Nea Paphos Theatre Excavations 2011 |
by Dr Craig Barker.
First published: The AAIA Bulletin, 2013, Vol 9, 18-20. |
The University of Sydney completed its fourteenth season of archaeological investigations of the precinct of the Hellenistic-Roman theatre of Nea Paphos, between the October 1-28 2011 . The work was conducted under the auspices of the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus, and was directed by Dr Craig Barker, Dr Smadar Gabrieli and Emeritus Professor Richard Green for the University of Sydney. Financial support for the work came from the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens for a third year, and in 2011 the Nicholson Museum also became a major logistical supporter of the excavations.
The history of the theatre and the project has been well documented in previous volumes of the AAIA Bulletin. In summary, the project has, since 199 5, been investigating the architectural and archaeological remains of a theatre used between c. 300 BC and the late 4th century AD. In recent years the focus has shifted to examining the urban context of the theatre within the surrounding precinct. 2011 saw 20 Australian archaeologists, specialists and students conduct a study season designed to complete the recording and interpretation of finds from previous seasons of excavations. The final academic publication of the first decade of the project is expected in the very near future. Despite concentrating on finds analysis, the mission was still able to make time to open two trenches. The first was located in the centre of the nymphaeurn to the south of the theatre, which has been the main focus of excavation in recent seasons. The Paphos nymphaeum was positioned between the theatre and the northern most main road of the ancient city; located close to the ancient north-eastern city gates and near the main entrances of the theatre (figs. 1-3). The building was over 20 m long and 5 m wide and was probably constructed in the 1st century AD. A niche was built into its thick masonry walls for sculpture, of which some fragments of marble have been found. The floor of the nymphaeum was covered with a simply designed mosaic with star patterns (fig. 4), while the walls were waterproofed with chamfered plaster. An outlet for water leading into the main drainage channel underneath the Roman road has now been discovered. Once the water supply system was blocked, as a result of a late 4th century AD earthquake that destroyed the theatre, the ruins of the nymphaeum became a convenient dumping and storage facility for architectural elements from nearby buildings, including the theatre, as they were being stripped for reuse in a new basilica. Marble Corinthian capitals, column fragments, and architrave blocks were recovered from the debris dumped inside this building, while pottery finds dating from the 5th to 7th centuries AD seem to confirm this use of the building in the period of the stone-quarrying of the theatre. A second small trench was located to the west of the nymphaeum, further along the ancient road. A series of bedrock cuts north of the road suggest that there was an attempt to landscape the area between the back of the theatre's stage building and the Roman road. A wall built alongside the road indicates a deliberate attempt by Roman civic planners to create a built urban environment in spaces of empty land between major public buildings. It will be investigated more thoroughly in coming seasons. The theatre, the nymphaeum and the road are providing invaluable insight into the urban layout of the ancient capital city of the island. The role played by Australian archaeologists, and by the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens, in this work was recognized by the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus. House , President, His Excellency Mr Yiannakis Omirou, presented the mission with a plaque honouring their contribution to the understanding of ancient Cyprus (fig. 5). |