Ephesus was governed by a two assembly system of administration. These were the advisory council and the assembly of citizens. The advisory council (Boule) held its meetings in the Odeum. Therefore the building is also called the Bouleuterion.
The assembly of citizens was made up of all the Ephesians. On certain days of the year the assembly of citizens held its meetings in the Ephesus Theater. The Odeum had the aspect of a small theatre.
Its difference from a theatre was that it was once covered. The seating section of the building of which restoration is at present going on, was reached by stepped side streets covered by vaults on two sides. The holding capacity was about 500. The benches were of marble, and their legs were in the shape of lions’ paws. The stage building was two storeyed. It opened to the inner part by five doors with the centre one built higher than the others.
Odeum, Ephesus
This was part of our 6 hour tour through the remains of the city of Ephesus. It is truly amazing how they built this so long ago. Traveling in October the site was fairly busy but going in the summer the line ups would be extreme.
We recently visited Ephesus while sailing the Azamara Journey. Each cruise Azamara includes a "Azamazing" event which is limited to the cruise ship guests. Our cruises event was a orchestral concert and dining at the Odeion. What a great experience to be able to watch a concert in this stadium.
As you come into the city of Ephesus, this is one of the first structures that you will see. As it was in the "State Agora", it was apparently used as a government house and not theatre in the traditional sense. Quite impressive, and well preserved.
This building has the shape of a small theatre with a stage building, seating places and the orchestra. It had two functional uses. First it was used as a Bouleuterion for the meetings of the Boulea or the Senate. The second function was the Odeum – a concert hall for performances. It was constructed in the 2nd century AD by the order of Publius Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia paiana, two wealthy citizens of Ephesus.
It had a capacity of 1500 spectators and had 3 doors opening from the stage to the podium. The podium was narrow and one meter higher than the orchestra section. The stage building was two-storeyed and embellished with columns. The podium in front of the stage building and some parts of the seating have been restored. The Odeon used to be enclosed with a wooden roof.
The Odeon, or small theater, was also called the Bouleuterion, since the local Senate or Boulea met there. Vedius Antonious and his wife had it built in the second century AD. With 22 stairs, it could seat 1,500 people. Archeologists think that it may have had a roof, since there is no drainage system.
This was constructed by Vedius Antonius and his wife in the 2nd century AD and was a small theatre used for plays and concerts, seating an audience of 1,500 people. It has 22 stairs conforming the shape of the theatre. The upper part was decorated with red granite pillars in the Corinthian style.
This photo shows the Odeon and one of the entrances which then continued up the vaulted stairways leading to the seats.
The Odeion was used as a sort of courthouse and a place to discuss politics and issues, not as a theater. Much smaller than the great amphitheater but still a nice building in great condition.
We started our tour from the top gate and worked our way down the hill. Not far from the gate is The Odeon, a small theatre where the advisory council held their meetings to decide on important issues. Our guide mentioned that concerts have also be held there and we recently saw the movie "The Ghost Rider" with Nicholas Cage…
This will most likely be your first stop on the tour of Ephesus. Its is pretty impressive at first but once you take the path down to the Library and then the theater, this is just blown away in the water. Still pretty neat to investigate and take a few pics.
If you come in from the top gate, this will be even more impressive. It was where the city council met and also a venue for concerts and performances.
Yet another 2nd Cent. building to which Time and the Elements were not kind. It still displays enough to bring a lump to your throat, but see it before the Theatre, if you can, as it is dwarfed by the latter. In contrast to the 25,000 seating capacity of its rival, it held only 1,500 persons.
The great nobles and thinkers of Ephesus gathered here to argue and discuss politics, economics, and social issues. It played a key role in bringing justice and fair practices to Ephesus.