Nikon D7200, 12-24mm f/4G lens @19mm f/8, aperture priority. |
"The roofed Odeon served mainly musical festivals, and could host up to 5,000 spectators. It was a solid construction, but the masonry was not massive. Both wall surfaces were covered by poros stone blocks, while the interior was filled with quarry faced stones. The semicircular cavea (in Greek koilo, auditorium), 76m in diameter, was hewn out of the rock. It was divided into two sections (diazomata, landings) by a 1.20m wide corridor; each diazoma numbered 32 rows of seats made of white marble. The upper corridor of the cavea was probably bordered by a gallery. Also semicircular, the orchestra, 19m in diameter, was paved with white marble. The scene was raised and the scenic wall, preserved up to 28m, extended over three levels. Arched openings decorated the wall's upper part, while the lower part contained several tristyle prostasis (three-columned projecting porticos) and niches for the placement of statues, a traditional feature in Roman theatres. The scene was flanked by staircases leading to the upper diazoma. A gallery called metaskenio lined the front of the outer scenic wall. Mosaic floors with geometrical and linear patterns covered the entrances to the staircases and to the metaskenio. The monument was an extremely expensive construction, which is also confirmed by ancient testimonies referring mostly to the cedar wood used for the roof. It seems that the roof of the cavea, with a 38m radius, had no internal fixings, since there are no traces of such fixings, which constitutes a unique construction achievement even in our days. To the east, the Odeon was connected to the gallery of Eumenes, a roofed edifice built about three centuries previously (197-159 BC), by Eumenes, king of Pergamos (also known as Pergamon or Pergamum)." — Maria Kosma, Ministry of Culture and Sports |
