Miletus

Outside view of Miletus theatre; on top the Byzantine fortress. These are the remains of the ancient theater at Miletus. By the tenth century BC, Miletus was already renowned for its huge population and wealth. An ancient Greek-style theater stood on this location for at least a thousand years before it was remodeled into this mixed Roman-style and Greek-style theater with over 15,000 seats in the 1st century AD. Prior to that remodel, a remodel in the 4th century BC had already enlarged the more intimate ancient Greek theater into a giant with over 5,300 seats. Because Miletus was located on a flat plain near the ocean, there were no hills against which to build the theater. So, the entire structure had to be built from huge stone blocks.