Stratonikeia Theatre
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In the village of Eskihisar on the Muğla-Milas road.
The theatre faces north on a 30-degree incline at the foot of a high hill to the south of the city. The cavea filled with rows of seats is set completely into the slope with the exception of the space behind the two supporting walls at the ends. In the first tier of the two-tier theatre there are 26 rows of seats, and in the upper tier there are 16. The ground level width of the horizontal walkway between the levels is six feet. The orchestra of the theatre is in the shape of a horseshoe. This is a theatre of the early period which was renovated in the Roman era and has survived to the present in that form. A section of marble seating with a backboard along the edge of the orchestra which was reserved for the elite, for guests and for temple administrators is still preserved. Although the upper marble cladding of the administrators’ section added at a later date has been lost, the filling material is still in situ. The marble covering of the orchestra floor is still in place. In the first echelon there are a total of 10 radial stairways decorated at the row ends with lions’ claws. In the second level there are 19 radial stairways. The radius of the orchestra is 38 feet and eight inches. The depth of the horseshoe shaped orchestra is 49 feet. The height of the stage building is calculated as being around 52 feet.
The seating capacity is estimated as being approximately 6,500 people.
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