Xanthus, Theater

Xanthus: town in western Lycia; its original name was Arňna, its modern name is Kınık.

The theater; agora in the background

The Roman theater of Xanthus was built in the mid-second century CE by a man named Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, who donated 30,000 denarii to this project. It was a giant enterprise, that forced the inhabitants to redesign their city center completely.

The theater had two entrances (parodoi) to the orchestra, and a part of the stage is still there. Originally, there must have been more rows of seats, but the lower ones were removed to create space for the gladiatoral contests that were so incredibly popular in Roman Asia Minor.

In Late Antiquity, the theater was part of Xanthus' new fortifications. You can still see a part of the Byzantine wall.