Aphrodisias Theatre, stage inscription · Wikimedia Commons

Aphrodisias Theatre

Theatrum Aphrodisiense

TheaterAsia · Geyre, Aydin Province, TurkeyBuilt 28 BCE

About

Gaius Julius Zoilos, a freedman of Octavian who returned home rich and powerful, paid for this theatre's elaborate three-story marble stage building before 28 BCE and dedicated it to Aphrodite and the people. Carved into the slope of the acropolis mound, it seated several thousand for Greek-style drama and civic assembly. It had already stood for well over a century when Hadrian became emperor.

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.

In ancient writing

I.Aphrodisias 2007, 8.5, Stage-building dedication of C. Julius Zoilos c. 30-27 BCE
An inscription cut into the stage building records that Zoilos, a freedman of Augustus who returned home wealthy, personally paid for the stage, its proscenium, and all its decoration.