Architecture in the Ancient World – The Pergamon Ancient Theater and The Kazarma Bridge

Source; themind.circle

The Pergamon Ancient Theater is the world’s steepest theatre with an angle of about 70 degrees. The Hellenistic theatre is said to have had seating capacity of 10,000 and the cavea (seating area) was the steepest in the ancient world.

The magnificent Hellenistic theatre at Pergamon is the centerpiece of the acropolis of the ancient city, which is located just north of the modern-day town of Bergama on Turkey’s northern Aegean coast.

It is thought that it was built in the 3rd century BC, during the time of King Eumenes-II, and some additions were made during the Roman period. Researches show that there is another theater built before in the same place of this theater. Some of the wall remains from the old theater that was built can still be seen today.

There are 80 steps from the top to the stage and its height from the stage to the top is 36 meters. The lower part of the theater consists of seven pieces with neatly made staircases with a width of 74 cm so that the audience can easily enter and exit their seats; the upper parts are divided into six parts.

In the lower row of the lowest section, in the middle area facing the orchestra, there is a royal lodge made of marble. In the Hellenistic Age, there was a stage consisting of a wooden platform that could be disassembled and removed, and a stage building that was easily dismantled and removed.

Arkadiko Bridge, 3.300-year-old Chariot Bridge is still in use
The Arkadiko Bridge or Kazarma Bridge was built between 1300 and 1190 BCE, making it one of the oldest still-used arch bridges still in existence. It was built on a road that linked Tiryns to Epidaurus, and was part of a larger military road system.
The bridge was built using Cyclopean masonry, with limestone boulders, smaller stones, and little pieces of tile assembled tightly together without mortar. It stretches 72 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 13 feet tall.