Roman Theatre of Bosra
About
Bosra's black basalt theatre, one of the best-preserved Roman theatres anywhere, seated roughly seventeen thousand people around a stage over forty-five meters wide. Some sources link its start to Trajan's reign, but the fuller weight of archaeological scholarship places its monumental construction in the second quarter to second half of the 2nd century CE, after Trajan died in August 117. At the 117 CE snapshot Bosra was an eleven-year-old provincial capital still built mostly of inherited Nabataean structures; its famous theatre almost certainly did not yet stand in the form visitors see today.
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
Nearby
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 →