Roman Theatre of

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century Roman theatre. A famous landmark in the Jordanian capital, it dates back to the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

period when the city was known as

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The theatre and the nearby Odeon are flanking the new

Hashemite Plaza The Hashemite Plaza is a plaza in Amman, Jordan that spans over an area of 20,000 square metres. It was renewed in 2014 and is named after the Jordanian royal family, the Hashemites. The Hashemite Plaza includes open spaces, fountains, gardens, p ...

from the south and the east respectively, while the Roman

Nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

is just a short stroll away in north-westerly direction.

History

The Roman Theatre is located in the eastern part of the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is specifically at the foot of Jabal Al-Joufah, on a hill opposite the

Citadel. A Greek inscription on one of the pillars indicates that this theater was built in honour of Emperor

Antoninus Pius Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius (; ; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from AD 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Born into a senatorial family, Antoninus held var ...

(138–161 CE). The large and steeply raked structure could seat about 6,000 people: built into the hillside, it was oriented north to keep the sun out of the eyes of the spectators. It was divided into three horizontal sections (''diazomata''). Side entrances () existed at ground level, one leading to the orchestra and the other to the stage. Rooms behind these entrances now house the Jordan Museum of Popular Tradition on the one side, and the Jordan Folklore Museum on the other side. The highest section of seats in a theatre, known in

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

as " the gods", even though far from the stage, offer here excellent sightlines, while the actors can be clearly heard, owing to the steepness of the ''

cavea The ''cavea'' (Latin language, Latin for "enclosure") are the seating sections of Theatre of ancient Greece, Greek and Roman theatre (structure), Roman theatres and Roman amphitheatre, amphitheatres. In Roman theatres, the ''cavea'' is tradition ...

''. The theatre is now used as a venue for cultural activities including the Amman International Book Fair, the

Amman Marathon Amman International Marathon is an annually held marathon in Amman, Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the ...

prize ceremony, and musical concerts, most notably the

Al-Balad Music Festival The Al-Balad Music Festival (also known simply as the Al-Balad Festival) is a biannual multi-day concert series in Jordan which takes place in downtown Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's ...

. In August 2019, the American rapper

Russ Russ is a masculine given name, often a short form of Russell, and also a surname. People Given name or nickname * Russ (rapper) (born 1992), American rapper, real name Russell James Vitale * Russ Abbot (born 1947), British musician, comedian ...

held a concert at the theatre.

References

External links

Photos of the Roman Theater
at the

Manar al-Athar Manar al-Athar is a photo archive based at the Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford which aims to provide high-quality open-access images of archaeological sites and buildings. The archive's collection focuses on areas of the Roman Em ...

photo archive Buildings and structures in Amman

Tourist attractions in Amman

{{Jordan-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links