The Altar Found in the Savatra Ancient City Sheds Light on the Socio-Cultural Structure of 1800 Years Ago

In the excavation works carried out at the Savatra Ancient City in the Yağlıbayat neighborhood of Karatay district in Konya, the unearthed altar sheds light on the lifestyle of the city during that period.

With the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, excavations led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Işık, the head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation and Restoration at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Selçuk University (SÜ), began surface research in 2017. The excavations, particularly exciting for their discovery in Central Anatolia, are nearing completion at the ancient theater.

At the initial stage, the excavation team, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. İlker Işık, conducted excavation work in the Roman theater, said the Head of the Excavation Team. He added, "During the excavation, while removing the blocks that had fallen onto the steps, we discovered an altar. The solid appearance of this altar excited and delighted us."

Işık explained that the altar had suffered very little damage due to being buried under the blocks, and there were no signs of breakage or fragmentation,

Işık emphasized that they encountered a Greek inscription consisting of four lines on the altar and stated:

"We consulted with our expert professors to have this inscription translated. It was determined that the altar was a donation made to this theater by an organization or dynasty named 'Aurelia' that resided in the region. In this context, we not only had the chance to interpret the period of the theater clearly but also gained insight into the cultural and sociological structure of the era. On the front of the altar, we see a depiction of a soldier, a standard on one side, and a victory wreath on the other side. These figures reflect the triumphant success of these individuals. Since this area was already a Roman military garrison, it aligns with this situation. We estimate that the altar dates back to the 2nd or 3rd century, based on both the script characters and the findings obtained from the theater."

Işık noted that they have reached the final stage of the excavation work at the ancient theater after nearly 3 years.

He explained that the "cavea" section, which includes the seating rows, and the stage building have been uncovered. Işık stated, "Immediately after the completion of the excavation work, we plan to proceed with the restoration process. We can now clearly see the damaged parts. We anticipate that the restoration will be relatively easy due to the small number of seating steps in the theater."