A Plastic Vase in the Form of an Actor from the New Bouleuterion of Aigai

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Aigai, an Aeolian city located on the mountain known as Aspordenos in antiquity (today Yuntdağı), became an economic and cultural centre from the early 3rd century BC, with the support of the Hellenistic kingdom of Pergamon. Archaeological excavations carried out in 2007 in the south of the New Bouleuterion, built in the mid-2nd century BC on the Old Bouleuterion dating back to the 4th century BC, revealed a group of adjacent rooms that were used during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. The research showed that the area was in use from the end of the 7th century BC until AD 260 when the city was abandoned. The exceptional quality of the archaeological material uncovered during the excavations indicates that this building contains important spaces related to the Bouleuterion. The plastic vase in the form of an actor found in a bedrock pit in one of these rooms is one of the most remarkable objects discovered in the city. This study aims to contribute to the knowledge of Roman plastic vase production tradition in Asia Minor by analysing the vase in terms of archaeological context, technique, form, iconography, and style.