Un autre dispositif portuaire à Paphos ?

Abstract

The founding of the New Paphos harbour at the end of the 4th century B.C. and its description by the author of Stadiasmus has been widely discussed. The majority of researchers agree on its location in the south part of the ancient city, under the present port of Paphos. Recent observations outside the northwest gate suggest that the harbour was completed by other harbour installations in this sector of the Hellenistic city, in front of the west rempart. They may have been careenage docks intended to maintain or fit out the military fleet. Some of the fortified harbour installations may have been undertaken during the 2nd century B.C. when Paphos became the seat of the Lagide strategos or after 145 B.C. when the Ptolemaic fleet was gathered there. They seem to have been in use until the end of the Hellenistic period. The decision to suppress them under a thick rubble fill while proceeding to reconstruct the south harbour may have been due to their gradual silting by sediment deposits and, especially, the effects of one of the late 1st century B.C. earthquakes. From then on, these docks served as a ditch in front of the reconstructed walls with its new towers at the beginning of the Empire.