Pergamo (Bergama)

PERGAMO (Bergama), ancient Mysia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 39º07’54.64’’N // 27º10’58.67’’E
TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre.
DATE: Last quarter of III B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Stage building was rebuilt in II B.C. In roman times a royal box was built in media cavea and the three first rows of seats were removed for transforming the orchestra in arena.
CAPACITY: 11.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing west. 80 m. diameter, but we have to know that only ima cavea is a perfect semicircle. The upper cavea is enclosed by walls. Maenianum: Ima cavea has 21 rows of seats in 7 cunei; Media cavea 32 rows in 6 cunei; Summa cavea 25 rows in 6 cunei.
ORCHESTRA: 21 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: It did not have a permanent stage building, because of terrance. There are remains of three rows of post-holes were woden stage was anchored.
LOCATION: West side of the Acropolis hill.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // 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. // Pappalardo, Umberto. “Teatri greci e romani”. Verona, Arsenale Editrice, 2007. // Bean, George; “Aegan Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1972.

 OUT OF PRINT: These is a classical ancient theatre image, in archeological books, in travel guides, in ancient theatres bibliography. I can assure that being in the top rows of seat get dizzy. It seems that you are flying, and for not being a semicircle cavea and being a very high cavea the acoustic is wonderful. To fly in Pergamo Greek theatre would be to play Aristophanes´Birds.

Aggar (Henchir Sidi Amara)

AGGAR (Henchir Sidi Amara), ancient Africa Proconsularis, modern Tunisia.

COORDINATES: 35º51’21.73’’ N // 9º31’04.00’’ E

TIPOLOGY: Probably a Roman theatre or odeon.
DATE:
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY:
CAVEA: Facing north-east. It does not seem a big theatre; Maenianum: Ima cavea have remains of six cunei but probably had eight with three rows of seats; In Summa cavea there are remains of three cunei but probably had eight too, there are remains of eight rows of seats.
ORCHESTRA: Balteus is preserved.
STAGE BUILDING:
LOCATION: Ancient Aggar is about 60 klm. east of Maktar. 6 klm. west from Al-Waslatiyah, on the road c-73, just on the right of a big road curve.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Chase, Raymond G. “Ancient Hellenistic and Roman amphitheatres, stadiums and theatres. The way they look now”. Portsmouth, Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2002.

OUT OF PRINT: The only reference to Aggar´s ancient theatre that I have found it was in Raymond Chase´s “Ancient Hellenistic and Roman amphitheatres, stadiums and theatres” , in that wonderful book you can find two photos. I have not found something more about it. When I visited Henchir Sidi Amara, some humble houses scattered in the middle of the field; I gave some walk round and when I found a boy tried to explained, making some pictures in my notebook, he took me to the ancient theatre remains. And he did, behind a big cacti it was the jewel, a little theatre lost in the heart of Tunisia.

Larissa (Larisa)

LARISSA (Larisa), ancient Thessaly / Macedonia, modern Greece.

COORDINATES: 39º38’24.92’’N // 22º24’43.73’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban. It´s the so call “second theatre” or “north theatre” or “small theatre”; in Larissa there are another Greek theatre.

DATE: I B.C. It was not finished.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Converted in open-air odeon in roman times.

CAPACITY:

CAVEA: Facing south-east. Bigger than semicircle. Unknown diameter. It has 13 cunei and the first two rows of seats are preserved.

ORCHESTRA: 29,7 m. diameter. It has an altar.

STAGE BUILDING: The scene building is 15,7 m. long.

LOCATION: North of modern town, in Velissariou street. 300 m west from big Greek theatre.

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.

OUT OF PRINT: When I visited Larissa I lived in Spain in a small attic; when I opened the window and held out the wet clothes for drying up, I found always, in front of me, a big wall from a higher building. When I looked Larissa´s small Greek theatre I thought that it would be great to open the window and held out the clothes here... these ancient theatre is a popular courtyard theatre.

Aspendos (Belkis)

ASPENDOS (Belkis), ancient Pamphylia, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º56’20.28’’ N // 31º10’20.28’’ E
TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Not urban.
DATE: Half II A.D. The architect Zeone built it between 161-168.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Porticus in summa cavea was built after.
CAPACITY: 7.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing east. 95 m. diameter. More than semicircle. Maenianum: Ima cavea have 21 row of seats in 9 cunei. Summa cavea 20 rows in 20 cunei. the seats at the top end of ima have stone backs. There are a preserve porticus in summa cavea.
ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: All the sacenae frons wall is preserved, only the columns and the pulpitum are left. It has five doors. Versurae are preserved too, the same that postscaenium.
LOCATION: Aspendos is 3 klm. north-east of moden Belkis, 32 klm. east from ancient Perge and 40 from Antalya.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010 // Bean, George; “Turkey´s southern shore”. London, Ernest Benn Limited, 1968. // 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. // Neppi Modona, Aldo. “Gli edificio teatrali greci e romani”. Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, 1961.

