Bostra (Bosra)

BOSTRA (Bosra), ancient Arabia, modern Syria.

COORDINATES: 32º31.03.93’’N // 36º28’53.72’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: First II A.D. (Severan).
TRANSFORMATIONS: The theatre was transformed in an Arab fortress.
CAPACITY: 8.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing north. 88 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea with 14 rows of seats in 5 cunei; Media cavea with 18 rows in seven cunei; Summa cavea with 6 rows in 10 cunei. the last row of seats in ima and media with stone back. Porticus in summa cavea preserved.
ORCHESTRA: 28 m. diameter, paved in stone.
STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium with 5 curved and 6 rectangular niches. Pulpitum 45,1 x 6,2 m. Scaenae frons has three doors in curved niches. Columnatio with three storeys.
LOCATION: The roman theatre is the centre of modern Bosra, 130 klm. south of Damasco.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Bieber, Margarete. “The History of The Greek and Roman Theatre”. Princeton University Press, 1961. // Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995. // Burns, Ross; “Monuments of Syria”. London, I.B. Tauris, 1999.

OUT OF PRINT: Bosra ancient theatre is of the three roman theatres best preserved, with Aspendos in Turkey and Orange in France. I visited in winter, early in the morning, when I was wandering by the rows of seats, absorbed in such a magnificent monument, seating in media cavea, looking the scaenae frons –I do not see a  scaenae frons every day-, when I went down to the real world I realized I was a prisoner, not for being in an ancient theatre that in Arab times was transformed in a fortress... I was a prisoner because I was surrounded by ice, all the stone seats and stairs were frozen, so I slipped two times; I went down to the orchestra descending the stairs with my ass, not very honourable in fact, but a sure way for descending without loosing the marvellous view of the scaenae frons. There are silence that sings, here in Bosra you can listen a slowly dumb song.

Canatha (Qanawat)

CANATHA, ancient Arabia, modern Syria.

COORDINATES: 32º45’21.99” N // 36º37’08.25” E

TIPOLOGY : Roman cult theatre. Not urban ¿?

DATE: Second half II A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 800 ¿? spectators.

CAVEA: Rest on natural hill, carved into the rock. 46 m. Diameter. Facing west. Ima cavea: 3 cunei and 9 steps survives, but it was bigger.

ORCHESTRA: 12 m. diameter. Paved in cut stones.

STAGE BUILDING: The proscaenium shows three curved and two rectangular niches.

LOCATION: Close to the nymphaeum, in the eastern banks of the wadi. Modern Qanawât is 5 klm north-east of Suwayda.

BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995. // Burns, Ross; “Monuments of Syria”. London, I.B. Tauris, 1999. // Abou Assaf, Ali; “The archaeology of Jebel Hauran”. Damascus, Sidawi, 1998.

OUT OF PRINT: Marcus Ulpius Lysias Icarius paid 10.000 denarii fot its construction. The building was never covered so we can not say it is really an odeon. Probably a typical west cult theatre. Canatha is in the south of Syria, in the Hauran plain; in a very short distances you can visit six ancient theatres. Hauran plain reminds me to Castilla, where evenings seems to be caught in the sun. Is etched in my mind, that fire sunset, from Hauran to Damascus, eating spinach pie and blaklava.

Palmyra (Tadmor)

PALMYRA (Tadmor), ancient Arabia, modern Syria.

COORDINATES: 34º33'02.33" N // 38º16'07.66" E
TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: First half of II A.D.

CAPACITY: Unfinished theatre. Ima cavea: 1.500 ? spectators. Inma, media and summa: 5.000 ? spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north. On level ground. The theatre is unfinished, only the ima cavea (not summa) was built, with a diameter of 48,5 m. although it was designed and projected to be built 92 m.. Ima cavea 11 cunei and 13 steps. Maybe summa cavea was built in wood.

ORCHESTRA: 23,50 m diameter, including balteus.

STAGE BUILDING: It is 45m. x 10,5 m. Never was finished, only was built -in the second half of II A.D. the first level of the sacenae frons –five doors-. Proscaenium 1,1 m. high with ten curved and nine rectangular niches.

LOCATION: Close to the cardo maximus. Palmyra´s ruins are in modern Tadmor, in central Syria.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: 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. // Burns, Ross; “Monuments of Syria”. London, I.B. Tauris, 1999. // Foudrin, Jean-Pascal; “Le front de scène du théâtre de Palmyre” in Moretti, Jean Charles (Ed.); “Fronts de scène et lieux de culte dans le théâtre antique”. Lyon, Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée, 2009.

OUT OF PRINT: The day I visited Palmyra was the colder of my life, I could not warm my hands all day except for all the wanders that day brought me. Palmyra is like a dead living city, one of the best preserved ancient treasures, a real travel to the past, miles and miles to explore, graves to experience silence. The landscape was so incredible, a mixture of snow and desert –I visit in january-. Some centuries ago a big wave broke haughty Palmyra, now these collapsed sand castle survives and breath, with the only company of a the hungry wind.