The Theatre at Hierapolis
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The ancient city of Hierapolis is located on a 200 meter high terrace of limestone deposits amid a wonderland of mineral water pools and petrified limestone waterfalls. The ancient city overlooks the modern town of Pamukkale in Turkey's Inner Aegean region. Founded as a thermal spa in 190 BC by Eumenes II, the King of Pergamon, the city was most likely named for Hiero, the wife of the legendary founder of the Pergamene dynasty.- The theatre at Hierapolis was built in the second century AD under the Roman Emperor Hadrian during a period of extensive rebuilding following a devastating earthquake in 60 AD. It was later renovated under Septimus Severus (193-211 AD). At this time, the scaenae frons was modified and decorated with elaborate limestone and marble carvings. Although the exterior is relatively unassuming as viewed from the front, the interior contains one of Anatolia's most complete and best-preserved collection of Greco-Roman theatre decorations.
- In 343 AD the scaenae was renovated and the orchestra was altered so that it could hold aquatic displays. In the later years of the Roman Empire the orchestra was converted into a cellar. Renovation work since 1977 has restored many of the arches and a portion of the stage floor. Prior to this date, the stage as well as its arched support system lay in ruins. Recent archaeological evidence shows that the theatre was in use through the 5th and into the 6th century AD. In 532 AD the scaenae, which had been weakened by seismic activity, was repaired.
- The theatre at Hierapolis had forty-five rows of seats separated by two diazomata. Recent reconstruction efforts have restored most of the cavea which could accommodate approximately 15,000 people. Eight staircases divide the seats into nine cunei and a series of præcinctiones (audience passageways) provide access to the upper cavea sections through four arched entrances (aditus). Eight steps lead from the orchestra to the seats at each side of the stage. A massive marble tribunalia dominates the center of the lower cavea. This ornately carved, curved seat of honor spans the width of the fourth, fifth and sixth rows in the central seating section (cunei) and was reserved for priests, dignitaries or other honored guests. Square holes in the cavea floor on either side of the tribunalia could be evidence of support poles for an awning (baldachin) that once covered this central seating area. An inscription in the first diazomata reads, "Hierapolis, foremost land of broad Asia, mistress of the Nymphs, adorned with streams of water and all beauty." The theatre is made mostly of marble, but the renovations made during the reign of Septimus Severus used recycled stones from an ancient theatre to the north of the city. The scaenae frons had five doors and six niches for statuary. Ten elaborately carved Corinthian columns in front of the scaenae frons were decorated in marble with seashell motifs. The columns supported detailed entablature (architectural element consisting of a horizontal beam, a frieze, and cornice). The stage was supported by a series of stone arches which provided a corridor beneath the stage floor.
- The theatre at Hierapolis has some of the best-preserved decorative features of any theatre in Turkey. Several decorative friezes from the elaborate scaenae frons have survived intact. One shows Emperor Septimus Severus in procession with his family and the gods, with an inscription and dedication. Another illustrates the life of Dionysus, from his birth through his journeys in Asia. He is depicted riding in a carriage pulled by leopards, with an entourage of satyrs, sileni, and bacchantes, as well as the gods Pan and Priapus. The third frieze shows a procession and sacrifice to the goddess Artemis and the punishment of Niobe and her children by Artemis and Apollo.
- Hierapolis was first excavated by German Carl Humann in the late nineteenth century. He published his "Altertumer Von Hierapolis" in 1889. Additional excavations by an Italian team led by Paolo Verzone began in 1957. As recently as 1977, visitors to Hierapolis would have found the orchestra littered with architectural debris and the cavea reduced to the first thirty rows of seats. Italian teams have continued to excavated and restored the site. The Hierapolis Museum was built at the site of the Hierapolis Roman baths in 1970; before then artifacts were sent to the museums at Izmir and Istanbul. As of 1996, the excavation of the orchestra and skene were complete, and restoration of the podium was nearing completion. As of 2001, Dr. Daria de Bernardi Ferrero has been leading the Italian excavations.
- - Author: Amanda Heffernan (student research assistant), Whitman College. 2003
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- Bibliography:
- Akurgal, Ekrem. Ancient Civilization and Ruins of Turkey. 9th ed. Istanbul: Net Turistik Yayinlar, 2001.
- AnthroArcheArt.Org, Accessed October 9, 2003. Available at: www.anthroarcheart.org/
- McDonagh, Bernard. Blue Guide Turkey. London: A&C Black, 2001.
- Sansal, Burak. "Pamukkale (Hierapolis)." Accessed July 13, 2003. Available at: www.allaboutturkey.com/pamuk.htm.
- Türkoglu, Sabahattin. Pamukkale Hierapolis. 3rd ed. Istanbul: Net Turistik Yayinlar, 1996.
- Utopia, Tourism, Sports, Organizations. Accessed July 14, 2003. Available at: www.utopiaturk.com/ust_frame_eng.htm.
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- Copyright © 2003 Thomas G. Hines, Whitman College. All Rights Reserved. Last Updade: 11/13/03