Philippopolis Theater
The Theater of Philippopolis was a theater in the Roman city of Philippopolis, now Plovdiv in Bulgaria . The building is often referred to as an amphitheater in common parlance , but it is a common theater of Roman antiquity . It is located between the southwest slope of the Jambas Hill (bulg. Джамбаз тепе ) and the Taksim Hill (bulg. Таксим тепе ) in the old town of Plovdiv. The theater was one of the most important public buildings of the Roman Philippopolis and is now one of the best preserved in the Balkan Peninsula and one of the landmarks of Plovdiv.
An inscription by the builder on the architrave of the eastern proscenium (the façade-like porch of the back stage) says that the theater was built towards the end of the reign of Emperor Trajan , probably 116–117 AD.
description
The spectator seats faced south, towards the ancient city and towards the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains . The theater is a semicircle with an outer diameter of 82 meters.
The open spectator area ( cavea ) comprised 28 concentric rows of marble seats (20 of which have remained intact), which were divided into two levels by a corridor ( diazoma ). The upper level is interrupted by narrow, radial stairs. These seven stairs divide the spectator area into six wedge-shaped sectors ( Kerkides = wedge fields). The audience seats surround the stage ( orchestra ), which has a horseshoe-shaped floor plan and a diameter of 26.64 meters.
The stage building, the Skene , is located south of the orchestra and has three floors. The stage area, proscenium, is 3.15 m high and its facade, which faces the orchestra, is designed with Ionic marble columns and a pediment (gable triangle). The facade of the Skene, which overlooks the auditorium, consists of a two-story portico (colonnade), the first of which is in the Ionic order and the second in the Roman- Corithic order . The facade is cut through by three symmetrically arranged gates.
The entrance to the Orchestra (Parodos), which was originally not covered and was only covered later, connects the cavea with the stage building. An underground archway begins in the middle of the orchestra and leads out of the theater under the stage building. Another passage runs under the central bench of the seating area on the upper level and connects the cavea with the area of the three hills (Trimontium = city of the three hills). Above the corridor was the box for the dignitaries.
Similar to all other theaters in the Roman Empire, the seats of honor of the theater in Philippopolis were inscribed. There were inscriptions for the representatives of the city, but also for the magistrate and the friends of the emperor. Some honorary inscriptions show that the building was also used as the seat of the Thracian provincial assembly.
Gladiator fights against wild animals were probably also held in the theater, which is indicated by the remains of security devices in front of the first row of spectators. These additional measures were taken because of the visit of Emperor Caracalla to Philippopolis in 214 AD.
The restoration of the Roman theater in Plovdiv was a great achievement by the Bulgarian conservators . The reconstruction was carried out strictly according to the rules of anastilosis , whereby the newly added building material can be clearly distinguished. Now the theater and the three-hill area (trimontium) is one of the symbols of the city of Plovdiv, and classical dramas, dances and music are performed on its stage.
There are several steles and wall inscriptions in Greek in the theater .
The theater was built with 7,000 seats. each section bears the name of a neighborhood carved into the seats so that the audience at the time knew their place.
At the end of the 4th century, much of the theater was destroyed by fire or an earthquake. During this time the whole region was devastated by the Huns.
The theater was discovered after a landslide and explored during archaeological excavations from 1968 to 1979 by the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum. During the excavations, a 4.5 meter thick layer of earth had to be removed.
Culture
During the summer months there are regular theater and music performances in the theater, including the annual Plovdiv International Folklore Festival. The award ceremony for the 21st International Computer Science Olympiad 2009 took place in this theater.
Inscriptions in the theater
Steles with Greek inscriptions in the ancient theater in Plovdiv
Honor for Publius Virdius Iulianus, ca.214 AD
Honor for a Thracarch, approx. 214 AD
Honor for Publius Virdius
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ PHILIPPOPOLIS , amphi-theatrum.de
- ↑ Nicolay Sharankov: Unknown Governors of Provincia Thracia, Late I-Early II Century AD. In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . Volume 151, 2005, pp. 235-242 = Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 55, 763.
- ↑ Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 55, 758.
- ↑ Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 55, 757.
- ↑ Inscriptiones Graecae in Bulgaria repertae 5, 5468 = Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 47, 1088.
Coordinates: 42 ° 8 ′ 49.1 ″ N , 24 ° 45 ′ 3.8 ″ E