Theatre-Stadium Complex

Unusual paired Roman theatre and stadium complex on the northern edge of Aizanoi.

Aizanoi's theatre and stadium were built back to back, an arrangement UNESCO describes as unique in the ancient world. The theatre held roughly 20,000 people and the stadium around 13,500, which tells you how ambitious the Roman city was compared with the quiet village around it today.

The remains are rougher than the Temple of Zeus, but they repay a slow look. Stand where the two venues meet and it becomes easier to imagine the old city as a regional centre rather than a single monument in a field.

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