Architectural fragments from Callatis. New discoveries of Doric architecture

Abstract

Eight Doric architectural fragments have been discovered recently in a rescue excavation campaign in Mangalia, re-used in the structure of an Early Christian cist grave. Their stylistic and morphological characteristics suggest a provenance from the same monument or built environment as the other two known fragments of architrave-friezes, incorporated in the permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum of Callatis. The inventory of fastening cuttings and tool traces indicated several hypothesis regarding their assemblage and preliminary observations on the architectural characteristics of the provenance monument. The discovery of this homogenous group of architectural blocks thus confirms and strengthens the perspective of an important Hellenistic Doric monument or architectural ensemble in Callatis, supporting the older hypothesis regarding a dominant presence of the Doric in the left Pontus cities.