

15. W-MZ

(1971)

408

and fig.

20.

More

of the

courtyard

was

un-

covered

n 1977

and

an oven,

utilizing

ragments

f a

largepithos

n

its construction,

was found

near

tsNW

corner.

16.

Context

Storage

Lot

2121.

17.

Context

Storage

Lots

2130-2135.

18.

On

the potter's

hop,

seethe

reference

ited

above n

note

9.


7/40

396 Stobi n YugoslavianMacedonia: JccavationsndResearchf 977-78/Wiseman

Figure4. Restored lan of the EpiscopalBasilica nd adjacent

structures a. 525 A.C. Drawingby Frederick . Hemans.

s -

-

- 6

1

1

f

f

/ /

/ /

/ /

/

t t

/ -.

_

_ _

\

/

/

- / /

- s / /

9s_

J J

/

-_s^ /

.N /

_ _ /

s_ /

' s

s

/

0 5 20m.

. ,

FPH. 1978


8/40

Journal

of Field

Archaeology/

Vol.

5, 1978

B. The

Episcopal

Basilica

A rea

before

the

Mid-Sth

C

tury

A C.

1. Building

A

The

artiElcial

errace

upon

which

the

Episc

Basilica

was

raised

towards

the

middle

of

the 5th

tury

A.C. precluded

our

digging

any small

probes

ai

at locatingotherpartsof BuildingA: thebuilding

m.

below

the basilica

loor

and

smalltests

would

be

safe.

What

is more,

since

only

a

portion

of the

s

wall

of Building

A

was known,

small

probes

coul

both

time-consuming

nd,

in

theend,

unrewarding

earlier

excavations,

however,

had

at

least

provide

withsome

knowledge

of

where

walls

of Building

A

not located:

hey

were

not

within

3 m. of

the east

en

the

south

aisle

norwithin

10m. and

S m.

of the

eas

west

ends,

respectively,

of

the

north

aisle

(

therefore,

probably

not

below

the

north

aisle at

a

Our strategy

n 1977

was

to extend

to

the east

the

so

aisle

trench

in which

the

south

wall

of

Building

A

been

revealed

n 1973-74

n

order

o locate

the

east

then

dig

a wide

trench

across

the

south

aisle

nea

west

end in

hope

of finding

the

west wall.

That

w

leave

for 1978

the

enormous

ask of

excavating

a

trench

across

the

nave,

which

was

required

n

ord

understand

he

basic

interior

form of

the buildi

well as

to locate

its

north

wall.

There

would

also b

opportunity

n

1978,

we

reasoned,

or

a second

tr

at the

west end

of

the south

aisle f

theE1rst

roved

unsuccessful.

The

schedule

was

disrupted

almost

at onc

weather

andother

circumstances

hat

delayed

he

li

of the last remainingportion of south-aisleMos

(Basilica

Phase

I),

a task

undertaken

o preserv

mosaic

and

to make

it

possible

to excavate

he

dep

below

the mosaic.

The

immediately

subsequen

covery

of an

intact

burial

crypt

belonging

to Ba

PhaseII in

the

precise

area

of the

planned

rench

o

a cancellation

of

our

efforts

to locate

other

par

Building

A in

1977.

Thecrypt

s discussed

below

in

tion

3C.6.

In

1978

two trenches

were

dug

with

the purpo

determining

what

we

could

of the

form

and

functi

Building

A:

SA

XS (4.5

m.

x 1.S m.),

located

bet

the

crypt

just mentioned

and the

foundation

o

basilicasouth stylobate;and Nave X32 (12.6 m. x

m.), extending

he full

distance

between

the

north

south

stylobates

of the basilica,

mmediately

ast

o

ambo.25

The

walls and

floors

discovered

and

a par

24. See

the drawing

published

in W-MZ

(1976)

284-85,

fig.

15.

25.

The excavation

of

SA X5

was supervised

by Djordji

P

Nave

X32

was dug in

three

parts:

A, the

northern

sector,

5

long,

supervised

by Ricardo

Elia;

B, the

southern

sector,

5.90 m

/ /

/ /

J :

}t}:e

vE

:

Figure 6. Building

A.

The foundation

of the east wall

(foreground)

was

set in a trench

cut through

a mortar

floor

(under

the

meter stick)

of Building

B. View

fromthe

west.


12/40

Journal of Field

Archaeology/ Vol. 5, 1978 401

Figure7. BuildingA. North wall, northaislesand

part of centralarea n Nave X32 from he south.


13/40

402 Stobi in YugoslavianMacedonia.

Excavations ndResearch,1977-78/Wiseman

Figure 8. Building A, north wall.

Photograph of a water color painting of

the fresco. Water color by Djordje

Georgievski.

