Top 10 Most Beautiful Roman Theaters

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3. The Roman theater at Bosra, Syria

Roman_Theatre_in_Bosra

The most complete, best preserved and probably the largest of all the Roman theaters in the Middle East, the Roman theater at Bosra was built near to the end of the 2 AD. Constructed in an unusual way, the Roman theater at Bosra had rooms to hold about 15,000 spectators who could enter through a two barrel-vaulted gates to the parapet.

The interiors of this theater started to get filled with sands providing a natural preservation of the architecture while it was also renovated to its original form in between 1947-1970.

The Roman theater at Bosra is still in use and serves as the main venue in the national music festival- the Bosra Festival.

2. The Roman theater in Brescia, Italy

The Roman theater in Brescia, Italy

Built in the Flavian Era (69-96 AD), the Roman theater in Brescia located in Italy is one of the largest Roman theaters in the world with accommodation capacity of over 15,000 people. Located at the east of the Capitoline Temple and visible from the Vicolo del Fontanone, the Roman theater of Brescia is also listed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

The theater in Brescia went through several renovations with addition of marble and stones together with bricks of great ambulatory after the earthquake in the 5th century to accommodate people inside for few centuries more. However, most of the parts of this Roman theater was demolished since the starting of the 19th century with the addition of new buildings.

Several archaeological excavations have already started to find the remnants of demolished parts while the semicircular perimeter wall and the passages are still preserved in fragments today to make it one of the most beautiful Roman theaters in the world.

1. Orange, the Théâtre Antique d’Orange, France

Orange, the Théâtre Antique d'Orange, France

 

The Antique Theater of Orange possesses an exceptional witness of the Antiquity and is also the most protected theaters in the whole Europe. After being built in the starting of the Christian Era, the Orange is placed in the World heritage list of UNESCO today.

The Roman culture was diffused with the language of ancient Rome in this very theater while it was built for the accommodation of gallo-roman public. The theater was used for several programs like dance shows, acrobatics, comedies and tragedies with its holding capacity of over 9000 people.

The Theater of Orange was burnt down in the 4th century, and despite losing its principal function, it became an element of the defense. With the passing of time, the theater once again became a place of habitation while several performing arts are displayed even today to carry on the legacy of the most beautiful Roman theater.

Conclusion

With much difference between the large Greek theaters, the Roman theaters, despite being influenced by the Greeks had their own foundation and were used for pure entertainment and tragedy ceremonies. Acrobatics, gladiator fights, jugglers, mime plays were the part of these theaters in the ancient Roman period.

These beautiful theaters not only help in preserve the ancient archeology and provide information of the past, they also promote tourism which helps in sustaining the overall economy of the country. Let us know if you’ve visited any of these beautiful Roman theaters in the world!

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