In the Roman era, the coast line lay at the foot of the hill and has withdrawn over the centuries. The theatre therefore once stood near the sea front and was built exploiting the hill slope for the terraces, divided into four sectors by radial stairways. The site was restored to its current state at the end of the 1930s when a series of Medieval houses that had surrounded it in the meantime were eliminated. The theatre’s dimensions are considerable: the maximum diameter is 64 metres, whilst the terraces are 15 metres high and can seat around 6,000 spectators. Constructed between the 1st and 2nd century under the wishes of Tergeste’s Q. Petronius Modestus, State prosecutor for Emperor Trajan, the theatre fell into oblivion following the town’s dwindling importance. It was subsequently rediscovered in 1814 by archaeologists.
You can still get a god idea fromt he ruins of how these functioned, Cherie
It is an impressive ruin.
“The Roman era” has its signs and presence all over Europe, Cherry. It’s enough to blow the mind, especially knowing the Empire fell. I did NOT grow up seeing such things in America!
And in Europe you can just walk around a corner and there is a little bit of ancient Rome before your very eyes
I always feel sad at ruins. There is something more than a building definitely lost. Near granddad’s farm was an old stone Roman bridge that we continued to drive over right up until about 2007…before they blocked it off and made another -of wood. And it was not even to preserve it(as you can well imagine) but because it was finally crumbling and had become a hazard. Oddly, I never felt comfortable crossing it because it was so old and should be respected rather than just ‘run over’ as if it was built yesterday.
What I feel particularly sad about is the gibbets that are still standing.One gibbet near us had an inscription which read (paraphrasing) ‘whosoever shall remove these bones from the gibbet shall perish within (time frame)’. And it was left standing because the few people who scoffed as such a warning and at different points in time tried to remove the bones buried around it, and the gibbet itself, died within the stated time frame.
So it still stands because no one would remove it.
But when one stands before it ,wondering how many people were strung up there, it is kinda creepy and a blight on the landscape,don’t you think?
I must admit that I have never seen gibbets standing in their original place. I am sure if I had I would find it a bit macabre. I certainly wouldn’t feel inclined to go anywhere near them!
To have been sitting there, watching the show …
It is still used for performances on occasions
Wonder what sort of gate fee they might of had.
Coffee is on
I should think it would have been expensive.
Oh, what gorgeous photos! I would love to see that. My favourite structure in Ephesus in Turkey was Trajan’s fountain – it was built to honour the emperor you mention above.
I have never been to Turkey. The fountain you mention sounds interesting
There’s a lot of history there. We owe so much to the Romans.
Fascinating history it is too.
i love your presentation of these Roman ruins of the Roman theater Cherie… it reminds me a bit of the one that was built in Pompeii that we visited in 2006….peter:)
I have not yet managed to visit Pompeii. It is on my list though