Figure 9. Building A. Photograph of a

partially restored water color painting of

a section of the ceiling over the north

aisle. Water color by Caroline Downing

Hemans.


14/40

, ;- , .- . . . -. t . .

Journal

f

Field

A

rchaeology/

Vol.

5,

1978

403

after

colonnade

was

already

n

place,

since

t

slopes

up

onto

he

stylobate,

hen

curves

around,

and

partly

over,

what

ust

have

been

the

lower

torus

of

an

Ionic

column

ase

(FIG.

10).

The

plaster

also

shows

that

a

screen

as

set

into

the

base

and

extended

o

the

west.

As

e

shall

see

below,

there

can

be

no

doubt

that

a

similartylobateseparated he red plasterfloor of the

south

isle

from

the

central

pace.

An

Ionic

column

base

was

found

in

1975

in

the

fill

above

he

Building

A

floor

below

the

basilica

south

aisle

FIG.

11).

The

size

of

the

lower

torus

and

the

presence

f

screen

cuttings

n

the

base

strongly

suggest

that

ases

of

this

type

stood

on

the

two

stylobates

of

Building

(FIG.

10).

The

single

example

so

far

recov-

ered

ay

be

presumed,

because

of

its

place

of

dis-

covery,

o

have

stood

on

the

south

stylobate.

Figure

0.

Building

A.

Detail

of

stylobate

and

adjoining

floors;

north

is

t

he

top

of

the

photograph.

Ionic

olumn

base.

Inv.

No.

A-75-1.

FIG.

11.

Lower

torus

D.

0.575

m.

H.

0.19

m.

White

marble

Ionic

column

ase,

complete.Rough cuttings or screenson two

sides

f

base,

W.

0.07-0.08

m.,

depth

0.06-0.09

m.

The

base

supported

column

with

a

lower

diameter

of

0.46

m.

The

base

as

found

in

SA

X3

on

July

11,

1975:

Notebook

100,

p.

6,

Basket

30;

associated

contextual

material

s

in

Lot

1808.

A

narrower

oundation

for

a

screen-and-post

arrier

continues

he

line

of

the

colonnade

to

the

east

and,

again,

u-o

phases

are

indicated.

The

earlier

phase

is

represented

y

a

lead-filled

dowel

hole

in

a

block

of

the

base

FIG.

10).

At

a

later

period

the

barrier

ystem

was

altered

o

that

a

screen

terminated

at

a

point

almost

precisely bove the earlierdowel hole. A thickblob of

mortar

overing

the

dowel

hole

bore

on

its

upper

sur-

face,

at

the

time

of

excavation,

the

clear

impression

of

the

end

of

a

screen

extending

o

the

east.

What,

if

any-

thing,

Ellled

he

narrow

space

between

the

screen

and

the

column

to

the

west

is

not

yet

clear.

A

barrier

also

extended

south

from

the

column

and

separated

wo

quite

different

loor

pavements

FIG.

7).

Although

the

barrier

tself

and

most

of

its

foundation

had

been

removed

n

antiquity,

the

width

(0.30

m.)

of

the

base

course

on

which

the

screen

must

have

stood

is

preserved

at

the

north

end

of

the

line

between

a

slab

of

marble

revetment

on

the

west

and

the

border

of

a

mosaic

field

on

the

east

(FIG.

10).

Themosaicfieldis 2.1

m.

(N-S)

x

1.6

m.

with

a

design,

chiefly

n

red

and

white,

of

hearts

and

crosses

formed

by

overlapping

circles.

Part

of

an

identical

field

is

preserved

o

the

south

and

was

broken

through

by

the

south

stylobate

of

the

later

basilica

FIG.

12).31

This

latter

Eleld

also

extended

from

17

0,46

l

W

-i

isk4

L't:X

| t il i ; ;; t : . :. t

m:eP0e;XA::

0

0,2

0,5m

MM.,

CM.

1978

Figure

11.

Ionic

column

base

A-75-1.

Drawing

by

M.

Milojevic

nd

C.

Morgan.

1.

Fragments

of

this

mosaic

were

found

in

Trenches

SA

X3

and

X5;

see

above

in

this

section

of

the

report.

.

.:

s

.- ;

h ---

-

:

..g

.

:e=

.,,.,g

t

O

.

.,

W.

:: .

', . ,

',

,

v

C

*

'''Sa_

O

,

.

i

.

; .

.

.

,

m


15/40

404 Stobi n Yugoslavian

Macedonia:

ExcavationsndResearch,

1977-78/Wiseman

Figure12. Centralareaof Building

A in NaveX32 from he

north.Partof amboof

the laterbasilica s visible,

upper

right.


16/40

Journal

of Field

Archaeology/

Vol.

