Roman Theatre at Apamea
المسرح الروماني بأفاميا | |
Location | Apamea, Syria |
---|---|
Coordinates | 35°25′01″N 36°23′41″E / 35.416846°N 36.394821°E |
Type | Roman theatre |
Width | 145 metres (476 ft) |
History | |
Material | ashlar stones |
Periods | Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 1931–1939 Late 1960s–1971 2007–2010 |
Condition | partly ruined |
Ownership | Public |
Public access | Yes |
The Roman Theatre at Apamea (
Overview
The theatre, along with the Roman Theatre at Ephesus, is one of the largest surviving theatres of the Roman world with a cavea diameter of 139 metres (456 ft) and an estimated seating capacity in excess of 25,000. The only other known theatre that is considerably larger was the Theatre of Pompey in Rome, with a cavea diameter of approximately 156.8 metres (514 ft).[1]
However, much of the theatre structure is in ruins due to architectural collapses and extensive quarrying in later epochs,
One of the main features at the theatre is its water basin and the elaborate Roman piping system used in it. The recently excavated terracotta system is located along the eastern ground entrance and is well preserved.[5]
History
The theatre was originally a
Under the Byzantine Empire the theatre's drainage basin was restructured and a qanat was built through the middle of the lower stage. By the late Byzantine period the theatre had stopped serving as a center for theatrical performances. However, the theatre and its qanat continued to play an important role as a water resource during the Byzantine and Islamic periods.[8]
Excavation
The site has been heavily damaged through quarrying during the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman eras. The first archaeological exploration of the site happened around the early 1930s by an American mission. Between 1931 and 1939 the site was excavated by a Belgian archaeological team from the University of Brussels. The team attempted to clear several parts of the site from architectural falls. However, all unpublished field notes and artefacts from the expedition were lost when the university was bombed during World War II. Exploration of the site was only resumed in the late 1960s. It was abandoned in 1971 by the Belgian mission due to the expensive and difficult nature of the work needed to clear the large theatre.[2]
In 2007 a joint Syro-American team, from the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums and Brigham Young University, restarted the archaeological exploration of the site with a view to restoring and reconstructing the ancient theatre. The team's preliminary results were first published in 2010.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Finlayson, 2012, p. 278.
- ^ a b Finlayson, 2012, p. 285.
- ^ a b Sear, 2006, p. 317.
- ^ Finlayson, 2012, p. 292.
- ^ Finlayson, Cynthia (31 May 2012). "Uncovering the Great Theater of Apamea". Popular Archaeology. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
- ^ Finlayson, 2012, p. 308.
- ^ Finlayson, 2012, p. 309.
- ^ Finlayson, 2012, p. 310.
- ^ Finlayson, 2012, p. 287.
Bibliography
- Finlayson, Cynthia (2012). "New Excavations and a Reexamination of the Great Roman Theater at Apamea, Syria, Seasons 1–3 (2008–2010)". American Journal of Archaeology. 116 (2): 277–319. .
- Sear, Frank (2006). Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198144694.