Local Patterns and Syrian influences in the colonnaded streets of Roman Ciliicia and Pamphylia

Colonnaded streets, whose Syrian origin is well known, are a monumental feature recurring in several Roman cities of south-eastern Anatolia, both in Cilicia and in Pamphylia. These expensive infrastructures were at the same time monumental buildings, contributing to the decor of ancient cities, and functional structures whose utilitas has often been underestimated. Starting from the oldest attested case, that of Antioch on the Orontes dating back to Augustan-Tiberian age, colonnaded streets were constructed in most Syrian cities, mainly from the late 1st or early 2nd century A.D., but also in many urban centres of Asia Minor. This paper aims at analysing how mutual influences between Syria and Asia Minor affected the diffusion of colonnaded streets in Cilicia and Pamphylia and if these regions, because of their position at a crossroads, played a key role within this process. Moreover the specific characteristics in building and architecture of colonnaded streets in south-eastern Anatolia will be taken into account, with the aim of trying to outline how and at which extent they referred to Syrian models or, on the contrary, to peculiar regional features. For instance, the presence in some Cilician sites of consoles for statues inserted in the column drums (which is quite unattested elsewhere) seems to be a clear imitation of Syrian monuments, such as those of Palmyra and Apamea. But other elements point to a local adaptation of an imported model.