Roman Theater - Caesarea, Israel
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N 32° 29.758 E 034° 53.468
36S E 677672 N 3596988
Caesarea Roman Theater is located in the very south of the city. It was commissioned by King Herod and is the earliest of the Roman entertainment facilities built in his kingdom.
Waymark Code: WMGW0G
Location: Israel
Date Posted: 04/14/2013
Views: 7
Caesarea is located on the Mediterranean coast, about midway between Haifa and Tel Aviv. Archeological excavations during the 1950s and 1960s uncovered remains from many periods, in particular, a complex of fortifications of the Crusader city and the Roman theater.
In the excavated theater a stone was found, bearing parts of an inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Judea, and the Tiberium (the edifice in honor of the Emperor Tiberius) which he built.
The amphitheater, on the city's southern shore, was also mentioned by Josephus Flavius. It was north-south oriented and measured 64 x 31 m. When first built in the Herodian period, it seated about 8,000 spectators; in the first century CE seating areas were added, increasing its capacity to 15,000. The dimensions, shape and installations indicate that this amphitheater was used for racing horses and chariots and was, in fact, a hippodrome. During the second century, the amphitheater was rebuilt and adapted for use as a more standard type of amphitheater.
Today, the Roman theatre often hosts concerts by major Israeli and international artists, such as Shlomo Artzi, Yehudit Ravitz, Mashina, Deep Purple, Björk and others.
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