Miletus Theatre, near Modern Balat, Turkey

Greek: 300 BCE, Roman: 133 BCE

Cavea Width: 136 meters
Orchestra Width: 27 meters

Theater of Miletus, mofrtn Balat, Turkey; Roman theater built over a Hellenistic theatercavea width 139.80 m; originally three tiers containing twenty rows of seats each (lowest tier divided into five cunei, second tier into ten cunei, upper tier had twenty cunei); southwest orientation facing Theater Harbor; seating capacity 15,000-18,500; orchestra width 27.34 m; initial Hellenistic construction c. 300-225 BCE with Roman reconstruction during Emperor Trajan’s reign (98-117 CE); the theater underwent four major Hellenistic construction phases and significant Roman renovations, with the upper tier destroyed during Byzantine castle construction; the theater was incorporated into city walls during the 7th century CE, with most Byzantine fortifications later dismantled during early 20th century excavations.

The Roman theatre of Miletus was built during the reign of Emperor Trajan (98 -117 CE) over a much older (300 BCE), 5,300-seat Hellenistic theatre. The remains of the 15,000-seat theatre we see today are the result of numerous Greek and Roman renovations over a 700-year period.

The surviving Miletus theatre is mostly Roman with a high but deep state. It is built against the acropolis hill, facing southwest, with the orchestra level situated approximately 9 meters above the ground level immediately southwest of the scene building, overlooking a small bay (Sear 343).

The cavea (seating area) has a diameter of 139.80 meters, slightly exceeding a semicircle, with a substantial capacity of 14,800-18,500 spectators (final Roman size) (Sear 343). The seating area is divided into three distinct sections: the ima cavea (lower section) comprising 20 rows of profiled seats arranged in 5 cunei (wedges); the media cavea (middle section) with 20 rows in 10 cunei; and the summa cavea (upper section) containing 20 rows in 18 cunei. Each tier is separated by a praecinctio (horizontal walkway) with a podium wall measuring 1.83 meters high, and the top row of seats in each case features a continuous back. Near the bottom of the central cuneus of the ima cavea, 4 columns supported a baldachin (canopy) over the pulvinar (special seating area) (Sear 343).

The lower cavea is built against the natural slope, while the summa cavea is supported by 35 radial vaults, with most vaults on the northwest side opening to the outside via arched openings. A broad staircase on the northwest side leads up to a terrace beside the northwest analemma, connecting to a complex system of passages and staircases that facilitates circulation throughout the cavea (Sear 343).

The orchestra (performance space between the seating and the stage) is semi-circular and has a diameter of 27.34 meters, with the Roman orchestra positioned approximately 0.69 meters lower than its Hellenistic predecessor. It is surrounded by a podium 1.76 meters high with 7 rectangular niches approximately 0.50 meters wide, and a stone balteus wall stands approximately 2 meters in front of the podium wall. The orchestra was deliberately lowered during Roman renovations to better accommodate gladiatorial events and animal hunts (Sear 343).

The pulpitum (stage) evolved from its Hellenistic dimensions (length 34 meters, width approximately 3 meters) to the Roman configuration (length 34 meters, width 6.5 meters, extending to approximately 8.8 meters). The stage was extended to the analemmata (retaining walls), with a height of 2.13 meters, and featured polychrome Doric half-columns attached to piers in the Hellenistic manner. A lateral staircase on each side provided access from the orchestra to the stage (Sear 343).

The scaenae frons (decorative scene house front) featured a three-story columnatio (arrangement of columns) reaching a height of 22 meters. The old Hellenistic scene building was filled with stone blocks up to the level of the stage to form a solid platform for this impressive architectural backdrop. The scaenae frons contained five doorways in total, with a broad shallow niche enclosing the regia (central doorway). According to Sear, Ferrero considered the size of doorways and arrangement of four columns in the regia to be doubtful (Sear 343). Archaeological excavations have uncovered several pieces of decorative reliefs from the scaenae frons, including a hunting scene with Eros (Altenhöfer and Bol 17-47).

The access and circulation system of the theatre was highly sophisticated, featuring a complex arrangement of entrances, exits, and passageways. An arched opening halfway along the analemma gives access to a staircase leading up to the radial passage, while seven doorways in the podium wall provide access to the praecinctio. A lateral staircase was built into the thickness of the podium wall, and a long straight corridor runs from a door in the outer wall of the north side of the cavea, descending by two sets of stairs to join the northwest radial passage. Nineteen lateral staircases provide access to the seats of the summa cavea from the annular passage, while an ambulacrum (walkway) of varying width encircles the top of the cavea, accessible from a long staircase running around the outer cavea wall on the northwest side (Sear 343).

Current Status: The Miletus theatre remains in a remarkable state of preservation despite its age, with the cavea particularly well-preserved and multiple tiers of seating clearly visible, though only footings of the scene building remain with the elaborate scaenae frons no longer standing.

The theatre remains primarily an archaeological site and tourist attraction rather than an active performance venue.

Recent initiatives include documentation and digital preservation, teaching excavations by the University of Hamburg since 2018 that incorporate conservation training and public outreach (University of Hamburg), and extensive restoration measures led by B.F. Weber in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Weber 2001). Miletus appears on Turkey’s Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage status but has not yet been inscribed. The site is under the protection of Turkish national heritage laws and the management of the General Directorate of Museums and Antiquities of the Republic of Turkey.