5, 1978

405

was

paved

with

opus

sectile

and

mosaic

Elelds,

was

the

presbyterium;

t

was

separated

rom

the

side

aisles

by

screens

through

which

there

would

have

been

one

or

more

openings

on

each

side.

The

identiElcation

f

Building

A as

a church,

hen,

is

based

on

a number

of

different

kinds

of

evidence,

sum-

marizedhere. 1-2)The location of the buildingbelow

the

5th

century

Episcopal

Basilica

and

the

similar

orien-

tations

of

the

two structures

uggested

hat

the

function

of

Building

A might

be

the

same

as

that

of

the later

basilica.

3)

The

architectural

rrangements

ow

iden-

tiEled

are

both

appropriate

o

and

characteristic

f

an

Early

Christian

hurch.

4)

The

chi-rho

ipinto

and

graf-

fito

are

indisputable

igns

of Christian

use

of

the

struc-

ture.

5)

A

minor

point

is

that

the

principal

pus

sectile

pattern

in

the

presbyterium

s

repeated

n

the

earliest

presbyterium

loor

of the

later

basilica.32

he

slate

and

marble,

n

fact,

seem

to

have

been

deliberately

emoved

from

Building

A

and

could

conceivably

have

been

relaid

n the new church.The almostcompleteabsence

even

of

fragments

of

screens,

posts,

columns,

bases,

capitals,

and

entablature

n

the

debris

and E1ll

over

Building

A

suggests

that

whatever

could

be

removed

was re-used

n

the

new

church,

or,

if

inappropriate

or

some

reason,

n

some

other

structure.

t

is worth

noting

that

some

of

the

impressions

n

the

mortar

bedding

or

the

earlier

floor

of

the

Episcopal

Basilica's

presby-

terium

and

the

space

between

he

presbyterium

ndthe

south

colonnade

are

for

screens,

re-used

acedown.33

Evidence

for

the

construction

date

of

Building

A is

unfortunately

meager.

We

have

already

discussed

in

this reportthe fact that BuildingA is laterthanBuild-

ing

B,

which

was

itself

a 4th

century

construction

Other

evidence

comes

from

two

small

trenches

dug

by

Virginia

Anderson-Stojanovic

elow

the

plaster

loor

of

the

south

aisle

in 1978.

Both

trenches,

SA

X6A

and

B,

were

1.0

m.

wide

(E-W)

and

aligned

N-S in

grid

areas

W70-69/S61-62;34

he

former,

0.40

m. long,

was

dug

against

the south

wall

of the

building

to

elevation

32.

See the

photograph

ublished

n

W-MZ

1976)

ig.

27.

33. Ibid.

fig.

21.

Fragments

f

some

of thesescreens, ncludingone

with

a scale

design

re-used

south

of

the

south

synthronos,

were

recovered

n

earlier

easons

of excavation.

34. The

Stobi

grid

was generated

rom

a

datum

point

in the

Centra

Fountain

(W-MZ

[1976]

fig.

2, no.

8) and

is

based

on True

North.

References

re

to 2

m. square

reas,

not grid

lines,

withletters

refer

ring

to the

direction

rom

the

datum

point

and

numbers

eferring

o

the distance

n

2 m.

squares.

The

grid-area

esignations

hus

provide

a reasonably

precise

area ocation

that

can

be

visualized

both

in

dis-

tance

and

direction

from

the

Central

Fountain.

See

W-MZ

(1972)

407.

the

line

of

the

barrier

wall

1.6

m. to

the

east

where

the

simple

border

of

rows

of

white

tesserae

is

preserved.

The

two

fields

then

were

presumably

he same

size

and

the

southern

field

must

have

been

separated

rom

the

red

plaster

floor

of the

south

aisle

of the

building

by a

screen

barrier

whose

line

to

the

west

would

have

been

continuedas a colonnade.Thissoutherncolonnadeand

barrier

screen

lay

on the

line

occupied

by

the

south

stylobate

oundation

of the

later

basilica.

The

N-S space

between

he

two

mosaic

fields,

2.9

m.,

as

well

as the

floor

east

of

the

mosaics,

was

paved

with

opus

sectile,

the

impressions

of

which

are

clearly

preserved

FIGS.

7,

12).

The

principal

design

was of

large

hexagonal

slabs

of

slate

bordered

by

marble

pieces

forming

four-pointed

stars

with

approximately

quare

centers.

The

numerous

remnants

of slate

found

in

the

hexagonal

spaces

and

the

few pieces

of

marble

sectile,

some

in situ,

make

the

identification

f

the

materials

all

butcertain.

The

N-S barrier

screen

was

interrupted

at

its

center

for

a distance

of ca.

