A Roman Amphitheater Ticket Was Found In An Ancient City, Still In Perfect Condition
At the ancient Roman city of Prusias ad Hypium in northwestern Turkey, excavations have recently revealed a clay theater ticket.
It was engraved with floral designs and a row number, shedding new light on how theaters from the Roman era operated.
In addition to the ticket, a vast collection of artifacts was discovered, including a figurine of Aphrodite and part of a thyrsus, which was a staff commonly associated with the god Dionysus.
These objects are still in excellent condition, even though they have remained buried underground for thousands of years.
They all date back to the Roman period. Officials think there are more artifacts waiting to be found in the area.
Archaeologists began excavating the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium in 2019, and the works have been ongoing since then.
For the past five years, the project has been led by the Konuralp Museum Directorate, with support from the Dücze Municipality.
The items that are uncovered during the uninterrupted excavations help experts gain a deeper understanding of the region’s history.
The city is located in the Konuralp region of the province of Düzce in Turkey. It dates back to the third century B.C.E.
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It was captured by Prusias I of Bithynia. The people named the city after him in his honor. Around 74 B.C.E., Prusias ad Hypium fell under Roman control, and it thrived architecturally.
The remains of many structures built during that period are still standing, such as aqueducts, a bridge, and an amphitheater, which was where the clay ticket was found.
The amphitheater is over 300 feet in length and 240 feet in width. It features steps decorated with lion claw carvings, vaulted passages, a semicircular seating space, and a stage.
All of them are still in relatively good condition. So far, about 80 percent of the theater area has been dug up.
Despite past restorations, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, the amphitheater held up remarkably well. The theater ticket was the most intriguing find, though.
It was made of terracotta and measured about one inch in diameter with floral designs on the front and a row number etched into the back.
“This ticket is an important find that reveals the ticketing system in Roman theaters,” announced the officials during a press conference about the archaeological discoveries.
Other notable objects were the statuette of Aphrodite and a stone figure that once sat atop a thyrsus, a staff that was used during some religious ceremonies and festivals. The thyrsus has connections to Dionysus, the Greek and Roman god of wine and entertainment.
Currently, there are plans in place to restore the amphitheater and reopen it as a cultural and arts center that has a capacity of 10,000 people.
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