In his description of Caesarea Maritima, Flavius Josephus mentions a theater and amphitheater. With several restorations through the years, the theater, as it commands a view of the sea, is still used today. About 1 kilometer south of Herod's harbor, its location is immediately south of Herod’s Palace and was connected to it. Built of local limestone, it could hold approximately 3,500-4,000 spectators.
Six vaulted corridors, decorated with columns and pillars, led into the theatre; these were accessible from the outside through a concentric corridor. The whole cavea, or seating area, is supported externally by two parallel semicircular walls with an internal curved passageway equipped with vaults. As the theatre is open-air, the cavea is divided into upper and lower sections by a praecinctio, or curved walkway; the lower seating area is the ima cavea, while the highest section is the summa cavea, divided into seven wedges by six stairways with 20 rows of steps, and paved in stone. Below the cavea is the orchestra, accessible through two entrances; with its typical semicircular shape, it reaches a diameter of about 17 meters (56 ft). The floor of the orchestra in the Herodian period was of painted stucco in red and blue, but it was later refurbished with marble.
Using archaeological reports by Ehud Netzer, Barbara Burrell, Kenneth Holum, Robert Bull, Frank Sear, and others, along with Flavius Josephus' eyewitness descriptions, the image you see is part of the collaborative work of Lithodomos and Patrick Scott Smith.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
A., P. S. S. M. (2026, April 24). Roman Theater, Caesarea Maritima. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21687/roman-theater-caesarea-maritima/
Chicago Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Roman Theater, Caesarea Maritima." World History Encyclopedia, April 24, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21687/roman-theater-caesarea-maritima/.
MLA Style
A., Patrick Scott Smith, M.. "Roman Theater, Caesarea Maritima." World History Encyclopedia, 24 Apr 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21687/roman-theater-caesarea-maritima/.