1.4

m. and

the

opus

sectile

floor

ex-

tended

to the

west

for an

undetermined

istance.

The

barrier

creen

tself,

both

on the

north

and

south,

must

also

have

turned

west

and

would

have

framed

he

exten-

sion

of

theslate-and-marble

loor.

A quite

different

ype

of

mosaic

pavement

ies

to

the

west

of the

N-S barrier-screen

oundation:

parts

of two

fields,

separated

at least

in

part

by

the west

extension

of

the floor

just

described,

are

preserved.

The

northern

field

contains

riangles

and

rectangles

ramed

by a wave

design

and

a

larger

outer

border

of

rinceaux.

The

northernedge of this field is preserved

FIG. 10,

lower

left),

as

well

as

the

return

of the

wave

pattern

on

the

south,

so

that

we

may

be sure

not

only

of the

N-Swidth

of

the

entire

field

(2.8

m.),

but

also

that

the

mosaic,

the

west

extension

of the

opus

sectile

floor,

and

the

barrier

screen

were

all

elements

of a

single

design,

even

though

they

may

not

have

been

created

at the

same

time.

Only

a

portion

of

the

ivy-leaf

border

of the

south

field

is

preserved.

This

field,

like

the

mosaic

of overlapping

circles

east

of

the screen

foundation,

was

broken

through

at

the

time

of the

construction

of

the

founda-

tion

for

the

south

stylobate

of the

later

basilica.

We

may

now

restore

Building

A

as

a three-aisled

basilicawithan interiorwidthof 16.4m. Thenorthand

south

aisles,

paved

with

red

plaster,

were

each

ca.

4.1

m.

wide

and

the

central

aisle,

paved

with

mosaic,

was ca.

7.2

m.

wide. Ionic

colonnades,

with

screens

set

within

the

intercolumniations,

eparated

the

side

aisles

from

what

we

may

now

call the

nave,

for

the architectural

arrangements

described

above

are

best

interpreted

as

belonging

o

a church.

The

N-Sbarrier

with

its

extension

to

the

west

would

haveserved

as

the

chancel

screen

and

its

entranceway.

The

space

to

the

east,

where

the

floor


17/40

406

Stobi

in Yugoslavian

Macedonia.

Excavations

nd

Research,

1977-78/

Wiseman

142.875

m. where

it

ended on

a layer

of

large

stones

projecting

from

below

the wall

and

evidently

forming

part

of its substructure.

A

X6B,

1.5 m.

long,

was

more

productive.

The red

plaster

floor,

which

slopes

west to

east,

was

at elevation

143.315/143.215

m.

and is ca.

1

cm. thick,

bedded

only on

a thin

layer

of fine

sand.

Below the sand in both trencheswas a thick deposit

(ending

at elevation

142.19

m. in SA

X6B)

of pieces

of

lime

mortar,

stones,

brick

fragments,

harcoal,

and

bits

of clay

in

a matrix

of sandy,

medium-hard

arth.

A

total

of

433 potsherds

was found

in this

deposit,

but

only

a few sherds

were

considered

diagnostic

n the

pre-

liminary

examination

by

Anderson-Stojanovic,

in-

cluding

a fragment

of a

Macedonian

Gray

Ware

dish

and a piece

of

North

African

Red Slip

Ware.

Other

contextual

material

ncluded

part of

a coin,

two

small

lamp

fragments,

pieces

of

marble

revetment

and

opus

sectile,

glass,

and

piecesof

iron,

bronze,

andlead.35

The

material

provides

a

terminus

post

quem of the

mid-4th

century

A.C. for

the construction

f Building

A.

The lower

levels

of Trench

SA X6B

were

also

infor-

mative.

Below

the large

stones

of a

collapsed

wall

and

a

thin

layer

of sterile

sand,

a hard-packed

arth-and-clay

floor

was

encountered

at elevation

141.655/141.745

m.,

sloping

down

south

to north.

Contextual

material

be-

low this

floor

and

extending

to bedrock

at 140.90

m.

has been

dated,

after

preliminary

nalysis,

only

;;Early

Roman."36

Although

no earlier

floor

in the

south

aisle

may be

definitely

associated

with

the south

wall,

the

wall itself

showed

evidence

of

two phases,

since

it was

covered

by

two successiveayersof fresco.37Wehavealreadynoted

above

that

the bench

and

a new

layer

of floorplaster

n

the

northaisle

were

added

after

the

original

fresco

had

been applied

to

the

north

wall. That

fresco

is identical

in

style

and technique

to the

later

fresco

on the

south

wall.

What

is more,

the first

mortar

floor

in

the north

aisle

was

laid

partly

over the lower

elements

of the

north

colonnade

and

must

thereby

represent

a later

period

of

use

than

the

original

construction

period

of the

stylobate.

