Theatre. The cavea of the theatre is situated at the west foot of a hill close to the city centre, the slope of which produced a natural theatron and only the upper part of the seat rows in the south are supported with vaults and long arches. The cavea of the theatre that has a crescent shaped orchestra is approximately 95 m long. The circumference in the rear is approximately 185 m. It is understood from the remains that the scene has a rectangular plan. The architectural fragments show that the façade architecture is ornamented and decorated with relieved friezes. The inscriptions demonstrate that the theatre, which dates back to the Hellenistic Period, underwent restoration and expansion between 311 and 313 AD.

The theater’s dimensions are similar to those of the one in Aspendos, which had a capacity of 12.000 people. This theater was rather bigger and larger than the other important Pisidian city theaters at Sagalassos, Termessos and Selge. Numerous stone blocks of the building have been carried away for later period constructions, both in Antioch and in Yalvaç; in 1833 already, when he identified the theater, Arundell observed that many blocks had been removed.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Pisidian Antioch’ – Ünal Demirer, archaeologist. (Ankara, 1997)
& Personal visits (1994 – 2003).