Theatre, Aphrodisias, Aydin, Turkey

Stage building of the Theatre, 1st century BC - 2nd century AD, on the Eastern slope of the acropolis, Aphrodisias, Aydin, Turkey. The stage is inscribed with the names of actors such as Homerites, Olympionikos and Asianikos. This white marble theatre was originally built in 27 BC and remodelled in the 2nd century AD. It was dedicated to Aphrodite and the people of the city by Julius Zoilos, a former slave of Octavian. It seated 7000 and was used in Roman times for gladiatorial spectacles. The stage building consisted of 6 vaulted dressing or storage rooms of which 4 opened into the corridor behind the proskene. The stage building wall had Greek inscriptions of important documents related to the history of the city such as letters of emperors or senatorial decrees. Aphrodisias was a small ancient Greek city in Caria near the modern-day town of Geyre. It was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, who had here her unique cult image, the Aphrodite of Aphrodisias. The city suffered major earthquakes in the 4th and 7th centuries which destroyed most of the ancient structures. Picture by Manuel Cohen

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Amphitheater Amphitheatre Aphrodisias Aphrodite Auditorium Aydin Caria Fluted Geyre Hellenic Hellenistic Leleges Lelegon Megale Ninoe Overgrown Polis Stauropolis Triglyph

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