An earlier

period

is also

represented

n the

nave

where

part

of a mosaic

floor

can

be seen

to have

served

as the

bedding

for

the mosaic

with

rinceaux

and

wave

borders already described

(FIGS. 7, 13).

The earlier

mosaic

has

tesserae

of irregularly

haped

pieces

of mar-

ble,

much

larger

than

the

more

carefully

designed

35.

Lot 2393.

Lamp

fragments

are Inv.

Nos.

L-78-117

and 121;

the

fragmentary

oin

has notyet

been cleaned.

36. Lots

2397-2399.

37.

W-MZ

(1974)

142-43and

fig. 29;

Wiseman

and

Georgievski,

p.

cit.

(in note28)

176and

fig. 8.

Figure

13.

Building

A. Earlier

mosaic

below the

nave

floor. View

fromthe

south.

mosaic

that

overlies

it, and includes

at least

one

stone

slab;

the design

is

difficult

to identify

since the

visible

portion

is

so small,

but

a star

or diamond

s likely.

The

latter

pattern

appears

in a mosaic

of

similar

rough

appearance

n the

main

hall of Synagogue

II

at Stobi.3

The

latter

mosaic

dates

to the

early4th

century

A.C.

The

earlier

mosaic

pavement

n

Building

A

seemsto

conform,

ike its

successor,

o

the line

of the

central

en-

trance

to the

presbyterium

nd its

level

is appropriat

for contemporary

xistence

with

the marble

revetmen

noted

above,

which

must once

have

been

a visible,

ver-

tical

face below

and on

the nave

side

of the

chance

screen

FIGS. 7,

10). The

laternave

mosaic

was

fitted

up

against the revetmentslab, flush with its bevelledtop

edge.

All

this evidence

points

to

at least one

major

earlier

phase

of

Building

A as

a church.

A

yet earlier

period

is also

represented

by a

stone-

and-cement

wall

thatunderlies

at least

part

of the foun-

dation

for the

north

side

of the

chancel

screen;

debri

from

its destruction

extends

under the

floor

of

the

presbyterium.

The

fact that

the

wall is

approximatel

perpendicular

o the

line of

the north

stylobate

suggest

a possible

relationship,

but further

nvestigation

will

be

required

to confirm

such

an

arrangement.

t is

con-

ceivable

that

the

north

stylobate

and

the

N-S wall

(foundation

for

an eastern

stylobate?)

represent

an

earlierprivatestructurewith a peristylecourtthat was

adapted

in

the

early

4th century

to

serve

as

the

Episcopal

Basilica

of Stobi.

A

Bishop

of Stobi,

Budius

is known

as early

as the

Council

of Nicaea

in 325

A.C.39

38.

Kolarik

and Petrovski,

p.

cit. (in

note 10)

68-73,

igs. 1,

2, 6.

39.

The bishops

of

Stobi

are brieflydiscussed

and the

ancient

ource

listed n James

Wiseman,

"Gods,

WarsandPlague

n

the Time

of the

Antonines,"

Studies

, 143-44.


18/40

Journal

of

FieldArchaeology/

Vol.

5,

1978 407

Two

other

unusual

features

of this

early

church

may

be

taken

as evidence

or the

adaptation

of

a still

earlier,

existing

structure

o the

basilica

form

rather

than

the

free

creation

of a

three-aisled

asilica.

First, the

propor-

tion

of the

width

of the nave

to

the side

aisles,

though

paralleled

in Early

Christian

basilicas,

is unusual.

A

proportionof 1:2may be taken as a norm,40while the

Stobi

church

displays

a

ratio

of 1:1.78.

Second,

the

floor

levels

of the

aisles

andnave

are {lush

with

the

top

of the stylobate

in the

later

phase(the

north

aisle

floor

is even

higher),

and

in the

earlier

period

the

nave floor

seems

to

have

been

only about

10

cm. lower

than

the

top

of the

stylobate.

It has

often

been

noted that

pre-

Justinianic

basilicas

in Greece

customarily

have high,

raised

stylobates;4'

venthe

laterEpiscopal

Basilica,

n

a11phases,

had the

nave

floorwell

below

the

top of

the

stylobates.42

2.

Building

C

Part

of a wall that

is

roughly

parallel

o the

Via

Sacra

was

discovered

n

1974

below

the west

end of

the

north

aisle

of

the Episcopal

Basilica,

along

witha

wall bonded

to it that

extended

SE,almost

in the

same

orientation

as

the basilica.43

he

building

to which

these

walls

belong

has

been

designated

Building

C and

forconvenience

we

shall

refer

to the walls,

respectively,

as

C1 and

C2.

