Gerasa -South Theatre- (Jerash)

GERASA –South theatre- (Jerash), ancient Arabia, modern Jordan.

COORDINATES: 32º16’36.05” N / 35º53’21.30” E .

TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: Last I A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Scene building first II A.D.

CAPACITY: 6.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north. 76 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea 15 row of seats in 4 cunei; Summa cavea: 24 rows of seat  (only 15 survives) in 8 cunei; Summa cavea maybe 5 rows in 8 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 19,9 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium have 12 niches. Pulpitum 36,5 x 8,3 m. Scaenae frons was rectilinear, columanatio had two storeys.

LOCATION: Close and conected with Temple of Zeus. The archeological place is close to modern Jerash.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995. / Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); “Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato”. Rome: SEAT, 1995. // Lankester Harding, G.; “The antiquities of Jordan”. Jordan Distribution Agency, 1984.

OUT OF PRINT: Gerasa has three Roman theatres, the South theatre, the North theatre and Birketein´s theatre –a ritual theatre 2klm. north of the city- All of them are very special, in fact all the ancient theatres in Jordan. In Gerasa´s south theatre do not expect that some actors dressed with toga and buskin are going to acting... what you are going to see is some jordan people, dressed in some army local uniform playing bagpipes and drums, with a strange Scottish flavour... you can see a drum in the orchestra... if Euripides would wake up...