Roman Theater

About Roman Theater

Ancient Roman theatre in Amman, Jordan

The Roman Theatre is Amman's most famous landmark and the largest theatre in Jordan, set into the slope of Jabal al-Jofeh in the eastern part of downtown, facing the Citadel. It was built in the second century CE, most likely between 138 and 161 in the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius, in whose honour a Greek inscription on a column base says it was raised, when the city was known as Philadelphia. It seats about 6,000, more than the South Theatre at Jerash. The seating is divided into 44 rows in three tiers: the lowest for the elite and dignitaries, the upper two for the general public, with rooms behind the stage where performers prepared. A small rock-cut temple sits at the top of the cavea. The theatre is celebrated for its acoustics: from one spot at the centre of the stage a voice carries clearly to every row, and it is still used for performances today. Beside it are the forum, which together with the theatre covers about 7,600 square metres, and the Odeon, a smaller theatre of the same period. Two small museums flank the entrance and are covered by the same ticket: the Folklore Museum, showing the life, tools and furnishings of Jordan's villagers and Bedouin over the past century, and the Museum of Popular Traditions with its costumes.

Where:

Amman, Jordan