The first excavations at Miletus were carried out under Theodore Weigand for the Berlin Museum. He supervised the excavations until the beginning of the First World War. Excavations were resumed in 1938 and continued after the Second World War with Professor G. Klieiner. He was succeeded by Wolfgang Muller-Weiner. Since 2018, the excavation has been under the management of Universität Hamburg and the direction of Christof Berns

Renovations: 

Hellenistic Phases (300–133 BCE):

• Initial construction (ca. 300 BCE):  Built into a hillside between the Bay of Lions and Theater Harbor, the theatre originally featured a two-tiered cavea (seating) divided into 20-row sections and seated an estimated 5,300. The first skene (stage building) aligned with the city walls and lacked a central doorway in its lower story. The Hellenistic theatre seated an estimated 5,300.
• Second phase(300–250 BCE): The skene was lengthened, adding four doors to the lower story and three to the upper. A Doric-style proscenium, wider than the stage, likely featured 16 columns (Perseus)
• Third phase (pre-150 BCE): Paraskenia (side wings) expanded the skene, and five thyromata (large openings) were added to the upper story to accommodate New Comedy performances. (Perseus)
• Final Hellenistic phase (pre-133 BCE): The skene was widened further, leaving only the central doorway open in the lower story. This phase emphasized the upper logeion (performance platform) over the lower chambers. (Perseus)

Roman Modifications (1st–3rd c. CE):

• Under Emperor Trajan (98–117 CE), the theatre was radically enlarged to seat 15,000–18,500 spectators. A third tier of seats was added, reaching approximately 40 meters in height, though this upper section was later destroyed (Blankenberg)
• The orchestra was lowered, and a raised logeion(stage) was constructed in front of the proscenium to facilitate gladiatorial games. (Perseus)
• A three-story scaenae frons(stage façade) with seven doors replaced earlier Hellenistic structures. Decorative reliefs, including hunting scenes with Eros, adorned the façade.
• In 164 CE, four columns supporting a baldachin (canopy) were installed in the cavea’s first tier for Empress Faustina’s visit.

Byzantine Alterations (post-300 CE):

• Defensive walls built over the proscenium damaged the stage building, while a citadel constructed atop the cavea destroyed its upper tiers.

Excavations:

• 1873: A French team led by archaeologist Olivier Rayet conducted the initial excavations at Miletus, concentrating on the theatre. Their primary goal was to uncover artworks, resulting in the discovery of six statues that were subsequently donated to the Louvre Museum in Paris. ​(Ohlrogge)
• 1899–1931: German archaeologist Theodor Wiegand, with the support of Julius Hülsen, initiated extensive excavations at Miletus. Funded by the German Emperor, Wiegand aimed to revive the ancient city and document its history across various epochs, from the Archaic period to the Middle Ages. This period yielded numerous findings, particularly from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. (Ohlrogge)
• 1938: Carl Weickart conducted a brief excavation season at the site. ​(Ohlrogge)
• 1955–1957: Post-World War II, Carl Weickart resumed excavations at Miletus. ​(Ohlrogge)
• 1955–1973: Gerhard Kleiner led archaeological efforts focusing on exploring the Mycenaean and Archaic city layers. During this time, initial restoration works were undertaken, and buildings from late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, previously unearthed by Wiegand, were studied in depth. ​(Ohlrogge)
• 1975–1988: Wolfgang Müller-Wiener directed the excavations, continuing the work of his predecessors and contributing to the understanding of Miletus’s extensive history. ​(Ohlrogge)
• Present: Since 2018, the excavation has been under the management of Universität Hamburg and the direction of Christof Berns with the permission and support of the General Directorate of Museums and Antiquities of the Republic of Türkiye – is carried out by the Universität Hamburg (Institut für Archäologie und Kulturgeschichte des antiken Mittelmeerraumes) in cooperation with the Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi Istanbul and the École normale supérieure Paris. 
  ​(Ohlrogge)

Bibliography / Resources:

Altenhöfer, E., and R. Bol. “Der Erotenjagdfries des Theaters in Milet.” Istanbuler Mitteilungen 39 (1989): 17-47.

Blankenberg, David. “Miletus Theater.” Divinity Archive, Duke Divinity School Library, 19 May 2015, divinityarchive.com/handle/11258/14290.

Krauss, Fritz. Das Theater von Milet, I: Das Hellenistische Theater: Der römische Zuschauerbau. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1973.

Müller-Wiener, Wolfgang. “Untersuchungen im Theater von Milet.” Istanbuler Mitteilungen 17 (1967): 279-290.

Niewöhner, Philipp, Lucy Audley-Miller, Ercan Erkul, Stefan Giese, and Sabine Huy. “An Ancient Cave Sanctuary underneath the Theatre of Miletus: Beauty, Mutilation and Burial of Ancient Sculpture in Late Antiquity.” Archäologischer Anzeiger 2016, no. 1 (2017): 67-156.

Ohlrogge, Mark. “Archaeological Research in Miletus.” Miletus Excavation, University of Hamburg, www.miletgrabung.uni-hamburg.de/en/milet/forschungsgeschichte.html.

Perseus Digital Library. “Miletus, Theater (Building).” Accessed March 30, 2025. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Miletus,+Theater&object=Building.

Sear, Frank. Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

ToposText. “Μίλητος – Miletus, important Archaic to Late Antique polis at Milet in Ionia/Caria (Aegean Turkey).” Accessed March 30, 2025. https://topostext.org/place/375273PMil.

Turkish Archaeological News. “Miletus.” Last modified June 24, 2023. https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/miletus.

University of Hamburg. “Overview of the history of research on Miletus.” Miletus Excavation. Accessed March 30, 2025. https://www.miletgrabung.uni-hamburg.de/en/milet/forschungsgeschichte.html.

Weber, B.F. “Die Restaurierungsmaßnahmen im Theater von Milet.” Archäologischer Anzeiger 2001: 423-450.