Visit Aspendos Theater, Aspendos, Turkey

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The Aspendos theater is the best preserved Roman theater, even the best preserved ancient theater in the whole world. The theater of Aspendos, built on two hills, leans on the eastern slope of the small hill. The ancient theater, which was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180) and dedicated to the Gods and Emperors of the time, was unearthed by archaeological studies that began in the 19th century. As was usual to minimise construction complexity and cost, part of the theatre was built against the hill where the Citadel (Acropolis) stood, while the remainder was built on vaulted arches. The high stage, whose supporting columns are still in place, served to seemingly isolate the audience from the rest of the world. The scaenae frons or backdrop, has remained intact. The 8.1 metre (27 ft) sloping reflective wooden ceiling over the stage has been lost over time. Post holes for 58 masts are found in the upper level of the theatre. These masts supported a velarium or awning that could be pulled over the audience to provide shade. The diameter of the orchestra is 23.87 meters and the height of the columnatio (stage backdrop) was 15.7 meters.

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