Five theatrical mask reliefs, including a rare depiction of a philosopher, have been discovered in the Roman theater of Kastabala Ancient City, southern Turkey. Masks have been discovered in previous seasons of excavations at the theater site. With this year’s five, the total has now risen to 36.
Associate Professor Faris Demir, the excavation director, said the newly uncovered masks offer significant clues about the artistic practices of the period. Among the latest finds is a striking relief of an elderly philosopher, a discovery he says enhances Kastabala’s importance as a cultural crossroads of Eastern and Western traditions.
Demir noted that philosopher depictions are rarely seen among theatrical mask reliefs. “This figure is strong evidence that the Kastabala Theater functioned not only as a venue for tragedy and comedy but also as a space where philosophical and literary discussions took place,” he said.
Founded in the Late Hittite period about 2,700 years ago. It was a sacred city from its earliest origins. A 2023 excavation uncovered the remains of a 6th century B.C. temple dedicated to the Luwian goddess Kubaba, the first temple to Kubaba ever discovered, although they are known from ancient texts. In the Hellenistic period (ca. 2nd century B.C.), the city had a sanctuary of Artemis Perasia which was unique for its ritual of priestesses walking barefoot on burning coals.
Kastabala became part of the Roman Empire’s province of Cappadocia in the 1st century. The Roman theater dates to around this time. It had a capacity of around 5,000 people. Excavations of the theater area have unearthed a significant quantity of architectural features from the stage structure. There are large, well-preserved sections surviving, allowing archaeologists to understand the original design of the stage, and perhaps even reconstruct part of it.
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