Alabanda

Hellenistic (c. 250-150 BCE); Roman (c. 100-200 CE)

Cavea Width: 78 meters
Orchestra Width: 21 meters

The Theatre at Alabanda (distinguished from the separate odeum), located near modern Araphisar in ancient Alabanda, Caria region, Turkey; Hellenistic theatre later modified for Roman use; cavea diameter approximately 78.44 meters; seating divided into seven segments (cunei) separated by six staircases, with four staircases having 38 steps each and three having 33 steps, arranged in ima, media, and summa cavea divisions; south-facing orientation utilizing natural hillside topography; estimated capacity of 6,200 spectators; orchestra diameter approximately 21.04 meters; constructed during the Hellenistic period (c. 250-150 BCE) with subsequent Roman-era modifications including protective walls and stage extensions; currently in mixed preservation condition with seating completely robbed over centuries, little surviving of orchestra and scene building, but substructure elements including barrel-vaulted corridors remain well-preserved, with ongoing excavations since 2015 under Ali Yalçın Tavukçu revealing significant artifacts including fragments of Emperor Hadrian’s statue.

Alabanda Theatre (modern Araphisar, Turkey)

The ancient theatre at Alabanda is situated near the modern town of Araphisar in the Doğanyurt village of Çine district, Aydın Province, Turkey. Originally a Hellenistic structure, it was later modified during the Roman period.

City History

Alabanda emerged as an important city in the ancient region of Caria, strategically positioned approximately 4 kilometers west of the Çine Stream (ancient Marsyas River) (Bean 189). The city’s name derives from the Carian words “Ala” meaning horse and “Banda” meaning victory or race, reflecting its legendary association with equestrian competitions (Tavukçu et al. 421). Founded possibly in the late 4th or early 3rd century BCE, Alabanda flourished under various powers including the Seleucids, who temporarily renamed it Antiochia of the Chrysaorians in honor of Antiochus III (Bean 189). The city came under Roman control in the 2nd century BCE and retained importance through the Byzantine period before declining in the early Middle Ages.

Theatre History

The theatre’s construction began during the Hellenistic period, as evidenced by its characteristic seating arrangement, which extends beyond a semicircle—a distinctive feature of Hellenistic theatre design (Sear 327). During the Roman period, the structure underwent significant modifications to accommodate new forms of entertainment, including gladiatorial combats, wild animal fights, and water games (“Aydın Alabanda Archeological Site”). These adaptations included the construction of protective walls around the orchestra area to ensure spectator safety during violent spectacles (Sear 327).

Architectural Specifications

The following specifications are drawn from Frank Sear’s reference book, Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study (Oxford University Press, 2006), except where otherwise noted.

Location

• Modern city, Country: Araphisar, Turkey
• Orientation: Theatre faces south (utilizing natural topography)
• GPS Location: 37.5919, 27.98497

Cavea (seating area)

• Diameter: Approximately 78.44 meters (Sear estimates 102 meter diameter)
• Estimated capacity: 6,200 spectators (some sources suggest 6,000 in the early phase) (“Aydın Alabanda Archeological Site”)
• Seating divisions: Exceeds semicircle configuration typical of Hellenistic design; divided into seven segments (cunei) separated by six staircases (Sear 327)
• Row configuration: Four staircases with 38 steps each, three with 33 steps (Sear 327)
• Construction materials: Local granite and gneiss for structural elements; marble for seating rows (Sear 327)
• Seat dimensions: Height approximately 0.40 meters; width 0.75-0.80 meters; finely cut front width 0.37-0.38 meters (Sear 327)
• Substructures: Analemma walls (retaining walls) with buttressing support the hillside seating (Sear 327)

Orchestra (performance space)

• Diameter: Approximately 21.04 meters (unverified)
• Surrounding parapet height: ~1.30 meters
• Materials: Stone construction with evidence of multiple building phases (Sear 327)
• Special features: Roman-era protective walls built between orchestra and seating; drainage steps (0.18-0.33 meters) linking cavea to orchestra (Sear 327)

