Editing Aspendos (section)

==Greek and Roman structures==
[[File:Aspendos Theatre - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The [[Roman Theatre of Aspendos]]]]
Aspendos is known for having the best-preserved theatre of antiquity, the [[Roman Theatre of Aspendos]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Andreae |first=Bernard |title=The Art of Rome |publisher=H. N. Abrams |year=1977 |isbn=0-8109-0626-0 |location=New York |pages=567 |quote=The Roman theater survives virtually intact... scarcely another surviving theater gives a better impression of just how the Roman theater - a solid single unified structure - differed from the Greek theater, which was made up of separate structures juxtaposed but each isolated and complete in itself.}}</ref> With a diameter of 96&nbsp;metres (315&nbsp;ft), it provided seating for 7,000.<ref name=roth>{{cite book | first=Leland M. | last=Roth | year=1993 | title=Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History and Meaning | edition=First | publisher=Westview Press | location=Boulder, CO | isbn=0-06-430158-3 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/understandingarc00roth }}</ref> 
Even though, the recent Aspendus Culture and Film Festival has shown that it can hold over 20,000.<ref name=WhitmanCollege>{{cite web |url=https://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/aspendus/commentary/aspendus.commentary.htm |title=The Roman Theatre at Aspendus |access-date=2024-01-19 |author=Whitman College |date= |language=en }}</ref>
It was built in 155<ref name=roth/> by the Greek architect Zenon, a native of the city. It was periodically repaired by the [[Seljuqs]], who used it as a [[caravanserai]], and in the 13th century the stage building was converted into a palace by the [[Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm|Seljuqs of Rum]].<ref>Scott Redford, "The Seljuqs of Rum and the Antique," ''Muqarnas'', Vol. 10, Essays in Honor of Oleg Grabar. (1993), p. 151.</ref>[[File:Aspendos Stadium 4652.jpg|thumb|The Stadium]]

As was usual to minimise construction complexity and cost, part of the theatre was built against the hill where the [[Citadel]] ([[Acropolis]]) stood, while the remainder was built on vaulted arches. The high stage, whose supporting columns are still in place,<ref name="EB1911"/> served to seemingly isolate the audience from the rest of the world. The ''[[scaenae frons]]'', or backdrop, has remained intact. The 8.1&nbsp;metre (27&nbsp;ft) sloping reflective wooden ceiling over the stage has been lost over time. Post holes for 58 masts are found in the upper level of the theatre. These masts supported a ''[[velarium]]'' or awning that could be pulled over the audience to provide shade.<ref name=roth/> The diameter of the orchestra is 23.87 meters and the height of the columnatio (stage backdrop) was 15.7 meters.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sear |first=Frank |author-link= |date= |title=Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study |url= |location= |publisher= |page=35 |isbn=}}</ref>

The unique 19&nbsp;km-long [[Roman aqueduct]] is possibly the most important monument, since the last 2&nbsp;km of the conduit is a well-preserved inverted siphon, rather than an open channel, which made this aqueduct famous.<ref>Kessener, H. P. M. (2000). The aqueduct at Aspendos and its inverted Siphon. American Journal of Archaeology 13, 105 - 132</ref> The siphon allowed shorter arches to be constructed at the expense of finding a way to contain the water pressure in the siphon in an era when large diameter piping was difficult to seal.[[File:Aspendos Roman aqueduct 6328 (4895307195).jpg|thumb|Roman aqueduct and siphon]] The siphon was split into three bridge sections 600, 900 and 150 m long, separated by 5.5 m square two towers where the aqueduct bends and where the water ascended and descended and which are today still 30 m high. The siphon was built on arches to cross the marshy valley between the hills and the town. The central section consisted of 46 arches up to 15 m high, 29 of which are still standing. The siphon was 40 m deep between the towers  leading to a pressure of 400kPa (4bar) in the pipes and delivered about 5600 m<sup>3</sup> per day. The pipes were carved blocks of limestone carefully fitted together to ensure a good seal using a mortar of lime and olive oil which expands when wet. It was built between the middle of the 2nd and end of the 3rd century. An inscription states Tiberius Claudius Italicus spent 2 million [[denarii]] to build an aqueduct here.

Nearby stand the remains of a stadium, baths, [[basilica]], [[agora]] and [[nymphaeum]]. The Roman [[Eurymedon Bridge (Aspendos)|Eurymedon Bridge]], reconstructed in the 13th century, is also in the vicinity.