PATRAS - 2000

Patras, 104−06 Boukaouri Street (Amitsi property). L. Papakosta (Στ' ΕΠΚΑ) reports the continuation of a Roman cobbled road previously discovered to the north (120 Boukaouri Street: ADelt 52 [1997] Chr, 275−76) (Fig. 1: site 5). In the road surface were two terracotta pipes and a lead drinking-water pipe, and below these, the main sewer line. (Figs 2-3).

Along the length of the road to the east were three adjacent rooms of a hypocaust which probably forms part of a larger public bath complex (noting previous discoveries at 101 Boukaouri Street: ADelt 53 [1998] Chr, 256). The building was used continuously from the Early to Late Roman periods: it had at least three successive floors, and changes were made to the hypocaust structure, the hot air conduits and the opening to the praefurnium, as well as to the walls of the building. (Fig. 4). The rooms on either side of the hypocaust had some four floor surfaces of which two were cobbled and the other two paved in marble (probably with at least two cisterns). Two further floors (one with white mosaic and the other marble paving) probably belong to adjunct rooms. A Christian tomb, remains of Byzantine walls and an Ottoman kalderimi on the same orientation as the Roman road demonstrate the continuous use of this area.

A continuation of a large sewer channel from the bath complex at 101 Boukaouri Street is reported at Karatza Street, between Boukaouri and Agiou Dimitriou. Below it was a continuation of the Hellenistic cobbled street previously discovered at 109 Boukaouri and Karatza Streets (ADelt 34 [1979] Chr, 134).