Pulpitum (stage)

• Construction: Two rows of granite columns supporting stone beams under wooden stage flooring
• Modifications: Stage initially only as long as early scene building; later extended beyond scene building ends with sides joined to analemma walls
• Access: Three doorways at each end leading into hyposcaenium (space beneath stage) from north side

Scaenae Frons (decorative scene house front)

• Early building dimensions: Length 35.80 meters, width circa 7.8 meters, rectangular plan (Sear 327)
• Floor level: 0.90 meters higher than podium, requiring a staircase for actor access (Sear 327)
• Architectural reuse: Columns and capitals from the nearby Temple of Zeus Chrysaoreus incorporated during later renovations (Ateşlier 250)
• Later modifications: Wings with three doorways on each side were added during renovations (Sear 327)

Access and Circulation

• Parodoi (side entrances): Analemma constructed of rusticated granite masonry in alternating courses
• Vomitoria: Access provided through radial corridor system
• Corridor specifications: Two barrel-vaulted radial corridors (width circa 2.60 meters) providing access to praecinctio (walkway) at top of ima cavea

Current Status

The theatre presents mixed preservation conditions. The seating has been completely robbed over the centuries, with little surviving of the orchestra and scene building (Sear 327). The substructure elements, particularly barrel-vaulted corridors, remain the best-preserved portions of the complex. Marble seating rows are still visible, indicating significant portions of the cavea structure survive for architectural study (“Aydın Alabanda Archeological Site”).

Conservation Efforts

Active excavation and conservation work has been ongoing since 1999 by the Aydın Museum Directorate and since 2015 under academic direction (Tavukçu et al. 421). Current efforts focus on documentation, site cleaning, and selective reconstruction of key architectural elements. The theatre’s remote location has provided some protection from modern development pressures but has also limited resources for comprehensive conservation.

The site operates under Turkish national heritage protection regulations administered by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Ancient Renovation History

Hellenistic Foundation Phase (3rd-2nd century BCE)

The original theatre construction featured the characteristic Hellenistic design with seating extending beyond a semicircle, maximizing viewing angles and capacity (Sear 327). The initial stage building was rectangular and modest in scale.

Roman Adaptation Phase (1st-2nd century CE)

Major modifications transformed the venue to accommodate Roman spectacles (Sear 327). Key changes included:

• Construction of protective walls around orchestra with “irregular workmanship” (“Aydın Alabanda Archeological Site”)
• Extension of stage beyond original scene building dimensions (Sear 327)
• Addition of granite column supports for wooden stage flooring (Sear 327)
• Introduction of hyposcaenium access system (Sear 327)

Late Renovation Phase (2nd-3rd century CE)

Further modifications incorporated architectural elements from the Temple of Zeus Chrysaoreus, demonstrating both pragmatic resource use and possible symbolic transfer of civic importance from religious to entertainment venues (Ateşlier 250).

Archaeological Research

Early Documentation (18th-19th Centuries)

The earliest Western scholarly documentation of Alabanda dates to the 18th century when Richard Pococke, an English clergyman and travel writer, provided one of the first descriptions of the site during his travels through the Eastern Mediterranean in the 1730s-1740s. His observations, published in “A Description of the East and Some Other Countries,” represent the foundational layer of Western scholarly awareness of the site, helping to establish it in academic consciousness before formal archaeological methods developed.

Charles Fellows continued this tradition of scholarly travel documentation in the 19th century, describing the site in his detailed accounts of Asia Minor during the 1840s-1850s (Sear 327). Fellows’ work, including “A Journal Written during an Excursion in Asia Minor” (1839) and “Lycia, Caria, Lydia” (1847), provided more systematic architectural observations and helped establish Alabanda within the broader context of ancient Carian sites. These early travel accounts by Pococke and Fellows represent the pre-excavation era of site recording that preceded formal archaeological investigation.

