The Roman Theatre of Amman is a 6,000-seat, 2nd-century CE Roman era theatre, a famous landmark in the capital of Jordan, it dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia.
The Roman Theatre of Amman is a large stone-built performance structure constructed in the mid-2nd century CE in the Roman city of Philadelphia, the ancient precursor of modern Amman, and represents one of the most significant surviving monuments of Roman civic architecture in the province of Arabia.
Located in the heart of downtown Amman, the Roman Theatre dominates the eastern side of the ancient city center at the foot of Jabal al-Joufah, directly opposite the Citadel hill. It forms part of a broader Roman urban ensemble that included an odeon, a nymphaeum, colonnaded streets, and public plazas, reflecting Philadelphia’s role as a prominent city of the Decapolis. With seating for approximately six thousand spectators, the theatre functioned as a central venue for public performances and civic gatherings and remains one of the most visually and symbolically prominent archaeological landmarks in Jordan.
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The construction of the Roman Theatre is securely dated to the reign of emperor Antoninus Pius (reigned 138–161 CE), based on a Greek dedicatory inscription associated with the monument. During this period, Philadelphia experienced significant urban development as part of Rome’s consolidation of the province of Arabia Petraea, established in 106 CE following the annexation of the Nabataean Kingdom. The theatre was intended to serve a Romanized urban population and to express imperial presence through monumental architecture.
In antiquity, the theatre hosted dramatic performances, musical events, and public ceremonies integral to Roman civic life. Its placement within the city’s central valley linked it spatially to the forum and other public buildings, reinforcing its role as a focal point of social interaction. Following the late Roman and Byzantine periods, the structure gradually fell out of use, and successive earthquakes, combined with sediment accumulation and later construction, led to its partial burial. By the early Islamic period, much of the theatre was no longer visible above ground.
Systematic excavation and restoration began in the mid-20th century CE, particularly during the 1940s and 1950s, as part of broader efforts to document and preserve Jordan’s archaeological heritage. These works exposed the seating tiers, orchestra, and surviving elements of the stage building, allowing the theatre to be re-integrated into the urban landscape of modern Amman.
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The large and steeply raked structure could seat about 6,000 people: built into the hillside, it was oriented north to keep the sun off the spectators.
It was divided into three horizontal sections (diazomata). Side entrances (paradoi) existed at ground level, one leading to the orchestra and the other to the stage. Rooms behind these entrances now house the Jordan Museum of Popular Tradition on the one side, and the Jordan Folklore Museum on the other side. The highest section of seats in a theatre, known in British English as "the gods", even though far from the stage, offer here excellent sightlines, while the actors can be clearly heard, owing to the steepness of the cavea.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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