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Ancient Theatre

Great Theatre of Ephesus

GRAYT THEE-uh-ter of EFF-uh-sus · Modern Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey · 37.9415° N, 27.3255° E

This roughly 25,000-seat theater, carved into the western slope of Mount Pion (Panayırdağ), is traditionally identified as the site of the Ephesian riot in Acts 19:29, where the crowd "rushed together into the theatre" dragging Paul's traveling companions Gaius and Aristarchus after the silversmith Demetrius stirred up opposition to Paul's preaching. Paul himself was restrained by disciples and city officials from entering the theatre (Acts 19:30-31). Built in the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC) under Lysimachus and enlarged under Claudius and Nero, it remains one of the largest surviving ancient theatres in Asia Minor.

Archaeology

Construction began around 200 BC under Lysimachus's Hellenistic city plan; the cavea and stage building were substantially rebuilt and enlarged in the Roman period, with a two-story stage added under Nero and a third story completed by the mid-2nd century AD. Austrian Archaeological Institute excavations have documented the structure's building phases in detail. The identification of this theatre as the Acts 19 riot site is treated as historically secure by most scholars, since Ephesus had only one large public theatre matching the narrative's description.