In

1978

a

segment

of wall

precisely

n

line with

the

NE-SW

wall

of

the north

aisle

was

found

in a trench

(Atrium

X5)

dug in

the

SE area

of the

atrium;

since

it is

not

certain

that the

newly

discovered

wall is

a direct

con-

tinuation

of

C1

we may

designate

he

wallC3.

Another

wall,C4, is bondedandperpendicularo C3, extending

both

to

the

NW and the

SE. The

Building

C walls

are

shown

on the

plan

of the

pre-basilica

tructures

FIG.

5)

and

the stone-and-cement

onstruction

of

C3 and

C4

may be

seen in

Figure

14,

a viewfrom

the

sw.

40. See

Anastasios

K.

Orlandos,

H

Xylostegos

Palaiochristianiki

Vasiliki

is Mesogeiakis

Lekanis

Athens

1952)

203-204

or a discus-

sion of proportions

n the

earlybasilicas.

41. Orlandos,

op.

cit. (in

note 40)

264-65,

435-37;

Orlandos

uggests

that the

raised

tylobates

mighthave

served

as benches

or

the faithful

duringsome

parts

of the

liturgy.

See also

Thomas

F. Mathews,

The

EarlyChurches f Constantinople.rchitecturendLiturgyUniversi-

ty Park,

Pa. 1971)

118-21,

who

lists 21 examples

of churches

with

raised

tylobates

n his

footnote

13 to

pages

cited).

42. See

the section

published

as fig.

28 in W-MZ

(1974)

141: he

top

of

the south

stylobate

s 147.867

m.;

the original

levation

of Mosaic

I

of the

south

aisle was

147.245m.;

the south

aisle

base

coursehad

its

top surface

at 147.523

m. and

Mosaic II,

above

the now

slumped

Mosaic

I,

was at

147.185

m. The nave

floors

(see

below in

Section

3C.4)along

the north

stylobate

ay

at elevations

147.11

m. and

147.33

m. in

Phases

and II respectively.

43.

W-MZ 1974)

143;

W-MZ

1976)

284-85

fig. 15.

Figure

14. Building

C.

Walls C3 (right)

and

C4 below

the

atrium of

the

later basilica.

View

from sw.

The upper

preserved

urface

of Wall

C4

lies at

eleva-

tion 148.10 m., immediatelybelow Atrium Floor 1

(discussed

n Section

3C.1),

a layerof

hard

brown

earth

and

small

stones.

The upper

preserved

part

of Wall

C3

is a flat

mortared

surface,

probably

a

levelling

course

at

elevation

147.65

m.

Both

walls

had

been broken

through

by the

construction

of the atrium/narthex

wall

(EB

Wall 16),

and

C3

was presumably

dismantled

at

that

time

to the

levelling

course.

Wall

C3

had been

cut

through

on

the sw

by

the atrium/south

corridor

wall

(EB

Wall

38)

and part

of its

upper

surface

was gouged

out to

allowa

drain,

associated

with

Basilica

Phase

I, to

pass

through

he atrium

wallfoundation.

All deposits

excavated

SE

of Wall

C3

belongto

the

laterbasilicaconstructionand are discussed n a later

section.

Deposits

westof

C3, however,

n the

space

par-

tially

defined

by C3

and C4,

include

a

dumped

fill

above

a series

of

destruction

debris

(possibly

repre

senting

the

deliberate

dismantling

of roof

and

upper

mud-brick

walls),ending

on

an

earth

and clay

floor at

elevation

ca. 146.72

m.

The

contextual

material

from

the deposits

between

he

dumpfill

and

the floor

date

to

the early

5th

century

A.C.44

Below

the

floor

a series

of

deposits

representing

occupational

debris

between

the

2nd

and

4th centuries

wasexcavated

o a level

of

144.35

m. where

digging

wasstopped

at

the end

of the

season.

Although additionalexcavation and study in 1979

will

be

necessary

o

determine

he construction

dateof

Building

C,

the

work in 1978

shows

that

the

building

was

in existence

at least

as early

as

the 4th century

A.C.

We can

now

see that

the

earlier

city

grid plan,

repre

sented

in

the area

under

discussion

by Building

D

and

the

Episcopal

Residence,

was interrupted

both

by

Building

A

andBuilding

C, the latter

being

aligned

with

44. Lots

2356-2364.


19/40

408 Stobi in

Yugoslavian

Macedonia.

Excavations

ndResearch,

1977-78/

Wiseman

a predecessor

f the

ViaSacra

which evidently

ollowed

muchthe

samecourse

between

the

PortaHeraclea

and

the

site of the

Episcopal

Residence

FIGS. 4-5). We

may

no longer

speak

of the

later Episcopal

Basilica

as

hav-

ing been

imposed

upon

the earliergrid

of the

city, for

it

simply

approximates

he orientation

of

its predecessor,

BuildingA.

