Pompeiopolis was a Roman city in ancient Paphlagonia, located near Taşköprü, Kastamonu Province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. The exact location is 45 km north of Kastamonu and a short distance across the river from modern Taşköprü, in the valley of the Gökırmak. The borders of Pompeiopolis reach the Küre mountains to the north, Ilgaz mountains to the south, Halys river to the east and Pınarbaşı valley to the west. The city's remains today consist of an acropolis, some rock-cut tombs, tumuli, a bridge and remains of houses with mosaic tile floors. Pompeiopolis was established together with Neoclaudiopolis as one of a number of cities founded by the Roman general and politician Pompey and integrated into the new Roman double province of Bithynia-Pontus in the year 64 BC. It was later assigned by Mark Antony to the vassal princes of Paphlagonia, and in 6 BC, after the death of Deiotaros Philadelphos, the last king, Paphlagonia was re-integrated into the Roman Empire and placed under the governor of the province of Galatia. While the city flourished and grew during this period, it was the metropolis of Paphlagonia from the reign of Antoninus Pius until that of Gallienus, having a civic mint in the same period, as well. Being a bishopric since the early 4th century at latest, Pompeiopolis received the title of autocephalous archdiocese at some time during the reign of Justinian I. Within the church province of Paphlagonia, Pompeiopolis always ranked immediately after Gangra, and above the other bishoprics. This region was conquered by the invading Turks in the late 11th century. In the 10th/11th century, Pompeiopolis was a metropolitan see until the 14th century, when this diocese was suppressed. Among the fourteen known titular holders of the Christian diocese are Philadelphus at the First Council of Nicaea, Severus of Constantinople and Theodore of Constantinople. The bishopric of Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees. Many of the artifacts that were recovered in the past from this area are currently being stored in the Museum of Archaeology of Kastamonu and in the excavation museum and visiting center. Between 2006 and 2012 on behalf of the University of Munich and until 2017 in cooperation with the Museum of Kastamonu, excavations in Pompeiopolis were carried out under the direction of Lâtife Summerer. Although no remains were visible on the surface two theaters could be detected by geophysics and archaeologically evidenced by trench tests. The excavations in the large theatre unearthed the lowest most marble seat rows as well as architraves both inscribed and vegetally and figuratively decorated from the scaenae frons. From the inscription, it is understood that at least a part of the stage building was built around 150 BC. The theatre was dismantled within the 5th century. The archaeological investigation of a rich domus at the northern fringes of the tepe provided evidence that the urban area was progressively deserted since the beginning of the 7th century, with few episodes of partial reoccupation recorded until the 12th century.
