b. Urbanism in Roman and Islamic times
2. Qanawat

Qanawat/Kanatha. Studies on urbanism in an ancient city in southern Syria from Roman Imperial times to Late Antiquity

Location

The site of Qanawat (Kanatha) is located 7 km northeast of the district capital Suweida, ancient Dionysias-Soada, and 85 km southeast of Damascus. It is situated on the northwestern flank of the Jabal al-'Arab, a volcanic basalt massif, at a height of c. 1200 m.

History

The form and infrastructure of settlements from pre-Roman times in this area are still scarcely known today. Since time immemorial Kanatha was a favoured site for settlement due to its abundant supply of water. Water from the Wadi al-Ghar could be used temporarily, while underground canals, cisterns and open basins hewn into the natural basalt rock guaranteed permanent water supply. Spring and rain water was collected in the catchment basin near Seeia, located 2.5 km southeast of Kanatha and channelled by means of several subterranean canals, so-called 'kanats', over a stretch of c. 5 km to the lower lying Kanatha. Seen against this background, this explains the ancient name of the site 'Kanatha', which like the common name 'Qanawčt' in Arabic and Persian, denotes underground canals. Already under the influence of Hellenism during Seleucid rule, Kanatha was one of the cities of the Decapolis in the 1st century BC. In 63 BC it was placed under the administration of the province of Syria, established by Pompeius. Shortly thereafter Kanatha was the sole city among numerous localities in the Auranitis/Hauran, the present-day region of Jabal al-'Arab, to receive the status of a city with municipal administration. During the Roman Imperial period it retained this status. During the 3rd century AD the city enjoyed new prosperity under the rule of the Severan emperors. It held an authoritative position as a bishopric in Byzantine times until the 7th century as well. 

Objectives

In 1997 a Syrian-German cooperative project was undertaken, which is devoted to research on the settlement history of ancient Kanatha, from the late Hellenistic period to Late Antiquity. Since then ten expedition of surveys and excavations have been conducted in important areas of Kanatha and significant structures documented, in order to gain knowledge about urban development and daily life in the ancient city. It is intended that the find contexts should be compared with other urban centres from Roman times in the Mediterranean world, under the aspect of whether the city image of Kanatha resembles common, widespread models or whether it represents an individual, original form of settlement. Field work for urban studies in Kanatha was completed in 2004. Assessments of the architecture, disposition and small finds are still in progress. Two entire geodetical plans as well as 3-D models of the ancient structures in Kanatha and Seeia have been completed. 

Results

	Fig. 1 Kanatha, upper city, sanctuary, 3-D model
	Fig. 2 Kanatha, Seraya, west temple, schematic groundplan
	Fig. 3 Kanatha, Seraya, west temple, adyton, masonry
	Fig. 4 Kanatha, Seraya, depot with incorporated walls of the east temple in situ
	Fig. 5 Kanatha, Seraya, east temple, front. When rebuilt into a church, spoliae were used for the former front of the east temple (red) and a new upper storey was added
	Fig. 6 . Seeia, sanctuary, 3-D model

"Serail", "West Temple"
The remains of four monumental temples could be attested in the upper city of Kanatha. Recent work at the site has concentrated on the church complexes, designated as "seraya", which were built into two temples from the early Imperial period (Fig. 1). The structure in the west is a prostyle temple, which like the temple of Zeus Megistos is oriented towards the south (Fig. 2). Before its front in the north is an entrance hall with six towering columns in the Corinthian order. The façade was broken by three entries that provided access to a very deep fore cella with three aisles. In front of the back wall a naos rises in the centre, flanked by two chambers that open onto the fore cella. The adyton has the form of a monumental apsis with three conch-shaped niches in which cult statues stood upon a raised floor (Fig. 3). The tripartite division of the adyton indicates that a deity trio was worshipped there. Under the naos is a corridor that connects with an entrance to the flanking chamber in the east. A circular stairway in the western chamber leads to the roof of the naos. Two doors on the east side of the fore cella and a further door in the eastern chamber enable direct access to the colonnaded court to the east. In view of the architectural disposition, the numerous accesses, the underground corridor and the stairway served in ritual activities, thereby imaginably foremost processions. The work and constructional techniques in the masonry of the naos, well comparable with the terrace wall of the sanctuary in Seeia, strongly suggests a date in the second half of the 1st century BC. During Severan rule the sacred structure was enclosed with new exterior walls and the colonnaded entrance hall received a Corinthian order. Ornamental architectural components from the late Hellenistic and Severan phases are still preserved. In early Christian times this pagan structure as well as west temple were rebuilt into a church that was oriented to the east. Thereby, the former adyton now functioned as a side chapel.