The

relationship

between

Buildings

C

andA

remains

to

be determined.

The

contextual

material

from

the

roomwest

of C3 suggests

a

private

rather han

a public

building.

If that

interpretation

tands, following

more

detailed

study

of the

material, here

is not

likely

to have

been a

directarchitectural

ink between

the

two struc-

tures.

In that

event C3

might

have bordered

a street

running

NW-SE (parallel

to

the predecessor

of

the Via

Sacra)

west of

Building

A;

the difference

in level

between

he

two buildings

was over

3 m. but could

have

been compensated

for

by stairways.45

f

the early

church,

Building

A, had an

atrium,

ts form

must

have

beenas anomalousas its successor.

3. Building

D and he

AreaSouth

of the

Basilica

The

north corridor

of

Building

D was

remodelled

some

time after

the middle

of

the 5th

century

A.C. to

create

a long,

apsidal

room

at about

the level

of the

narthex

of the

Episcopal

Basilica.The

floor

of the room

was

paved

with a

handsome

mosaic

and its

function

was

clearly

ecclesiastical.46

stairwaydescended

roma

landing

outside

the narthex,

entered

an

opening

cut

through

the north

wall of

Building

D, and

a passage

then wound

its way

through

the apsidal

basement

and

out through another opening in the east wall of

Building

D

intothe

courtarea that

lay to

the west

of the

Baptistery

FIG.

4).

Prior

to the

construction

of the

Episcopal

Basilica

on

the artificial

terrace,

the

part of

Building

D that

has

been excavated

had constituted

the

northern

colon-

naded

corridor

of

a large

building

that had been

con-

structed

n the

4th century

A.C.47

The

building

has

been

restored

as

a square

peristyle

ourtyard

n Figure

5, but

there

must have

been rooms

opening

off the

corridors

on the

south and

east.

Littleevidence

of earlier

occupa-

tion

in this

areawas found

in the

one trench

carried

o

45. As in

the case

of communication

betweenthe

later basilica's

narthexand

the Baptistery.

There

must have

been a similar

solution

to resolve

the

difference

between he

level of

the laterVia

Sacraand

the

EpiscopalResidence.

46.

W-MZ (1976)

290-91;Kolarik

and

Petrovski,

op. cit. (in

note 10)

93-103.

47.

Evidence

for the construction

date

comes

partly from

small

trenches

dug below

the apsidal

basement

n 1971,1972,

and 1978

by

V.

Anderson-Stojanovic,

. Snively,

and Z.

Beldedovski espectively.

Important

dditional

hronological

vidence

s presented

elow.

Figure15.

Leadpipe

eading

o earlier

piscina.

bedrock

below

the apsidal

area;48

edrock

(oblique

ay-

ers of

sandstone)

was reached

at

elevation

143.629/

143.389

m.,

ca. 1

m. below

the level

of a floor

appro

priate

or the corridor

of Building

D.

Building

D is oriented

to

the earlier

grid

patternof

the

city, as

is the Episcopal

Residence.49

One

of the

reasonsfor

digging

Atrium

X5 was

to investigate

he

possibility

of the existence

of

an early

streetfollowing

that orientation

o

the

NE from along

the

west side of

Building

D.

As we

haveseen,

if there

is a street

n that

area,

it must

follow

the rather

different

orientation

of

BuildingC.

Two slate

paving

slabs

at elevation

143.639

m.

in the triangular

paceformed

by the

basilica

errac

48.

Lot 2188with

contextual

material

f the late

4th century .C.

49. See

fig. S;cf. the

site plan n

W-MZ 1976)

272-73,

ig. 2.


20/40

Journal

of Field

Archaeology/

Vol.

5, 1978

409

wall and

the

northwall

of Building

D (east

end) may

represent

et another

street.50

Investigation

n 1978 n

the area

between

Building

D

and

the later

Baptistery

was

especially

rewarding

n in-

formation

about

the pre-basilica

period.

A number

of

trenches

were

dug to

the green

sandstone

bedrock,

whichin this arealies at ca. 142.3m.; a layerof green

sterile

clay

overlies

bedrock

o a depth

of 0.5-0.6

m.

The

earliest

eature ound

is

a portion

of a

drain hat

was constructed

sometime

after the

middle

of the

4th

century

A.C.5'

The drain,

which

sloped

down

from

NW

to

SE, had

side walls

of stone

and

ceramic

roof-tileand

brickfragments

et

in watertight,

pink

mortar horosan,

containing

crushed

brick);

ts

floorwas

made

of re-used

Laconian

roof tiles

at (lowest)

elevation

143.211

m. The

segment

of the drain

excavated

was found

near

theeast

wall of

Building

D and

its line

was cut

through

by the

trench

dug to

lay the

lead

waterpipe

whose

course

is

shown

n dashes

and

dotsin

Figure5.

