Ephesus - Great Theater

The Great Theater in Ephesus, begun in the reign of Claudius (41-54) and completed in the reign of Trajan (98-117), is particularly impressive, both for its great size and for the excellent state of preservation of the orchestra and the stage buildings. It was here that St Paul preached against the cult of Artemis and inveighed against the guild of silversmiths responsible for its shrines. The theater's 3 by 22 tiers of seating, divided into sections by 12 stairways, could accommodate an audience of some 25,000. From the top there is a fine view extending down to the Old Harbor. There were also staircase tunnels leading to the upper tiers. The stage wall, originally three-storeyed and 18m/60ft high but now preserved only to the height of the lowest storey, was elaborately articulated, with columns, niches for statues and richly decorated cornices. In the west terrace wall is a Hellenistic fountain-house in the form of a temple in antis, which in spite of its ruinous state is notable for the clarity and simplicity of its structure.