Archaeological Discoveries-Roman Bath Dating Back to the Hellenistic Era Unearthed in Syria

posted on: Oct 17, 2009

Archaeological excavations at the northern part of Iz al-Din al-Qassam School near the ancient Roman Theater uncovered a Roman bath of 725 square meters including many platforms in Jableh city near Lattakia (Syrian Coast).
The building walls were built of trimmed stones in which a stone well and sewing shop dating back to the Hellenistic era from the 1st century to the 3rd century B. C. were found, Director of Antiquities and Museums in Jableh Ibrahim Kheir Beik said on Thursday .

The platforms uncovered date back to the Ottoman, Mamluk, Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic periods, the bath belongs to the Hellenistic time whereas the building to the Roman times. The site covers 6000 square meters of which 2000 m2 were excavated.

Excavation works revealed a huge architectural unit of a bath built with sandstones of 1,16m x 60 cm surrounded by two walls of 2,10 m wide to the north and south.

The building consists of many parts, the most important of which is the internal bath, main hall with a half circle bath basin to the east. The hall is related to another through small channels to allow hot air entering. At the eastern part, a big rectangular basin and a small one to the north were also unearthed.

The halls have marble floors with channels for the passage of hot air and two fireplaces to the east and other two to the south and west to warm the bath floor.

At the northern part, six halls surrounding the main bath were scattered one of which was paved with mosaic in which a stone water drainage channel to the south west of the room was discovered.

Archeological findings in this room include red pottery bowl, glass pieces of bottles and cups as well as pottery pieces of jars and lamps.

A water drainage channel was discovered to the south west of the building engraved in rocks which thought to be one of the main channels of the city during the Classic ages.

Pottery jars and bowls, pieces of bottles and bronze coins date back to the Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic times as well as bone fasteners, gold necklace, some pottery lamps were among the discoveries.(SANA)

Global Arab Network