Colonnaded Street and Nymphaeum, Leptis Magna
The Monumental Route and Fountain Built to Honour Septimius Severus
Aug 2, 2009
Leptis Magna’s colonnaded street and nymphaeum or fountain are two of its most impressive monuments. Both were constructed to celebrate the visit of Septimius Severus to his hometown in the 3rd century AD.
In terms of scale and design, neither is equalled by equivalent city features elsewhere in the roman near east. Both represent the city at the height of its power. The nymphaeum also played a part in its fall.
The Colonnaded Street, Leptis Magna
This was a monumental route constructed by Septimius Severus to link the harbour of Leptis Magna to the main area of the city. It terminated in a square near the Baths of Hadrian.
The design of the street originated from Julia Domina, Septimius Severus’s Syrian wife. It became typical for monumental streets in the Roman Middle East but no other city’s equalled the example at Leptis Magna.
The street was constructed from 125 columns of white cipolin marble that flanked either side of the 20.5 m wide roadway. The columns formed two lateral porticos that ran for nearly 400m through the city. What made it unusual was the fact that the columns of the porticos were toped not with architraves but arches.
The route of the street had to be bent to accommodate the pre-existing Baths of Hadrian before terminating in the square in front of it. This termination was marked by a monumental fountain or nymphaeum.
The Nymphaeum
This ornamental fountain was built just outside the Baths of Hadrian on the south side of the square that marked the termination point of the colonnaded street. Its faced was elaborate and designed to resemble that of a Roman theatre.
The fountain had a semi circular facade and was decorated with two rows of columns. The lower tiers were of cipolin marble whilst the upper were constructed of red granite. In between each pair of columns were niches for statues.
In front, instead of a stage was the fountain bowl. This was separated from the street by a balustrade covered with decorated herms. Interestingly, many of these herms were not completed because of the time constraints in place before the arrival of the emperor.
A staircase at the back of the nymphaeum offered access allowed unprecedented views over the city. Yet the nymphaeum was not simply a decorative feature. Its rear wall was faced with marble but hide a thick concrete core. This was because the wall backed onto the city’s wadi or river and acted as part of the dam that held it in check. This wall was breached during the earthquake of 365AD and led to the flooding of the city that began its decline.
Sources
Leptis Magna by Oriana Dal Bosca (2004). Ananke: Italy
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