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syria, palestine and mesopotamia 603
further evidence from Jerusalem, where Justinian laid out or extended a
broad, new colonnaded cardo or main paved thoroughfare to lead to the
portico of his Nea church. 46 Chroniclers of the period also record numerous
instances where the emperors sent money or remitted taxes to aid
rebuilding after earthquakes or other disasters.
A particular problem is posed by the buildings at Androna (al-Andarin)
and Qasr Ibn Wardan (ancient name unknown), on the fringes of the desert
north-east of Hama. At Androna there is a series of churches, two of
which are dated to the sixth century, and a square barracks built by ‘the
most estimable Thomas’ in 558. At Qasr Ibn Wardan there is a church,
palace and barracks complex of great elegance and sophistication with an
inscription of 564. Unfortunately, nothing more is known of Thomas, and
we have no idea of the name of the builder of Qasr Ibn Wardan. 47 Given
the complete absence of literary or epigraphic evidence, there is no reason
to assume that these buildings were imperial fortifications, especially as
there is little evidence for imperial building of any kind in the near east in
the last decade of Justinian’s reign. We should probably ascribe these largescale
projects to local initiative – the governor, a local magnate or the
Ghassānids.
Government patronage extended to individual buildings, although after
the mid fifth century these are mostly churches. Among the most impressive
projects were Zeno’s patronage of the building of the great church of
St Symeon Stylites in the limestone hills between Antioch and Aleppo (c.
476–91) and Justinian’s vast Nea (dedicated 543) in Jerusalem, 48 both of
them new foundations, but humbler establishments also benefited, as can
be seen from the example of the monastery of Qartmin, on the remote
Tigris frontier, where the main church, which still survives, was constructed
by the emperor Anastasius. 49
Imperial building activity can also be seen in fortifications. The threat of
Persian attacks meant that Justinian’s government reconstructed the walls
of Antioch and Apamea. In Edessa the damage done by the disastrous
flood of 525 was repaired by Justin I and Justinian, who restored the walls
and the cathedral and built a dam to divert the flood-water of the river
Scirtos which still exists today. 50 Imposing fortifications were constructed
at Sergiopolis in the Syrian desert and Birtha on the Euphrates. At
Sergiopolis, these consisted of a vast rectangle of walls 500 �400 metres
which contained the city with its churches, including the great basilica of
the Holy Cross, dedicated in 559. At Birtha, a triangle of impressive walls
46 Avigad (1984) 213–29.
47 The best discussion of these buildings is still in Butler (1907–20) Section B, pp. 47–63.
48 On the building history of the shrine of St Symeon: Tchalenko, Villages i.223–76; for the Nea:
Avigad (1984) 229–46; on Syrian stylites and their architectural remains: Peña, Castellana and Fernandez
(1987). 49 Palmer (1990) 113–48. 50 Segal (1970) 187–9.
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