Comparative study of ancient shops in the agora of Philippopolis and the imperial Roman thermae of Odessos

Abstract

This publication, based on partial surveys on two large scale ancient archaeological objects on the Balkan peninsula, aims to clarify the similarities and the differences of the shops in these large-scale ancient public buildings. Specifically, the shops approached by us were at the southern facade in the forum of Philippopolis and at the northern facade of the Imperial Roman Thermae of Odessos. From the available artefacts (for example, the stone thresholds) conclusions have been drawn about the unpreserved wooden elements. The Roman culture in the lands of contemporary Bulgaria inherited the Hellenic and the local Thracian culture. The two large-scale archaeological sites are the forum of Philippopolis (the contemporary city of Plovdiv), and the Imperial Roman Thermae in Odessos (the contemporary city of Varna). In spite of the wider cultural frame during development of the agora of the Hellenistic Philippopolis into a forum in the Roman period, the function of the public space was not changed, incl. the commercial function and the building structure of the shops, as well as the elements on their entrances, and partially the thresholds. The difference in the shape of the thresholds at both archaeological sites is not caused by the difference of their architectural schemes. The entrances of the shops in the forum are accessible from the inner space of the portico around the antique square called "area". On the contrary, the shops in the Imperial Roman Thermae of Odessos are located on the periphery of the building and are accessible from the streets surrounding the building outside. The main difference is caused by the structures of both buildings. The shops of the agora of Philippopolis lie on the ground, and during the following renovations the new elements are placed over the old ones. The thresholds of the shops of the Roman Thermae are placed over openings for ensuring a ventilation of the large structural gallery, supporting the heavy northern wall of the biggest hall of the thermae. Although focused on a limited topic, this publication gives concrete examples of how the function and construction of large ancient buildings affected their smallest architectural details.