Early Systematic Excavations (1904-1906)

The first systematic archaeological investigation was conducted by Halil Edhem Bey (1861-1938), brother of renowned archaeologist Osman Hamdi Bey (Edhem Bey 443). Working on behalf of the Ottoman Imperial Museum, Halil Edhem Bey was suggested to investigate Alabanda by his brother, who had visited the site while conducting excavations at the sanctuary of Hekate Lagina (Ateşlier 248). The excavation work began in 1904 and continued through 1905, with the first season concluding on October 26, 1904, and the second season beginning on September 10, 1905 (Ateşlier 248). Halil Edhem Bey focused initially on the Doric temple and agora areas, publishing results in the French journal Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (Edhem Bey 443-459).

Mid-Period Research (1999-2014)

Following a hiatus of nearly a century, the Aydın Museum Directorate resumed excavations in 1999 under museum officials Emin Yener and Associate Professor Suat Ateşlier (Ateşlier 248). This period focused on site cleaning, conservation, and preliminary architectural documentation. The work during this phase prepared the site for more intensive academic investigation in subsequent years.

Current Excavations (2015-present)

Since 2015, systematic excavations have been conducted under the direction of Associate Professor Ali Yalçın Tavukçu from Atatürk University in Erzurum (Tavukçu et al. 421). Significant discoveries include fragments of a marble statue of Emperor Hadrian, believed to commemorate his visit to Alabanda in 120 CE (“Fragments of Emperor Hadrian’s Statue”). The excavation team has focused on the bouleuterion (council building), where the Hadrian statue fragments were discovered. The current research represents the most intensive archaeological investigation of the site since Halil Edhem Bey’s pioneering work over a century earlier.

Publication History

The documentation and publication of Alabanda’s archaeological heritage spans over two centuries:

• Richard Pococke’s travel accounts (1730s-1740s) in “A Description of the East and Some Other Countries”
• Charles Fellows’ systematic observations (1839, 1847) in “A Journal Written during an Excursion in Asia Minor” and “Lycia, Caria, Lydia”
• Halil Edhem Bey’s excavation reports (1905-1906) in Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
• Comprehensive architectural analysis in Frank Sear’s Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study (2006)
• Ongoing excavation reports in Turkish archaeological journals since 2015

Bibliography / Resources:

“Aydın Alabanda Archeological Site.” Turkish Museums, www.turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/1982-aydin-alabanda-archeological-site/1982/4. Accessed 4 July 2025.

Ateşlier, Suat. “On the Excavations of the Zeus Temple of Alabanda.” Anatolia Antiqua, vol. 22, 2014, pp. 247-254.

Bean, George E. Aegean Turkey: An Archaeological Guide. Ernest Benn, 1966.

Edhem Bey, Halil. “Fouilles d’Alabanda en Carie.” Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, vol. 49, 1905, pp. 443-459.

—. “Fouilles d’Alabanda en Carie (suite).” Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, vol. 50, 1906, pp. 407-422.

Fellows, Charles. A Journal Written during an Excursion in Asia Minor. John Murray, 1839.

—. Lycia, Caria, Lydia. John Murray, 1847.

“Fragments of Emperor Hadrian’s Statue Found in Aydın’s Alabanda Ancient City.” Turkish Archaeological News, 1 Oct. 2021, turkisharchaeonews.net/article/september-2021-turkish-archaeology. Accessed 4 July 2025.

Pococke, Richard. A Description of the East and Some Other Countries. W. Bowyer, 1743-1745.

Sear, Frank. Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Tavukçu, Ali Yalçın, et al. “Alabanda 2016.” Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, vol. 39, 2017, pp. 421-430.

Tuncer, Umut. “Alabanda, the Las Vegas of Ancient World.” Hürriyet Daily News, www.hurriyetdailynews.com/alabanda-the-las-vegas-of-ancient-world-172985. Accessed 4 July 2025.

Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. “Archaeological Sites of Turkey.” Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, www.kulturturizm.gov.tr. Accessed 4 July 2025.