1. Architectural Design
The theatre of Hierapolis is harmoniously placed in the city’s town planning, occupying the area of four building blocks (insulae). The edifice was built on a small hill, which functioned as its natural foundation. It was also located near the sanctuary of Apollo, to whom the games which took place in the theatre were dedicated. That arrangement allowed the sacred processions of the games to set out from Apollo’s sanctuary to the theatre. The orientation of the theatre’s stage building, which is not in accordance with the city’s main streets, was also defined by the location of the hill.
The ima cavea includes 22 rows of seats and is divided by eight staircases (scalae, scalaria) into nine cunei. It is estimated, that the theatre had a capacity of 10,000 spectators. A special element of this theatre is a monumental semicircular seat (pulvinar) near the bottom of the middle cuneus, reserved for the city’s privileged citizens. The orchestra is horseshoe-shaped. The scene building consists of three parts: the proscaenium, the scaenae frons and the hyposcaenium.
Following the tradition of the Hellenistic period, the proscaenium was 3, 25 m. high above the level of the orchestra. The floor was made of stone slabs. This type of structure was common in the Roman theatres of Asia Minor, since, compared to the ones made of wood, it was more resistant to bad weather conditions. The proscaenium’s façade was decorated with three marble shell-headed niches and a pair of composite colonnettes. Three large and two smaller doorways allowed the direct connection between the hyposcaenium and the orchestra. This architectural design created an effect of bold shadings.
The front wall of the scene (scaenae frons) was a three storey columnar screen about 30 m. high. Above the lower row of Corinthian columns stood a row of Composite columns , followed by a row of Composite antae. The two lower storeys have the same height, while the upper one is noticeable lower, as it was often the case in the theatres of Asia Minor during the 2nd and 3rd century A.D. According to the same design the scaenae frons was penetrated by five doorways. The door frames were adorned with relief fasciae depicting acanthus scrolls, small birds, goddesses, lions and Cupids.
The hyposcaenium was situated under the pulpitum and the back side of the stage building. It was designed for the actors and the assistants, while it was also used as a storeroom for the performance equipment. The hyposcaenium was a rectangular hall (5X38 m.) accessible through a big door-opening at the center of the proscaenium. The roof of this underground hall consisted of big stone barrel –vaults, which occupied the area between the scaenae frons and the proscaenium’s façade.
Two building materials were used in the theatre’s construction: limestone for the architectural parts and marble for the decoration. The seats of ima cavea and the first row of seats of the summa cavea were made of marble. The upper rows of seats stood on artificial substructures required so as to cover the incline, since the natural slope, against which the theatre was build, was not enough for the entire cavea. Vaulted passages were formed inside the substructures, which allowed the entrance of the spectators to the performances.
2. Sculptural Decoration
The façade of the stage building is characterised by a rich sculptural decoration. The first storey was adorned with reliefs depicting geometric, animal (mythological figures, dolphins in heraldic posture, fish) and floral patterns, as well as battle scenes between Cupids and bears. Marble podia decorated with reliefs, showing scenes from the cycle of Apollo and Artemis were placed between the doorways of the scene. The reference to these themes is a local peculiarity, since Dionysiac scenes were more common in the decoration of the theatres of Asia Minor. The position of the marble relief over the architrave of the first storey corresponded to the position of the porta regia. The emperor Septimius Severus with his family and many personifications related to the athletic contests are depicted in this relief. Many reliefs, which were probably part of the architrave of the first storey, bear scenes of Persephone’s abduction to Hades and the Dionysian thiasos. Many statues adorned the scaenae fronts, although the initial position of them can not be precisely defined. There were statues of Artemis, Apollo, Leto, the enthroned Hades-Serapes, mythological figures (a sphinx , two tritons), a tragic poet, two female personifications, as well as members of the imperial family and mythological ancestors (of Hadrian, Commodus, Attalus and Eumenes).Colourful mosaics made of glass tesserae decorated the wall of the third storey.
3. History
The theatre of Hierapolis was erected in 60 AD after a destructive earthquake, which caused serious damage to the city. This natural destruction caused the collapse of the older theater, which had been constructed during the Hellenistic period on a small hill outside the city. The cavea, a simple scene facade, an inscription dated to the Domitian era (81-96 AD) as well as architectural components and fragments of the scene’s sculptural decoration belong to the first building phase dated to the 1st century AD. During the second building phase dated to the Hadrianic period (first half of the 2nd century AD) the upper seats of the summa cavea were finished. The most important construction works were carried out during the Septimius Severus’ era (193-212 AD) and due to a dedicatory inscription they can be precisely dated to206-208 AD.At that time, the scene was designed as a three storey building and was decorated with reliefs and many statues.
Two dedicatory inscriptions refer to the emperor Constantius II. These provide evidence for the theatre’s state of preservation at that period, the middle of the 4th century BC. The monument faced the danger of collapsing, and for that reason restoration works were carried out. The rebuilding of the theatre was combined with the transformation of the orchestra into a kolymbethra (pool) for staged sea battles, a famous display of that period. During this alteration process the doorways between the hyposcaenium and the orchestra were closed with walls, their marble frames were removed, while strong walls were built using architectural components of the earlier building phase. The walls were covered with hydraulic mortar, in order to improve the structure’s water-tightness.The orchestra which was transformed into a kolymbethra, was filled with water through terracotta pipes, fragments of which were found in the middle corridor of the hyposcaenium, while the orchestra could be drained through a stone pipe, which was placed on the same corridor.
The elaborate three storey scene of the earlier building phase was preserved. During this phase, access to the orchestra was permitted through two lateral staircases. These alterations illustrate the monument’s various uses, since we can deduce that during this period the theatrical performances or athletic contests did not take place inside the building and the theatre was exclusively used for processions in honour of the emperor, as well as for dances and water spectacles, which were criticised by Christian authors. The restoration works of the 4th century AD did not have the expected results, thus the scene soon collapsed. Nevertheless, as an outcome of that, the reliefs and the statues which adorned the scene were preserved, which otherwise would have been stolen or destroyed, as it happened in many other theatres.
Some dedicatory inscriptions refer to individuals who are related with the construction of the theatre of Hierapolis.The inscription in the architrave of the first storey mentions the emperor Septimius Severus, thus providing an exact dating of this important building phase of the theatre to 206-208 AD. Around the middle of the 4th century AD restoration works were carried out in the city. The governors of the province, following the emperor's orders, negotiated the repair and restoration of the theatre. In honour of the praefectus praetorio of the East, the general Mousonian, who was responsible for these restorations, the city of Hierapolis dedicated a statue to the theatre, honouring him as a benefactor and ktistes.
4. State of Preservation
The first systematic excavations of the theatre began in 1960 by the Italian Archaeological Expedition under the direction initially of Paolo Verzone and later by Daria De Bernardi Ferrero (since 1965). Fifteen excavating periods were neccessary to reveal the scene and the orchestra. After the end of the excavations, a long-lasting programme of conservation began, whose main phases were accomplished in 1981-1982 and 1992. The conservation was completed together with the theatre’s restoration, whereas copies of the reliefs, which decorated the scene were made and the original reliefs are now kept in the Archaeological Museum of Pamukkale. Restoration works are still carried out whenever it is necessary.
The theatre of Hierapolis is one of the best preserved Roman theatres of Asia Minor. Archaeological research is no longer taking place inside the monument, apart from the area behind the scene’s façade, where houses of the Byzantine era have been uncovered. Nowadays, the theatre of Hierapolis is used rarely for cultural events.