Termessus (modern Güllük Dağı)

Early 2nd century BCE

Renovations: The initial theatre construction at Termessus was early in the 2nd century BCE. The first major renovation (an arched entrance built through middle of the summa cavea) was completed during the reign of Caesar Augustus, (c. 62 BCE – 14 CE). In circa 180 CE the south side of the cavea was extended. And in circa 350 CE a roofed gallery with barrel vaults. The city was abandoned in the 5th century CE following a massive earthquake.

Excavations: 1847: Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt and Edward Forbes visited and described their findings in their book, Travels in Lycia.

 Shortly thereafter, Archaeologist, Charles Fellows explored the city and produced the first building descriptions and initial plans of the ancient city.

In the 1880s: Polish researcher Karol Lanckoroński repeatedly visited Termessus and produced carefully drafted plans of the city’s layout. In his book, The Cities of Pamphylia and Pisidia.  

Following the 19th century explorations, only surface surveys of the ruins have been conducted.

Cavea Width: 66 meters
Orchestra Width: 26 meters

Termessus (modern Güllük Dağı, Turkey). Cavea width: 65.5 m, ima cavea: 19 rows in 5 cunei, summa cavea 8 rows in 10 cunei; orchestra width: 30 m; stage: L 29, W 5.36 m; scene building with 5 doors decreasing in size from center; capacity: 3,900/4,850; ca. 2nd cent. BCE.

Roman theatre at Termessus (modern Güllük Dağı, Turkey)
Thomas G. Hines, April 28, 2024

“Difficult to visit, but beautiful – tremendously beautiful. Imagine a lost city, high in the mountains, with cool breezes, the smell of pine and juniper forests, and spectacular views of the valley below. And if you search long enough, you will find the most spectacularly positioned and well-preserved theatre I have come across in all my travels.” (T. Hines Journal, June 16, 2003)

Location : Stragically located to protect a narrow pass through the Taurus mountains, the ancient city of Termessus was sited over 1000 meters up the slope of Mount Güllük Dağı in Turkey. According to Strabo, the inhabitants of Termessus called themselves the Solymi and were a Pisidian people (Strabo, XIII, 630). Although It is only 20 kilometers to the north-west of Antalya, the inhospitable nature of the mountainous terrain made the naturally fortified city inaccessible to neighbors and impregnable to invaders. Today, the unadulterated Hellenistic ruins, the vistas, and the isolated tranquility of its lofty location make it one of the most beautifully sited ancient cities in Turkey. It may also be the most difficult to visit.

History: Although the ruins we see today are mostly Hellenistic Roman, the Pisidian city  of Termessus predates the Trojan War. Homer references the natural defenses of the city in the Iliad and describes how the king of Lycia commissioned the Greek hero, Bellerophon and his winged horse Pegasus, to conquer the otherwise impregnable city by attacking it from the air (Homer  II, VI, 184). The Greek historian Arrian chronicles the strategic importance of Termessus and describes Alexander the Great’s decision to bypass the city  in 333 BCE rather than taking the time and effort to assail the lofty stronghold which he referred to as an, “eagle’s nest.” (Arianus, I, 27).

A warlike city, Termessus maintained its independence even under the dominion of the Persians. Under the successor of Alexander, Termessus preserved its autonomy and, in 189 B.C., formed an alliance with the Roman consul, Cn. Manlius. The city was granted independent status by the Roman Senate in 71 BCE. 

A massive earthquake in the 4th century CE severely damaged the city and destroyed the city’s aqueduct. The city was abandoned by the 5th century. The rugged terrain that protected the Termessus so successfully during its inhabited phase, continued to protect the uninhabited remains throughout the centuries that followed. Accordingly, the earthquake ravaged ruins we see today are relatively pristine (translated: not stolen, repurposed, or reassembled).

