Steps restored to original in ancient theater

BURSA

In Gölyazı, a picturesque neighborhood in the northwestern province of Bursa and ranked among Europe’s most beautiful towns, archaeologists are restoring 42 ancient audience steps to their original spots in the Hellenistic theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum, promising fresh insights into the region’s 2,300-year-old past.

Excavations at the ancient theater, which began in August 2021, continue under the supervision of Professor Derya Şahin, a faculty member at Bursa Uludağ University’s Department of Archaeology, with the support of the Nilüfer Municipality.

The theater, determined to have been built on the slope of Zambaktepe Hill overlooking Lake Uluabat during the Hellenistic period, includes VIP and box-like sections and is estimated to have a capacity of around 5,000 people. During the excavations, 42 audience steps discovered are now being placed back in their original places.

Meanwhile, archaeologists examining a scattered seating row in the upper section of the theater identified an inscription reading “Lonidos.” The writing, dated to the 2nd century during the Roman Empire period, is thought to be the name of an important female priest.

Excavation director Professor Derya Şahin told state-run Anadolu Agency that they have uncovered about 80 percent of the theater since the work began in 2021.

Şahin said the theater is quite large, a typical and massive Roman theater, while also bearing early Hellenistic characteristics. She noted that the cavea (seating rows) has a diameter of 80 meters, and the orchestra measures 28 meters in width.

Şahin explained that this season’s excavations focused especially on the cavea section, where they conducted stripping work. “Thus, we are trying to determine the connections of the seating rows to the substructure. We have made significant findings in this regard. In particular, in the upper parts of the cavea, known as the ‘summa cavea’ [the topmost rows], we identified blockages related to the substructure. This has allowed us to reveal the construction stages and phases of the theater,” she said.

Şahin stated that they have identified seating steps bearing inscriptions related to important professional groups. “This year, we found 42 seating rows that had been removed, displaced, or transferred due to earthquakes or other reasons. Our main goal this year is to determine the original location of the stairways called the climaxes, and by means of simple repairs, carry out the process called ‘anastylosis’ in archaeology, meaning reassembling them in their original places. In this way, we will reuse the theater’s original materials to make its form and structure more understandable. Some of these were buried underground, while others were found embedded in the orchestra. None of them were found in their original positions, except for one. We plan to match them with their bases and armrest-like borders and place them back in their original positions. Thanks to a major restoration project in the long term, the theater could become usable again,” she said.

Excavations have almost eliminated damage

Şahin stated that the site is highly significant in terms of urban archaeology, noting that Gölyazı is defined as an “urban archaeological site” and has been considered part of a Ramsar area since 1998.

“Despite this, there had been serious damage to the city walls, necropolis and theater area. Thanks to the excavations, we can say that the damage has been reduced to almost zero. The Heritage for the Future Project has greatly contributed to the preservation, restoration, and scientific as well as tourism value of the remaining structures. This area receives heavy tourist traffic, especially on weekends. Visitors now have the opportunity to learn about the city’s history, structures and findings,” she said.

Şahin said they also carried out research in the southwest section of the theater. “Theaters can also be defined as performance venues associated with religious structures. We were hoping to find temple-like remains related to Apollo or Dionysus. We conducted studies in several areas but could not identify any such remains,” she added.