Colonnades in First Century Roman

The principal streets of Roman cities were framed with colonnades attached to adjacent buildings, such as stores, inns, taverns, public offices, and sanctuaries. These colonnades served as critical architectural elements that blended practical engineering with political and social symbolism, creating monumental, orderly, and functional public spaces. For example, they formed covered walkways (porticoes) that provided paths sheltered from rain and sun to protect pedestrians.

These colonnades lined Alexandria’s most splendid boulevard, the Canopic Way. In “Deadly Confrontation,” June’s story in the December 2025 issue of Black Sheep: Unique Tales of Terror and Wonder, Miriam starts out early to investigate the murder of Katerina, the beloved perfume maker:

The light lengthened in the morning stillness as my bearers sped me westward along the Canopic Way’s stone sphinxes, colonnades, and wide-lawned marble, granite, and limestone villas. I inhaled the chill of dawn and welcomed the warmth of the rising sun on my back. The only sounds were the beat of my bearers’ boots against the cobbles and the mournful cries of the gulls.

Of course, Miriam knew the back streets would not be so grand. Still, the stench of poverty, pestilence, and despair never stopped her. So, dare to accompany her into the heart of a murderer. To find out more, just click here.