"Serail", "East Temple"
During the last expedition in Kanatha a further ancient temple at the southern end of the colonnaded courtyard in the "seraya" was discovered. Today this area serves as a depot for storing the stone finds from Kanatha. Thereby, original parts of the back wall in the south and the long walls in the east and west were incorporated into the new building (Fig. 4). Historical photographs from the 19th century show the still preserved tract of the naos of the temple, which as Marquis de Vogüé correctly determined, ended in an apsis on the south side. In front of the apsis on both sides were two chambers that opened onto the fore cella. There stood two rows of seven columns in Doric order, which were exactly in line with the eastern and western colonnade in the courtyard. The wall running between the colonnaded court in the north and the fore cella in the south is not Late Antique date and constructed of spoliae, as erroneously assumed. Instead it is the original façade of the original temple, which only with the rebuilding of the pagan sacred structure into a church was decorated with reused architectural components from older buildings and enlarged with a new upper storey (Fig. 5).
The lowest terrace, which surpasses the other two terrace by far in size, did not serve religious functions exclusively (Fig. 1). The monumental fore court to the north of both temples, a further open square west of the west temple and two gates on the west and east side of the precinct, which functioned as entrances to the courts, indicated that this sanctuary was connected with a large marketplace. Association with the market district of the sanctuary shows the close link between the mercantile and the religious function, which had a long tradition in the East. Among the most renowned examples from late Hellenistic and early Imperial times are the Temple of Herod in Jerusalem, the sanctuary of Jupiter in Damascus and the sanctuary of Zeu Uranios in Baitokaike. The other two sanctuaries situated on higher land in the upper city of Kanatha were enclosed hermetically by a defense-like wall; the complexes probably were used exclusively for cult activities. From the market area on the lowest terrace, likely accessible to all of the faithful, the way proceeded up to the second terrace as far as the holiest of places, the elevated temple that was dedicated to the highest god of Kanatha, Zeus Megistos. Mostly concealed from view by the defense-like walls, the last-mentioned cult buildings could be accessed only after passing through the districts.

In its disposition the entire assemblage of late Hellenistic cult structures is comparable with the sanctuary in Seeia, 3 km southeast of Kanatha, which also belongs to the territory of the city (Fig. 6). The complex in Seeia extends over three successively arranged, fan-shaped terraces on a rocky plateau in a prominent location. Upon each terrace stood a temple, whose holy sanctuary could be entered through a monumental gate. The most important cultic building of the sanctuary was the temple of Baalshamin, located at the end of the rocky spur upon the uppermost plateau. As in Kanatha, the way leading from the lowest terrace to the highest ranking precinct played an important role in processions. In all probability, both complexes were conceptualised together around the middle of the 1st century BC, whereby the complex at Seeia presumably functioned as extra urban sanctuary of Kanatha. Both complexes were connected by a road, which during the festivities was likely used as a processional way.

"Peripteral Temple"
Excavations at the sanctuary of the "peripteral temple" in spring 2002 brought forth evidence of the crytoporticus, which is located on west terrace behind the back wall of the temple, between the terrace wall and the temenos wall, some 3 m to the west. The crytoporticus, however, not ran only along the west side, but also along the other three sides of the sanctuary terrace. Presumably it was covered with beams of basalt. The collapse of the temple of the 3rd century also damaged the crytoporticus, but it was not restored. Upon the abandonment of the sanctuary, small storage rooms were built between the walls.

