Theater at Aspendos

Theater at Aspendos

161-180

1233

visual works

Turkey (nation)

Belkis (inhabited place)

Imperial (Roman)

scaenae

amphitheaters (built works)

drawings (visual works)

Reconstruction drawing of the skene at the Theater of Aspendos (Belkis), Turkey as it may have appeared in ancient times. "In addition to the distinction of being a prime example of "eastern" Roman theatre construction, Aspendos is further distinguished by being the only example of purely Roman construction in Turkey with the cavea completely and seamlessly joined to the skene. Although influenced by the Hellenistic practice of building a horseshoe-shaped cavea against a hillside, the barrel-vaulted substructures supporting the upper levels of the cavea are purely Roman ... The skene, which is as high as the cavea, is made of regular blocks of conglomerate, except for window and door frames in limestone. The scaenae frons has two levels, each with twenty free-standing columns arranged in squares of four around niches for statuary. The columns of the lower level are Ionic, while those of the upper level are Corinthian. Five doors open from the scaenae frons onto the stage. The central door, the porta reggia, is the largest; the two doors on either side of the porta reggia are the smaller porta hospitales. At the top of the second level the columns support a triangular pediment, at the center of which is a frieze of Dionysus with scrolls of flowers,"--Department of Theatre, Whitman College website.

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