He Theater of Magnesia It was an ancient Greek theatre located in the city of Magnesia on the Maeander, in Asia Minor, Türkiye.[1][2][3]It should not be confused with another theatre, known as the Theatron, which was located a little further south.[4]
It was built in the Hellenistic period around 160 BC.[5]However, it is possible that there was a predecessor on its site. In many respects it resembles the theatre at Ephesus and the theatre at Miletus.
The theatre was rebuilt at the beginning of the Roman imperial era, in the 12th century. I AD In the later imperial period, it was adapted to Roman spectacles, which were usually performed in amphitheaters.[2]
The Germans excavated the site under the direction of Friedrich Hiller von Gaertringen and Wilhelm Dörpfeld between 1890 and 1891.[2]
It was situated on a hillside in the southeastern part of the urban area of Magnesia on the Maeander, just south of the agora. The building was oriented to the northwest.[4]Its seating was slightly wider than a semicircle, with a diameter of about 71 m. A horizontal transverse corridor (diazomate) divided the lower and upper parts of the cavea. The latter had a diameter of 67.5 m.[6]Its seating arrangement was slightly wider than a semicircle, with a diameter of about 71 m. The number of rows of seats is unknown, as the upper part is poorly preserved. Vertical stairs divided the lower part into five sectors. The upper part was also divided into sectors, but the number of these is also uncertain. In the first row there were marble seats of honour for dignitaries.[2][7]
The diameter of the orchestra It was about 21.6 m high. It was covered with marble stones. Remains of the scanned. In the Hellenistic period, the scanned It had five rooms with access to the orchestra. The stage was flanked on three sides by a proscenium.[2][7]Its structures were in Doric style.[5]In Roman times, the skené was rebuilt and turned into a decorative wall (scaenae frons). An underground tunnel called kharon led to the orchestra from the stage building.[2]The capacity was approximately 4,700 spectators.[6]
There were numerous statues in the theatre. They date mainly from the early Roman period and were dedicated to both Greek and Roman figures. At least 25 pedestals have been found among the statues.[2]
It was connected to a nearby sanctuary dedicated to Dionysus.[2]The city also had another theatre, known as the Theatron, and an odeon.[4]
- ↑ Stillwell, Richard; MacDonald, William L (1976). «MAGNESIA AD MAEANDRUM Turkey». En McAllister, Marian Holland, ed. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (in English) (Princeton, N. J: Princeton University Press). Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Aristodemou, Georgia. «The ancient theatre of Magnesia ad Maeandrum». Academia.edu (in English). Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ Frederiksen, Rune (2002). «The Greek Theatre. A Typical Building in the Urban Centre of the Polis?». En Heine, Nielsen, T., ed. Even More Studies in the Ancient Greek Polis. Papers from the Copenhagen Polis Centre 6. Historia Einzelschriften 162 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag): 65-124.
- ↑ a b c «The City Plan». Procedural Magnesia (in English). Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ a b Webb, Pamela A. (1996). Hellenistic Architectural Sculpture: Figural Motifs in Western Anatolia and the Aegean Islands. Hellenistic architectural sculpture (in English) 1. Wisconsin studies in classics. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 88-89. ISBN 0299149803. ISSN 2472-7474. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ a b «Ancient Theater in Turkey Magnesia ad Maeandrum». tuerkei-antik (in English). Retrieved September 18, 2024.
- ↑ a b «Magnesia am Mänder, Theater I (Jonien, Asia)». The theater (in German). Retrieved September 18, 2024.