 

OUT OF PRINT: Aspendos is the best preserved ancient theatre with Bosra (Syria) and Orange (France). These three ones roman theatres conserve completely the stage building. I spent some hours walking slowly by the rows of seats the two times I visited Aspendos, for me it was like to be in the Vatican of the ancient poets, like being in the centre of the ancient world. The silence I felt in Aspendos was mystical, as I afraid with my steps to cause a disturbing echo. For me the capital of Turkey is Aspendos, the best jewel in the country that ancient theatres grew like sunflowers.

Aqua Neri - Neriomagus (Néris-les-Bains)

AQUAE NERI – NERIOMAGUS (Néris-les-Bains), ancient Gallia Aquitania, modern France.

COORDINATES: 46º17’23.53’’ N // 2º39’29.38’’ E
TIPOLOGY: Gallo-roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: Last first I A.D. or first II A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Probable the theatre had a first phase.
CAPACITY:
CAVEA: Facing south-west. 96 m. diameter. It´s only visible the artificial hill which supported the cavea.
ORCHESTRA: 40 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: There is not remains.
LOCATION: It´s in the meddle of modern Neris-les-Bains, about 210 klm west from Lyon.

ME BEDSIDE TABLE: Grenier, Albert; “Manuel d’archeologie Gallo-Romain”. Paris, Éditions A. Et J. Picard, 1958. // Landes, Christian (Ed.); “Le gout du theatre a Rome et en Gaule romaine”. Musée de Lattes, 1989. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: Neris-les-Bains´ ancient theatre is an invisible trace. You can imagine it for the little promontory. Now where the row of steps were there are trees and wooden seats, in them old people spend the morning and little children play the evenings. A Gallo-roman theatre, that means a theatre-amphitheatre where actor´s plays lived with beast games; but now, from the Neriomagus arena do not run any bull or wolf, only a child behind a bike.

Ocriculum (Otricoli)

OCRICULUM (Otricoli), ancient Regio VI –Umbria-, modern Italy.


COORDINATES: 42º 24’ 54. 45’’N // 12º27’54.62’’E
TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: Last I B.C or first I A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Redecorations II A.D.
CAPACITY: 5.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south-west. 79m. diameter. Partly on hillside, partly on substructures.
ORCHESTRA: It´s covered.
STAGE BUILDING: Some muses statues from scaenae frons are now in Vatican.
LOCATION: West of forum. 1,2 klm. from modern Otricoli, 70 klm. north from Rome.
MY BESIDE TABLE: Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: I had  feeling about Ocriculum´s ancient theatre, is like being in front of a plaster theatre, waiting for get healthy. Although you would think I am crazy I can say that I feel ancient theatres movement, like I told in another post they are in fact alive... but Ocriculum is plaster, they bones are broken i supouse. Look the photo, on left you can see the ambulacrum of media cavea inviting you to go inside.

Pinara (Minare)

PINARA (Minare),  ancient Lykia, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º29’31.80’’N // 29º15’31.71’’E

TIPOLOGY:  Greek theatre. Not urban.
DATE: Last II or first I B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY:   2.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing West .  55 m. diameter. Cavea rest on natural hill and exceeds semicircle. Maenianum: it has only one maeniana with 25 rows in 9 cunei. Ambulacrum is on top.
ORCHESTRA: 14,5 m. diameter.
STAGE BUIDING: It was 29 x 4,5 m. There are good conditions visible remains. Stage was trapezoidal and proscaenium was rectilinear.
LOCATION: Greek theatre is 300 m. north-east from ancient town. Pinara is 2 klm. from modern Minare and 45 klm. south from Fethiye.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: One image is better than thousand words... that´s the only thing I could say if I have to talk about Pinara... look the photo, that´s really Pinara, a place for Lord Byron or Percy Bysshe Shelley walking... and what to say about that intact theatre... you can listen the old verses hidden in their stones... a place for not to forget, a place to leave a little piece of soul.

Gadara (Hamat Gader)

GADARA (Hamat Gader), ancient Arabia, modern Israel.
 

COORDINATES: 32º41’00.86 N // 35º39,55.99 E
TIPOLOGY: Roman ritual theatre. Not-urban.
DATE: First half III A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY: 1.500 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing north-east . 35 m. diameter. Maenianum: It had two maeniana although only 15 rows of seats are preserved from ima. Summa cavea was probably suported by aggestus.
ORCHESTRA: 26,20 m. diameter, paved in basalt.
STAGE BUIDING: Pulpitum was 29,6 x 5,8 m. There are visible remains.
LOCATION: Theatre is in a sanctuary, 200 m. north-east from baths. 3,3 klm. from ancient Gadara (in modern Jordan); 20 klm. south-east from Tiberias.
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. 
  

OUT OF PRINT: When I was in 2008 in ancient Gadara, in modern Jordan, I could only visit two of the three theatres the city had. I peered into the valley trying to identify the sanctuary where the third theatre is located, 3 klm. down from Gadara. It was frustrating to know that I could not see it because, although I could almost touch it with my hand the third Gadara´s theatre is in Israel. In 2011, I traveled to Israel, when I could finally visit the enigmatic theatre of Hamat Gader, the third theatre of ancient Gadara I look up, to the hill, to the Jordan side, and I felt the urge to return to the theatres of Gadara... I will never know if the soldiers would have understood my reasons... I think borders do not know about dialoguing rules... Gadara, an ancient break city... to walk three kilometers I had to wait three years and give a round of thousands... so many questions without answers...

