Theater, Priene, Turkey


Related person
John P. Schooley Jr. (photographer)
Date
3rd C. BCE-Roman additions 1st C. CE ca.
Description
"The city of Priene lies on the southern slopes of Mt. Mykale overlooking the Maeander river. The city largely excavated by the Germans in the late 19th century is planned on a strict grid, defying the steeply sloping topography of the site and imposing a rational human order on the landscape. Its well-preserved remains, with its temple of Athena, well-planned agora, theater, stadium, gymnasium, fortification walls and many excavated houses, form one of the best examples of a small Greek polis". -- http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/siteindex?lookup=Priene The horseshoe-shaped theater on the southern slopes of Mt. Mykale in Priene is one of the best-preserved and earliest examples of Hellenistic theater construction in Turkey. It is located on the northern edge of the Meander River in the north of the city, below the acropolis and above the upper gymnasium. This theater was in use for five hundred years and although it could accommodate over 5,000 people in its 47 rows of seating, only 15 rows of its lower cavea remain. The Romans made additional modifications in the 1st century CE. Among the changes were the integration of the five armchair prohedria around the orchestra into a row of bench seating and the placement of the altar to Dionysus in the center of the row. The Archivision Collection of Ancient Sites was funded by the Jack Martin Balcer Library Endowment. Keywords: Turkey, Aydin Ili, Turunçlar, Turunclar, urban, hillside, Mediterranean, Greek (ancient), Hellenistic, stone, marble, masonry, performing arts structures, auditorium. Photographed by Scott Gilchrist, Archivision.
Style/Period
Greek
Roman
Material
stone and/or rock