Behind the agora in Side rises a theater with impressive arched vaults, built in the 2nd century BC. BC e. In the construction of the theater there are elements of difference from other theaters. It was not built on a mountainside, as the Hellenes did, but in the Roman style - on a flat area.
Seats for spectators are held on vaulted arches, the arches themselves are on the foundation. There are corridors under the arches. 29 rows accommodated 16,000 spectators. In those days, the stage and vaults were decorated with statues and tiles. Today, only the masks of Tragedy and Comedy, the chipped heads of Medusa, scattered around the stage, remain from the theater.
In the late Roman period, the amphitheater was used for gladiator fights. A 1.5 m high wall was built around the stage to protect the audience during the spectacles of fighting wild animals. In the 5th-6th centuries, the theater served as an open-air church.
Many statues were found here, which have been in museums since 1964. Many of the monuments discovered here and dating back to the 6th century AD are located in Rome. Climbing up to the upper benches, you can observe the panorama of Side and the view of the sea.