During the last three centuries BCE and the first two centuries CE, a common civic culture had spread from Greece and Rome as far as the Middle and Near East. Archaeologically, this manifested in buildings such as theatres for public performances, open squares surrounded by buildings housing the administration of the city (agoras/forums), porticoes for shops and/or shelter from the elements, buildings for exercising the body, fountains, and bathhouses. Historically, it is connected to institutions such as the council of select citizens with its magistrates, the secretary or the executive magistrates, and other elected officers, such as the agoranomos, who was in charge of order in the marketplace. The function of the buildings was both practical and symbolic: they displayed the beneficence of citizens and the collective wealth of the city, as they provided spaces for leisure and business activities and its administration. Participation in the council and election to one of the magistracies provided opportunities for wealthy citizens to expand their network, increase their status and that of their family, and to be honoured and commemorated by the people of the city (demos) and the council for their benefactions.
Palmyra was also influenced by this common civic culture. While the sanctuaries formed established points of reference for the settlement, the centre of Roman-period Palmyra was its agora, located on the western side of the city, nearly halfway between the temples of Allat and Bel. The early agora was replaced by a grander monumental structure in the 2nd century CE. This was an open, rectangular space surrounded on its four sides by porticoes (covered walkways). Two buildings next to the agora may have been the council’s meeting space and an unfinished basilica. A new road was constructed, possibly at the same time as the agora, which connected the agora with the commercial heart of the city. These developments took place in the 2nd century CE and may be connected to the Roman emperor Hadrian’s visit of 130/131 CE. The road continued to be built up throughout the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. Its sides were lined with columns with distinctive projecting consoles; these served as pedestals for statues made of limestone or bronze. The central section of the colonnaded street is defined by two monuments: the so-called Tetrapylon to the west, which replaced an older square monument, and an arch to the east. The theatre of the city was built near the agora; it was constructed in the first half of the 3rd century CE. The gymnasium, which housed athletic activities, has not been discovered so far, while the surviving city baths date from the late 3rd century CE, so after the partial destruction of the city by the Romans. Archaeological evidence, however, demonstrates that the Baths of Diocletian were built over a previously existing bathhouse.
The Palmyrenes responsible for these monuments and who beautified the city with additional constructions, such as fountains or porticoes, were thanked by the council and the people and awarded various honours. The most prestigious of these was the setting up of a statue in a prominent space, the agora. In this way, the most important public area served also as a gallery of prominent Palmyrenes. Statues also decorated the colonnaded main streets. Roman military figures, members of the Roman imperial family, and Palmyrenes who had benefitted the city through their deeds were also honoured with statues.
