Theatrum Antiochiae
About
A theatre built into the rocks of Mount Silpius above Antioch, begun during Julius Caesar's visits to the city in the mid-1st century BCE and enlarged by later emperors. Antioch was still recovering from a devastating earthquake on 13 December 115 CE when Trajan died less than two years later, and the theatre's exact condition at that moment isn't recorded. No evidence suggests it had stopped standing.
What happened here
Seating is the message: the front rows are reserved by law for the town council, and everyone can see who is sitting where. The building is a half-circle against a tall stone backdrop that also serves as a permanent set, and the acoustics are good enough that an actor can be heard without effort. The programme is mime and pantomime more than the old tragedies — bawdy, topical, sometimes politically sharp enough that performers get exiled. Audiences are loud, partisan, and quite prepared to shout a piece down. Awnings and perfumed water sprays are laid on when the sponsor is generous. Shows are attached to religious festivals and paid for by a magistrate who wants the credit, and his name is on the seating.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →