The Silence Stages

Since 2005 I have been visiting more than 430 ancient greek and roman theatres around 18 countries, taking photographs and information. These blog is dedicated to all that experience.



Desde 2005 he visitado más de 430 teatros y odeones, griegos y romanos en 18 países, tomando fotografías y recopilando información. Este blog está dedicado a toda esta experiencia.



Sunday 24 July 2011

Aphrodisias (Geyre)

APHRODISIAS (Geyre),  ancient Caria / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 37º42’32.79’’N//28º42’24.72’’E
TIPOLOGY: Roman odeon. Urban.
DATE: Late I or first II A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS: After earthquake in IV it was rebuilt without upper seating and roof.
CAPACITY: 1.700 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing South. 46,5 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea built in fill, with 9 rows of seats –last one with continuous stone back- in 5 cunei; Summa cavea had 11 rows in 5 cunei, built on radial walls.
ORCHESTRA: 11,1 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Pulpitum have two staircases to orchestra. Scaenae frons with five doors. A single narrow passage for postscaenium.
LOCATION: The odeon is between the greek theatre and the stadium. Ancient Aphrodisias in close to modern Geyre, about 90 klm. west from Denizli.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Izenour, George. Roofed Theaters of Classical Antiquity. Yale University Press, 1992. // 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. // Bean, George; “Turkey beyond the Maeander”. London, Ernst Benn, 1971



OUT OF PRINT: Ancient theatres like the one in Selge make you feel vertigo; ancient theatres like Dyonisos in Athens make you feel a sacred respect; ancient theatres like Ephesos make you feel insignificant; ancient theatres like the roman odeon and the Greek theatre in Aphrodisias make you feel the ancient beauty, the brightness of the sacred stone after the rain... but there´s something more indecipherable in Aphrodisias, some feeling that I have only felt there, something that leave me without words, that stops my breathe... I went into the arena of the ancient Greek stadium, north of the city and a sense of fear came over me, i was lonely but it seemed that the 40.000 spectators were encouraging me, urging me to run a race against time... I swear I do not usually have these crazy feelings or thoughts, but truly that I felt that, a power energy that I have never found in another ancient place... by the way, is the ancient stadium well preserved for me, in that wonderfull ancient city... Aphrodisias, a city sacred to the goddess Aphrodite can not be a commonplace.

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