Architectural Design:  The Roman theatre at Termessus was built in the Hellenistic style and dates from the early 2nd century BCE. The east-south-east facing cavea is embedded into the slope of Mt. Solymos and enjoys a commanding a view over the Pamphylian plain. It is located east of the Termessus agora, and a small odeum or bouleuterion lies 100 meters to the south-west. A large arched entrance way connects the theatre’s cavea with the agora.

The cavea was extended in the late 2nd century CE with repairs to the porticus (covered, colonnaded walkway) in the mid-4th century CE. The theatre as well as the city of Termessus was abandoned during the 5th century following an earthquake.

The cavea: The cavea (seating area) is 65.5 meters wide and exceeds a semicircle. The seating is divided into two levels. The lower level (ima cavea) is further divided into 5, wedge-shaped seating sections (cunei). The top row of the ima cavea has a continuous stone back-rest. Stone arm-rests in the shape of dolphins delineate the end of each row. The upper seating level (summa cavea) is composed of 8 rows, subdivided into 10 cunei. A 1.8 meter-high wall and a curved walkway (praecinctio) separates the ima and summa cavea seating. Two doors in the cavea wall allowed access to a walkway (porticus or ambulacrum) at the top of the summa cavea, and an arched entrance through the middle of the cavea lead to the Praecinctio (curved walkway between the upper and lower cavea seating. According to Sear, the theatre’s seating capacity was between 3,900 and 4,800.

Orchestra and Parodoi: The orchestra had a diameter of approximately 30 meters. It was accessed from the sides through two arched entrances (aditus maximus). Cavea seating was extended above the entrances and provided an additional 8 rows of summa cavea and 4 rows of ima cavea side seating.

Stage and Scene House: The stage measured 29 meters long and 5.40 meters wide. The stage was backed by a 2-story, rectilinear scene house (scaenae frons) with 5 doors (an enormous central door with 2 doors, decreasing in size, on either side. Between the doors column bases (podia) supported decorative columns (columnatio).

Date: The initial theatre construction at Termessus was early in the 2nd century BCE. The first major renovation (an arched entrance built through middle of the summa cavea) was completed during the reign of Caesar Augustus, (c. 62 BCE – 14 CE). In circa 180 CE the south side of the cavea was extended. And in circa 350 CE a roofed gallery with barrel vaults was added. The city was abandoned in the 5th century CE following a massive earthquake. (Architectural specifications from Frank Sear, Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. pp. 178-179).

Excavations: The city of Termessus was abandoned in the 5th century CE following a massive earthquake. Due to their inhospitable location, the ruins were all but forgotten until the first half of the 19th century when the European explorers Thomas Abel Brimage Spratt and Edward Forbes visited and described their findings in their book, Travels in Lycia, published in 1847. Shortly thereafter, Archaeologist, Charles Fellows explored the city and produced the first building descriptions and initial plans of the ancient city. In the 1880s, the Polish researcher Karol Lanckoroński repeatedly visited Termessus and produced carefully drafted plans of the city’s layout. In his book, The Cities of Pamphylia and Pisidia. Lanckoroński wrote about Termessos in the following words: ‘Of all the cities of Pisidia which we have visited, Termessos has the most peculiar and the greatest position: it is, at the same time, a watchtower commanding a distant view and nest buried deeply in a valley, surrounded by a ring of mountains. If its inhabitants indulged in brigandage, they could not find a better hiding place than in this eagle’s nest. Following the 19th century explorations, only surface surveys of the ruins have been conducted. ‘(Miszczak)

Bibliography / Resources:

Aristodimou Georgia , “Termessus (Antiquity), Theatre”, Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Asia Minor URL: <http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=9264>

Miszczak, Izabela, “Turkish Archaeological News.” 5/5/2017. https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/termessos). Accessed 4/29/2024.

Sear, Frank. Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2006 (p. 346).

Termessos, Ancient Theatre in Turkey. On the Traces of Ancient Cultures. Tuerkei-Antik. http://www.tuerkei-antik.de/Theater/nysa_en.htm (accessed 4/20/2024).

Wikipedia contributors. “Termessos.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jan. 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024.