Upper Agora: July 7-12, 2006

Surface markings shows that the Tychaion on the Upper Agora was slightly re-arranged, probably at the time of its fourth century A.D. transformation. The original structure, located in the middle of the square's south side, consisted of four pedestals forming a square support for Ionic columns and an elegant entablature. The entablature, in turn, carried a cassette roof below a leaf covered canopy roof, supporting a pinnacle on the very top. The date was determined from the architectural decoration of the small monument; Peter Talloen identified its similarity to the Tychaion represented on local city coins. During the later fourth century, the monument was recycled: the original pedestal and divine statue were replaced by a reused statue pedestal for an agoranomos (supervisor of the agora), and rededicated consecutively to two empresses. The first was most likely Constantia (A.D. 374-383), daughter of the emperor Constantius II, and the second was Flavia Eudoxia (A.D. 395-404), wife of Arcadius II. The two pedestals on the north side were dedicated to the emperors Gratianus (A.D. 367-383), husband of Constantia, and to his co-ruler Valentinianus II (A.D. 375-392). A detailed study of the monument and its surroundings showed that among other things, a column base or pedestal has been removed from the center of the eastern side. This is likely to have been the original position of the altar--removed later to "de-paganize" the structure.