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The
Hill of Markellos |
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The Northeastern Gate of Palaipaphos possessed a dominating position
above the city at the hill of Markellos and it constituted one of
the bulwarks of the ancient fortifications.
It is found near the street to the village Arhimandita, at a distance
of 600 meters from the village. At the sides of the Gate, recent excavations
brought in the light complicate works that give live pictures of its
technical siege at the antiquity and they lend uniqueness in the space
of Markellos.
The defensive work that was revealed in the region includes the Gate
and its possessed departments of the walls of the city with a rectangular
tower. They had been erected initially at the Archaic period (around
in 700 BC) and then were built again and were repaired many times
until they became useless just afterwards 300 BC. The first walls
had been manufactured from drained bricks on stone made bases, but
later (6th century BC) they were invested with stones and this investment
it is partly maintained in its internal side walls of the city up
to 2 meters. Near the gate, its internal aspect walls were built again
with carved stones at the 4th century BC. The wall of city had important
thickness, 6.30 meters, a narrow and land ditch (depth of 4 meters
and width of bigger than 10 meters) from the front wall, and it constituted
additional aid of fortifications. The Gate itself was a powerful building
cluster. Its walls are maintained only at a height of one meter, but
the ground plan and its provision are absolutely obvious. The street
that leads to the city passes through a narrow crossing with an abrupt
double turning-point, who could be covered from crossed fires from
the rampant of bastions: such a manufacture served more the requirements
of defense despite the needs of circulation in a period of peace.
Deep imprints of wheels at the corner stone of the internal rampant
show how close the cabs were passing.
Initially the Gate had width of 12.50 meters and it was framed by
two bulky rampant that were extended from the wall of the town. Before
1500 BC they were added, the external and the internal bastion. The
4th century, at the duration of the general reconstruction of the
fortifications, the foreheads of bastions were strengthened, the exterior
passage was limited in 2.80 meters and there were as built three observatories
(viewpoints). These were used by the guard as deposits and cook shops,
as it is shown by certain hearths and many earthen utensils and bones
of animals that were found there. In the internal passage of gate
they are saved residues of the entry door itself with a block of stone
that constituted the threshold Precocious Archaic period (7th century
BC) with rectangular notches for frame of the door and a circular
cavity in which the faucets of wooden doors turned, as well as other
thresholds of the Later Archaic period (for use in case of siege)
with deep imprints of wheels and similar notches.
The entire the region outside the walls, from the Gate to a point
beyond the tower, was covered by the impressive residues of a dyke
that had been manufactured by the Persian army, during its attack
against Palaipaphos at 498 BC. The historical writer Herodotos simply
reports such an attack. The Persians during their attack destroyed
one important holy altar outside the walls and used the building material
together with clay and branches of trees to fill up the ditch. Hundreds
splinters from altars, votive columns, syllable signs and Archaic
sculptures came out from the dyke, between that a head of exceptional
quality that portrays one of the Archpriest' Kings of Paphos.
Five hundred almost copper and iron peaks of arrows as well as a Greek
copper helmet of Corinthian type, that is dated around in the 500
AC, they testify the horrible battle that was given for the manufacture
of the dyke. As it appears in the Assyriac lively, the aim of such
a dyke was the promotion of wooden towers from the top of which the
defending people from the walls the city could be neutralized with
continuous fires. This method of attack explains the countermeasures
adopted by the Greeks of Paphos: the skilful excavation of sewers
trying to destroy the dyke and the tower. The dyke and also the sewers
were the most horrible arms of the tactic that was lend to the Persians,
and later to the Greeks, from the Assyrians. They have been often
described by ancient writers and remained in use, until the season
of Crusaders, but for first time, they were revealed in Palaipaphos
by an excavation.
Three tunnels that were opened in the rock had undermined the dyke
and they passed under the wall of the city, with an underground passage
that had been made and with a fourth tunnel that begins precisely
under the threshold of the Gate. The tunnel 1, that is maintained
entire in its initial condition, with certain props from mortar near
its entry, it shows better the methods that were used. In the internal
side of the wall of the city a ditch had been opened up of depth 2.80
meters under its base walls ? off-hand walls in the orifice of the
tunnel, they prevented the slipping of gravel in the tunnel. The tunnel,
width 1.20 – 2.30, moved to the soft rock, until the seabed of the
ditch. In certain places of the walls of the tunnel, they were found
lighters from the archaic years that were useful for the lighting
of the tunnel. Through the tunnel then, as much as possible material
was removed from the dyke and the void that was created was supported
with wooden bars that were based on bricks.
Finally, with certain flammable substance that was transported in
big copper boilers (such boilers have been found in utmost tunnel
1 and tunnel 3, as well at the passage), the wooden bars were burned,
causing thus sudden subsidence of a part of the dyke, in order to
destroy the wooden tower of the attacking Persians. As the tunnels
functioned obviously, as burners the fire was so much intense at some
departments of the dyke above the boilers that they were altered in
a compact mass of limestone rocks and plaster.
We do not know how much the brilliant defensive subterfuge of Paphian
people achieved to reverse the tower of the Persians. In any case,
the success should be limited. As showed by the excavations, the Gate
was forced and it was burned by the enemies and the Herodotos also
reports the final occupation of all the Greek cities. When the residents
of Palaipaphos built again their fortifications in the 4th century
BC, obviously they considered the difficulty to move the enormous
volume of the dyke. Instead of this they included it in the fortifications
as a big rampant, erecting the surrounding wall around it. Afterwards
the destroy of the fortifications, the Romans manufactured a street
and guide of water from earthen pipes above the ruins of the Gate.
The street from the village Kouklia to the village Arhimandrita and
the villages that are found higher in the valley of Diarizos, it followed
the same way until 1929, testimony of perseverance of persons in the
use of traditional streets.
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