Structures upon the eastern terrace of Wadi el-Ghar
Outside of the ancient settlement Kanatha are other structures, located upon a terraced area on the eastern slope of the Wadi el-Ghar: a nymphaeum and 70 m to the north a small theatre. The first building consists of a barrel-vaulted chamber, whose open front is oriented towards the west to the Wadi. The interior is divided into two-storeys; on the lower level is a basin with an inflow on the east side and outflow on the north side. In view of the groundplan and design that resembles central Italian chamber nymphaea of the 1st century BC, the building was probably erected during this time. Chronological evidence is provided by construction techniques in the masonry and the form of the mouldings. It can be presumed that the place was a traditional sanctuary to nature, which was expanded into a representative work within a monumental architectural setting in the late 1st century BC. A nymphaeum was erected above the spring's grotto which functioned both as a cistern and a cultic building. The sacred character of the structure is manifested formally as well through the arrangement of the front with the anta walls. In the course of monumentalising the complex, the theatre was erected; the technique and design of its ashlar masonry are identical with that of the nymphaeum. Both structures are components of a uniform conceptualised assemblage, which moreover was connected with a large canal and water supply system. It cannot be excluded that portable images of deities were brought from the nymphaeum to the theatre during processions and other ceremonies and there ritually cleansed in the presence of the cultic community. Like the large sanctuaries in Kanatha, the small theatre was renovated during early Severan times. The large inscription of the sponsor is found in the front wall of the orchestra, according whose text a proedros by the name of Marcos Ulpios Lysias, son of Ikauros, contributed 10,000 dinars from his own funds towards the construction costs of the theatre. The donor's position as chairman of the city council of Kanatha and the designation of the building as 'odeon' in the inscription support the estimation that the theatre was also used for assemblies of the city councillors.

Summary
Around the middle of the 1st century BC, when Kanatha received the rank of polis, the city was expanded in a monumental fashion. For the inhabitants of Kanatha the privilege of the status of city signified a considerable enhancement, above all since scarcely another city in the Auranitis possessed this rank at the close of the Hellenistic period. The new political and social position, which presumably fostered economical growth, caused a change in the self-consciousness of the population of the city and the surroundings. As members of the Roman world the local dignitaries, who as party members of Rome wished to profit from the new political constellation, endeavoured to define themselves anew, by improving their own material culture with formal and technical standards prevalent in centres of the Mediterranean World. It was the ambition of the contractors, to furnish traditional places of cult in the upper city and on the east slope of Wadi el-Ghar with a luxurious architectural setting, in which they could worship their own local deities with their accustomed cult practices. The political and cultural self-awareness of citizens of the polis Kanatha manifested itself not only in the new sacred buildings, but also in the infrastructural expansion of roads and the water supply. A similar situation can be postulated for urban dwellings and rural residences, whose contexts, however, still must be clarified in future investigations.  

Cooperation

Direction Générale des Antiquités et des Musées de la Syrie (DGAMS)

Scientific collaboration

Dipl.-Ing. C. Ertel, Wien
Dipl.-Ing. A. Darwisch, Damascus
V. Schnitzer, Bammental
Prof. Dr. Th. Fischer, Archäologisches Seminar der Universität zu Köln
Dr. R. Förtsch, Forschungsarchiv für Antike Plastik der Universität zu Köln
Prof. Dr. K. Schnädelbach, Th. Wunderlich, Institut für Geodäsie der Technischen Universität München
Dr. M. Stephani, Institut für Fotogrammetrie der Technischen Universität München
V. Hinz, S. Franz, Technische Universität München (Herstellung der 3 D-Modelle) 

Further Contact Partners

Prof. Dr. Klaus Stefan Freyberger
Klassische Archäologie
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom, Via Sardegna 79, 00187 Roma
Telefon: + 39-06-488814-1
Telefax: + 39-06-4884973
Email: freyberger@rom.dainst.org

Bibliography

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