Description
"Built in the second century A.D., the amphitheatre at Aspendos is probably the most complete and finest example of a Roman theatre. With a diameter of 96 metres the theatre has a seating capacity estimated at between 10,000 and 12,000. The theatre was designed according to the Greek style with part built into the hillside and the remainder supported by vaulted arches. The cavea, or seating area, is arranged in 41 semi-circular rows with 21 tiers above the vaulted diazoma and 20 below. The most striking feature is the two-storey stage building in which five doors provided access for actors. The large central door is known as the porta regoia. The pediment at the centre of the stage building contains a relief of Dionysos, the god of wine and the parton of theatres. Aspendos was an ancient city in Pamphylia, Asia Minor, located about 10 miles from the Mediterranean Sea and 25 miles east of the modern city of Antalya, Turkey."