A quarter of Perinthos' ancient theater unveiled

TEKİRDAĞ

Excavations continue in the 5,000-year-old ancient city of Perinthos in the Marmaraereğlisi district of the northwestern province of Tekirdağ, where archaeologists have focused their efforts this year on unearthing a massive ancient theater.

Zeynep Koçel Erdem, head of the Archaeology Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and director of the excavation, said that the theater is one of the most important structures in the city and could rival the largest theaters of Anatolia in size.

“It is a very large theater, measuring 140 by 110 meters, the largest in Thrace,” Erdem said. “This year, we aim to move toward the orchestra area. So far, approximately one-quarter of the structure has been excavated.”

Excavations in Perinthos, located in the Bayraktepe area of Marmaraereğlisi, began in 2021. The theater, along with various statues and tombs, lies in an upper section of the city that stretches about 1.5 kilometers in length and 500 meters in width.

“This is our fifth year of excavations,” Erdem said. “In previous years, we worked in various sectors. While continuing in different sectors again this year, our focus is largely on the theater. We aim to fully uncover the stage building.”

Due to the monumental scale of the theater and an approximately six-meter-deep fill, the work requires extra care, she added.

“Significant small finds emerge from the fill, offering crucial clues about the city’s history. Therefore, we must excavate with great attention,” Erdem explained.

Currently, the excavation team consists of around 30 people, but that number increases to 40–45 with the arrival of expert consultants during the digging season.

“The team is relatively small, considering the vastness of the site. The acropolis alone is 1.5 kilometers long and most of the structures are buried,” Erdem noted. “We would like to work in larger teams in different sectors. Our support mainly comes from the ministry, the heritage project, and the municipality. But we need more manpower, which means we need more funding and sponsors.”

Erdem emphasized that it is difficult to predict when the entire excavation will be completed.

“This ancient city once served as the capital of Thrace and was adorned with monumental structures. Given its size, excavating the city’s different parts thoroughly would take many years. However, with larger teams, the work — especially on the theater — could be completed sooner,” she said.