Moment in Time: WINDOWS 2 NOWHERE

Ruins galore in the Old City of Jerusalem at the Jewish Quarter.
The quarter has had a rich history,
with a nearly continual Jewish presence
since the eight century B.C.E.

Tis for now. Riihele xx 

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

Come with me to: CARDO

The top picture to this entry is an ancient map of Jerusalem,
Madaba Map found in 1897 in Jordan.

A few weeks ago I did the Come with me to: Yemin Moshe and today tour is to Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem. Hold on to your water bottles and let’s do some more stepping on these zillions of stairs that there are in this city!

In ancient Roman city planning, a CARDO or cardus was a north-south-oriented street in cities, military camps, and coloniae. Sometimes called the Cardus Maximus, the cardo served as the center of economic life. The street was lined with shops, merchants, and vendors. The Cardo in the Old City of Jerusalem is one good example. After the Jewish rebellion of 70 was crushed by Titus’ troops, Jerusalem was refounded as Colonia Aelia Capitolina and its new city plan featured a long colonnaded cardo running from north to south, date from the time of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The cardo is still a street in modern Jerusalem.

Most Roman cities also had a Decumanus Maximus, an east-west street that served as a secondary main street. Due to varying geography, in some cities the decumanus is the main street and the cardo is secondary, but in general the cardus maximus served as the primary road. The Forum was normally located at the intersection of the Decumanus and the Cardo.

Aelia Capitolina (Latin in full: Colonia Aelia Capitolina) was a city built by the emperor Hadrian in the year 131, and occupied by a Roman colony, on the site of Jerusalem, which was in ruins when he visited his dominion known as Syria Palæstina.“Aelia” came from Hadrian’s nomen gentile, Aelius, while “Capitolina” meant that the new city was dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus, to whom a temple was built on the site of the Jewish temple. A Roman colonia (plural coloniae) was originally a Roman outpost established in conquered territory to secure it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of Roman city,

The establishment of Aelia Capitolina resulted in the failed Bar Kokhba’s revolt of 132-135. Jews were forbidden to live in the city. Roman enforcement of this prohibition continued through the fourth century. The city was without walls, protected by a light garrison of the Tenth Legion, during the Late Roman Period. The detachment at Jerusalem, which apparently encamped all over the city’s western hill, was responsible for preventing Jews from returning to the city.

The urban plan of Aelia Capitolina was that of a typical Roman town wherein main thoroughfares crisscrossed the urban grid lengthwise and widthwise. The original thoroughfare, flanked by rows of columns and shops, was about 73 feet (22 meters) wide (roughly the equivalent of a present-day six lane highway). The Hadrianic Cardo Maximus of Aelia terminated somewhere in the area of the present David Street

Wonder what was for sale in this stall?! Maybe spices… What do you think?

The style of the column is the Corinthian which was developed in the Greek city of Corinth. It was much used by the Romans for its showiness. The Corinthian style is an imitation of ’the slenderness of a maiden.” (According to the Roman author Vitruvius)

Mighty row of columns, I say!

This photograph is looking back at the Menora and the ancient covered part of the Cardo which is left as it was found, more or less.

This is the side entrance into the modern part of the Cardo
which is covered over, and it is full of the most fancy shops.
My favourite place for shopping in Jerusalem, actually.

YOU MADE IT!
Great. So very lovely to have
Your company on this tour.

Tis for now Rii xx

PS Most of the iNFO: Wikipedia
© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.
Top picture: Wikipedia