Saranda Kolones
Saranda Kolones ( Greek Σαράντα Κολώνες = '40 pillars') is a Byzantine fort near the port of Nea Paphos in Cyprus .
The Kastron got its name after the 40 monolithic columns of Roman design that were used again in the construction. They can be found as a substructure for the access to the outer courtyard of the castle, as door sills, or, when worked, as barriers for feeding cribs in the stables. The original use of these mighty columns becomes clear on a tour of the area of the former agora , as well as the specimens standing in situ at the Chrysopolitissa church.
Possibly the fortress was built at the time of Heraclios (Eastern Roman Emperor from 610 to 640). After the sacking by the Arabs and the treaty for the demilitarization of Cyprus concluded between Justinian II and the Caliph Abd al Malik in 688, the castle stood empty for a long time. After the island was recaptured by the Byzantines in the 10th century, more precisely after Alexios I took measures to secure the island around 1100, Saranta Kolones was used again. When the crusaders under Richard the Lionheart took the island in 1191 , the Byzantine garrison gave them the “Castellum quod dicitur Baffes”. Under Franconian rule, some structural changes were made, the existence of which was put to an end by an earthquake in 1222, whereby the Kastron was used as a quarry .
Excavations from 1983 allow a second guess as to the date of origin. Then the well-known Byzantine phrourion: (= fortress) or castellum could possibly be looked for in a completely different place. Ceramic and coin finds suggest that Saranta Kolones was made at the time of the House of Lusignan , i.e. after 1191. This assumption is supported by the fact that the plan by Saranta Kolones reflects, on a smaller scale , Belvoir Castle from the late 12th century , located above the Jordan Valley .
One enters the complex via the access ramp, which cuts through the approximately three meter thick outer wall south of the north-west tower and one arrives at the outer castle, which is approximately 70 m long. Its outer wall ring has eight differently shaped bastions with loopholes. The access to the wall was in the middle tower on the east flank. The side gates in the outer ring of the wall led into the moat.
The scheme of the outer wall ring is repeated in the inner castle. A square with a side length of about 35 m is joined by four mighty rectangular tower foundation walls at the corners. The entrance to the inner castle is in a horseshoe-shaped gate on the east side. This east-facing apse suggests the presence of a castle chapel in this section. A building area around an inner courtyard adjoins the gate. In the passage to the inner courtyard, south of it and in the building complex on the other side of the courtyard, feeding cribs point to stables. To the north of the passage there are remains of a round paving that point to a Göpel mill. Towards the courtyard, the inner four walls rested on six pylons. A double latrine was built into three of them. An arch was able to be reconstructed between the southwestern and the next pylon. Thereafter, the lower rooms had barrel vaults, which were structured by arched templates. Next to the arch in the inner courtyard is the staircase to the non-reconstructable upper floor. On the northern side of the courtyard, as well as from the north-west corner of the building, a staircase leads to a facility known as a steam bath, which could also have been used for sugar production. A molasses jar found in this area indicates that sugar was prepared before 1222. The space under the west wing is partially taken up by a cistern . Another cistern outside the inner castle was accessible via a staircase in the southwest corner of the west wing. Several wells were also used for the water supply.
literature
- Arthur HS Megaw : Excavations at Saranda Kolones, Paphos: Preliminary Report on the 1966-67 and 1970-71 Seasons. In: Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. 1971, pp. 117-146.
- Arthur HS Megaw: Supplementary Excavations on a Castle Site at Paphos, Cyprus, 1970-1971. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers. Volume 26, 1972, pp. 322-343
- Arthur HS Megaw: Saranda Kolones. In: Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. 1982, pp. 210-216.
- Arthur HS Megaw: Saranda Kolones: Ceramic Evidence for the Construction Date. In: Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus. 1984, pp. 333-340.
- Arthur HS Megaw, John W. Hayes : Hellenistic and Roman Pottery Deposits from the 'Saranda Kolones' Castle Site at Paphos. In: The Annual of the British School at Athens . Volume 98, 2003, pp. 447-516
- John Rosser: Excavations at Saranda Kolones, Paphos, Cyprus, 1981-1983. In: Dumbarton Oaks Papers. Volume 39, 1985, pp. 81-97.
Web links
Coordinates: 34 ° 45 ′ 27.3 " N , 32 ° 24 ′ 34.9" E