Antalya, Serik, Belkıs village

Aspendos theatre was designed by Zenon, son of Theodorus. Its construction was commenced in 161 AD and it was completed in 19 years. An inscription in two languages on the architrave of the entry gates informs us that its construction was financed by the wealth of a single family at the bequest of A.C.Crispinus. The theatre is dedicated to local gods and the family of Augustus. It is the best-preserved Roman theatre of the age. The theatre owes its fine state of preservation to radical renovations carried out in the 1200s in the Seljuk era.

Very little of the theatre has been lost. The central section of the cavea leans on the hill behind it at a gradient of 30 degrees. It is the most typical example of a theatre produced by advanced Roman engineering. The height of the auditorium is the same as that of the stage building. This allowed optimum distribution of sound within the theatre and at the same time cleansed the theatre of disturbing sounds from the outside. The roof of the stage building has not survived. The two-level theatre has 20 rows in the first level and 10 rows in the second. Benches with backboards are arranged along the edge of the central walkway to reduce sound loss due to the void it creates. The right hand end of the row of these benches has survived. Should this row be completed, there would be remarkable improvement in the echo quality of sound. There is a row of honorary seats at the edge of the orchestra pit. These two extra rows bring the total of rows in the first level to 22. There are 10 radial ways above the central walkway and 21 below. The uppermost section is a covered gallery with ornamental coloured tiling, the paint of which is still visible. This covered barrel vaulted way with a wall of 58 arches was where spectators in the upper level would head when it poured with rain. The sides of the column like walls facing the stage were hollowed out and woven with bricks in a circular fashion and plastered. The vaulted spectator distribution way below the second level opening onto the central walkway has the usual five exits. Taking into account the entrances from the towers on the sides, there are a total of seven exits. In addition, it should not be forgotten that there are two exits, one on top of the other, opening onto the orchestra area, and a total of four entrances. These were entrances that were important and prestigious in the Roman era. The facade of the stage building facing the spectators is another finely worked section with its marble cladding, decorative columns and sculptures. Pieces of the columns and most of the niches (for statues) can be seen in the facade. The inclination of the decorative eaves of the roof, no longer in position, which extended out towards the spectators, suggests that it was a sound enhancement device.

The gradient of the cavea of the southeast facing theatre is 30 degrees. The orchestra has a width of 45 feet and six inches. The stage building must have been about 61 feet high.