Ancient Theatre of Philippopolis
Roman theatre of the early second century, excavated in the 1970s and still used for performances.
The theatre was built on the southern slope of the Three Hills during the reign of the emperor Trajan, when Philippopolis was a leading city of the Roman province of Thrace. Inscriptions cut into the seating record the city districts and the officials responsible for their blocks, and one names the governor Titus Flavius Cotys. The building was damaged in the fifth century, probably during the Hunnic invasions, and gradually disappeared beneath later settlement and a landslide.
A landslip in the early 1970s exposed the ruins, and excavation by the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum between 1968 and 1979 uncovered the cavea, orchestra and much of the stage building. Restoration followed under the Old Plovdiv institute, reusing original marble where possible. The semicircular auditorium has about 28 rows of seats divided by a horizontal walkway, and the site now holds several thousand spectators for opera, drama and concerts, with the Rhodope foothills visible behind the scaenae frons.
Highlights
- Marble seating rows inscribed with the names of city districts
- Restored scaenae frons with Corinthian columns and statues
- Rediscovered by a landslide and excavated from 1968 to 1979
- Open-air stage seating several thousand for opera and concerts
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