The Roman Theater of Amman II

Photo by: ABdulhameed Shamandour
Location: Old Amman, Jordan

The Roman Theater is an ancient theater built by the Roman Empire when it included the land of Jordan. It is now a popular touristic attraction in Amman, Jordan.

Roman Theater Amman, Jordan The Roman Theatre was built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (169-177 AD), the large and steeply raked theater could seat about 6,000 people. It is built into the hillside, and oriented north to keep the sun off the spectators. In this photo, the orchestra and stage are viewed from the first diazoma (horizontal division) of the cavea. The east side of the cavea illustrates its division into three horizontal sections (diazomata); the lower seats were naturally more desirable, just as in today's theatres. Side entrances (paradoi) appear at ground level, one leading to the orchestra and the other to the stage. Rooms behind these entrances now house the Jordanian Museum of Popular Traditions on the one side, and the Amman Folklore Museum on the other side. The highest section of seats in a theatre was (and still is) called "The Gods". Although far from the stage, even there the sightlines are excellent, and the actors could be clearly heard, owing to the steepness of the cavea.