Processional Street

Babylonian processional street in cross section

Since ancient times, boulevards have been referred to as processional streets, which were used for religious and cult ceremonies . Processional routes are proven in the ancient high cultures of the Babylonians , the Greeks , the Romans , the Egyptians and the Celts .

The most famous of its kind include the processional street in front of the Ishtar Gate in Babylon and the processional street from the Temple of Amun-Re in Karnak. The boulevard in Babylon was used for festivals such as the procession of the gods. In terms of its construction, it differs significantly from the road construction method customary at the time. The pavement consisted of magnificently decorated paving stones that were laid on a bed of asphalt mortar .

• 

  Model of the Babylonian Processional Street with Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum , Berlin

• 

  The Via Sacra (Holy Street) in Delphi

• 

  The Via Sacra in the Roman Forum

literature

• F. Boemer: Pompae . In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Antiquities . Rework 1952. Vol 21.2.