Two

rubble

walls (EB

45-46)

with earth mortar,

bonded

and

perpendicular

o each

other,

werenext

to

occupy

this

area; a

use level

at

elevation

143.418/

143.464

m.

of earth

and crushed

brick

over

most

of the

southern

part of

this area

is to

be associated

with

the

walls.

These

walls, too,

must date

to the

middle

or late

4th

century.52

Sometime

evidentlynot

long

after the

construction

f

the

rubble

walls,

a narrow rench

was cut

on a line

ap-

proximately

E-Wthrough

the entire

area;

the

drainwas

cut through,

but Wall

46 was

tunnelled

under.

The

trench

was

dug to a

depth

of ca.

141.36

m., i.e., a full

meterinto the bedrock,and a lead pipe was laid in its

bottom

(FIG.

15). The

eastern

end

of the

pipe

was

removed

whenthe

Baptistery

was

firstconstructed,

but

the line

of the

trench,

if extended,

would fall

ap-

proximately

on

the center

of

a piscina,

first noted

in

1977, that

lies directly

below

the piscina

of the

Bap-

tistery

FIG.

5).

The

lead

pipeexposed

was a single

piece

over 3 m.

long.53

The

fill covering

the lead

pipe,

un-

disturbed

until

our excavation,

was

rich

in contextual

50.

Pottery

and other

material overing

he

possible

street evel

date

to the

late 4th-early

5th centuries:

Lot 2194.

The latestpottery

ound

below the

level of the

paving

slabs also

datesto

the late4th/early

5th

centuries:

Lot

2195.

51. Excavation

n

this areaand

below

the Baptistery

was

supervised

by Ruth

Kolarik.

Contextual

material

rom the

deposit

on whichthe

drainwasbuilt

s in

Lot 2275.

52.

Lots 2268-2270.

53.

A portionof

the pipe

2.0 m.

long was

removed rom

the trench

and entered

nto

the Stobi

inventory:

nv. No.

MF-78-137;

est.

D.

0.06-0.085

m. Th. 0.006

m.

Figure

16.

Glass bottle.Inv.

No. G-78-48.

Drawingby

DraganSto-

janovic.

The illustrations

re at an identical

cale.

material,

ncluding

nine

coins.54

Only two

of

the coins,

78-397

and

401,

had been cleaned

and read

by the

end

of

the 1978

season;

both

areissues

of Theodosius

I and

dateto

383-392

A.C.Other

material

upports

a

datenear

the

end of the

4th

century

including

the two

glass

vesselsand

the ceramic

dish

illustrated

here.

Cylindrical

glass

bottle,

Inv. No.

G-78-48.

Lot 2263.

FIG.

.

P.H. 0.266

m.

D. mouth 0.078

m.

D. body

0.087

m. In-

complete,

ca. 75%

preserved:

ase, rim

fragment,

and

part

of body

missing.

Pale

green,

transparent

glass

with

air

bubbles.

Thick

rim,

neck, and

shoulder;

body thin.

Funnel-

shaped

mouth with

thickened

rim

and long

neck. Single

thread

applied

at upperneck.

Rounded

shoulder

with slight

indentation

below.

Cylindrical

body

with

traces of light

brown

weathering.

The

bottle

is probably

a

product

of

Syria.

Isings

(C. Isings,

Roman

Glass

from

Dated

Finds

54.

Lot 2263

betweenrubble

Wall

46 and

Wall 13

(the latter s

the

original est

wall of

the Baptistery;

ee below,

Section

3C.7):

Coin

Nos. 78-385,

388,

389, 397-99,

565;Lot

2272(west

of rubble

Wall

46):

Coin Nos.

78-400,401.


21/40

410 Stobi

in Yugoslavian

Macedonia.

Excavations

ndResearch,

1977-78/

Wiseman

[Groningen

1957])Form

132, pp.

160-61,dated to

the 2nd

half of

the 4th

centuryand early

5th century

A.C. Cf. also

D B.

Harden,

Roman Glass

from Karanis (U

niv. of

MichiganStudies,

HumanisticSeries,

vol. XLI, Ann

Arbor

1936),

P1. 19, No.

688, dated to

the 4th century.

This form

appearsmore

often with

two handles:cf. A.

Cermanovic

Kuzmanovic,"LateRomanGlass from Doclea,"ArchJu

9

Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia Archaeological Excavations and Research, 1977-78

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Transcript of Stobi in Yugoslavian Macedonia Archaeological Excavations and Research, 1977-78