Aegeira (Egira)

AEGEIRA (Egira), ancient Achaea, Peloponeso, modern Greece.

COORDINATES: 38º07’42.67’’N // 22º22’40.00’’E

TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: First half of III B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: II A.D.
CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing nort-east. 55 m. diameter. Two third of seat carved on the rock. Maenianum: Ima cavea: 12 rows of seats in 11 cunei. Summa cavea: unknow number of rows and cunei, although it was smaller than semicircle.
ORCHESTRA: 14,40 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Greek stage was 15,4 x 2,9 m. while Roman stage was 16,7 x 5,6 m. Roman scaenae frons had five niches and a two storeys columnatio.
LOCATION: Part of Zeus sanctuary. In Palaiokastro hill. About 60 klm. west from Corinth.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Lange, Judith; Bosnakis, Dimitris; “Ancient theatres”. Athens, Itanos, 1996. // Maximos, Platon; “Ancient Hellenic theatres”. Athens, 1998. // Maximos, Platon; “Fair competition: ancient stadia – ancient theatres”, Athens, 2004. // Mee, Christopher; Spawforth, Anthony; “Greece. Oxford archeological guides”. Oxford University Press, 2001. // Arias, Paolo Enrico; “Il teatro greco fuori di Atene”. Firenze, G.C. Sansoni, 1934. // Cailler, Pierre; Cailler, Diky; Bettex, Ivan; “Les Théatres gréco-romains de Grèce”. Laussane. Style. 1966.// 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.

 

OUT OF PRINT: From Aegeira ancient theatres you have a not words view, you can see the golf of Corinth, the north of the Akrata headland and the opposite shore of central Greece. I think in ancient times the Greek gods mastered Hellas without much effort, counting the hours pass.

Tyndaris (Tindari)

TYNDARIS (Tindari), ancient Magna Graecia, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 38.08’37.78’’N // 15º02’32.79’’E
TIPOLOGY : Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: End IV or first III B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Orchestra and low part of the cavea transformed in Roman times for amphitheatre games.
CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing north-east. Built against hillside. 76 m. diameter. Maenianum. it is not know the exact number of rows of seat but it was about 40, it has 11 cunei and an upper ambulacrum.
ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter in Greek times. In Roman times five rows of seat were removed for building the arena.
STAGE BUILDING: The stage had 2,8 m. high. The scene building had two storey. Bernabò Brea drew some plans where there are a reconstruction of the Scvaenae Frons, you can see them in the museum in the site.
LOCATION: Close to the Tindari´s Christian sanctuary. Tindari is 50 klm. west from Messina.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: “Teatri antichi nell’area del Mediterraneo”. Palermo, I Quaderni di Palazzo Montalbo, 2004. // Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // Courtois, Catherine; “Le bâtiment de scène des théâtres d’Italie et de Sicile”. Providence, Louvain-la.Neuve, 1989. // Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988.// Neppi Modona, Aldo. “Gli edificio teatrali greci e romani”. Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, 1961. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: In Tyndaris, when you leave the ancient theatre and reach the seaside you go into a spit of sand, as if the earth was entering the sea. it is possible to observe, with not so much imagination, between the sand and the waves, the echoes remnats of a broken civilization, bathed in salt. Immerse yourself un the Tyrrhenian sea, put the head out and brethe the coast of Italy in the distance, punctuated by the silhouette of Lipari... breathe the crowded silence of the past.

Bubon (Ibecik)

BUBON (Ibecik), ancient Lycia, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º58’05.06’’ N // 29º24’27.25 E (approximately)

TIPOLOGY : Probably Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: An inscription from II A.D. has been found but the theatre is probably a Greek theatre.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY: 2.300 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south. 49 m. diameter. Built against hillside. Maenianum. 22 rows of seats in 5 cunei. 6 radial stairs.
ORCHESTRA: I has not been excavated.
STAGE BUILDING: Covered.LOCATION: The ancient city of Bubon is 1280 m. above sea level, on a hill 1,8 klm. south-west from Ibecik, 30 klm. south-west from Gölhisar.
MY BESIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: First time I wanted to visit Bubon it snowed too much and I did not any reference about the site, only some information in Bean´s book. Second time I had located the hill were the ruins are but did not have the exact point the theatre is. When I climbed the hill, not too much high from the road with a very high slope I realized I had forgotten in the car my note book, in it I had cavea´s orientation, a very good fact if you do not know the exact location of a theatre and you have to scrutinize an extensive rugged terrain. I refused to go down the hill for taking my note book... I do not know if it was or not a good decision because I spent two hours trying to find the theatre, something very common visiting hidden ancient theatres in Turkey if you do not have a GPS position, a healthy sport that knows how to reward the effort... when you find the theatre all this stupid feeling of having gone round in vain disappears for showing you a half-buried treasure... an ancient theatre. It is an indescribable feeling... my treasures, the silences of forgotten theatres.