Stadium
To the southwest of the Theater Bay, close to the palaestra of the Faustina thermae, stand the remnants of the stadium. Nowadays, a paved street crosses them. Constructed in the second century BCE, the stadium was built with the natural terrain in mind. Its southern galleries were adapted to the angle of a flat hill, while the northern auditorium required the construction of a terracing wall and a mound to achieve the required slope for the galleries and racecourse. The walls enclosing the auditorium consisted of embossed marble blocks. A passage, about 2 meters wide, led to a staircase connecting the auditorium to the upper rows of seats. Some of the seating steps were discovered in their original location, so at least the northern part of the auditorium can be reconstructed easily. It appears to have consisted of 20 rows situated in front of an approximately 4-meter-wide walkway. The entire complex is estimated to have seated around 14,400. Thanks to bases marking the starting and end points of the race track, researchers have been able to calculate the length of the course relatively precisely: 191,4 meters. In the early third century CE, the stadium gained a splendid gate building, consisting of 2 rows of 8 columns each, to the east.
The palaestra of the Faustina thermae adjoined the stadium to the northeast, and to the west, there was a gymnasium, probably donated by King Eumenes II of Pergamon (197–159 BCE) around the middle of the second century BCE. With its column halls, the complex had a length of approximately 190 meters in total, similar to that of a stadium. It was probably used for running training.
Text: Nadia Cahenzli
References
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A. von Gerkan, Das Stadion, Milet 2,1 (Berlin 1921).
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M. Stubenrauch, Unterhaltungsarchitektur im Kontext kleinasiatischer Städte. Das Stadion in römischer Zeit zwischen Sport und Spektakel (Mag. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München 2006) 87–91.
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B. Emme, in: P. Niewöhner (ed.), Milet / Balat. Städtebau und Monumente von Archaischer bis in Türkische Zeit. Ein Führer (Istanbul 2016) 111–114.