source: The Cyprus Institute - STARC
country: Cyprus
rights: The Cyprus Institute - STARC, Department of Antiquities (Cyprus), University of Sydney
Name: The Hellenistic-Roman theatre of Paphos
Description: The site of the ancient theatre of Nea Paphos is located in the modern town of Kato Paphos. The theatre was built by the Ptolemies of Alexandria around 300 BC, on the southern slope of a hill, on the north-east of the ancient walled city. It survived until the late 4th century AD. It is possible to identify at least five major phases of buildng and renovation during the theatre's history, representing the changing nature of performances during Greek and Roman periods and the responses to earthquake damage. At its peak, under the Roman Antonine emperors in the mid-second century AD, the stage building was façaded in marble, the theatre measured 90 m from side to side and had a cavea with a seating capacity of over 8000 spectators with an angle of rise of 26.5 degrees. By the end of the third century AD, probably after the devastating earthquake of 365 AD, the theatre was abandoned and much of the stonework was robbed and reused elsewhere in the town. After a period of abandonment, the site of the ancient theatre sees renewed activity in the 12th and 13th centuries AD, when the harbour of Paphos became once again a major economic point of activity, this time for the Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land.
display_date: From 300 B.C. to 365 A.D.
Type: Theatre
type: area
value: 17000
unit: square meters
type: length
value: 88 (diameter)
unit: meters
type: width
value: 12.4 (radius from the center of the orchestra)
unit: meters
Location_name: Nea Paphos, Cyprus
Geopolitical_area: Paphos
Spatial_reference_system: WGS 84
x: 34.761117
y: 32.413922