Is Caesarea Amphitheater really an amphitheater?

What does Amfi mean? What is the difference between the Roman Theater and Amphitheater? And is there an amphitheater in Caesarea? These are the questions that we will be answering in this post. Let’s begin!

Amfi

The word amphitheater has the prefix “Amfi,” which means “on both sides” in Ancient Greek. For example, frogs belong to the Amphibia class, since these vertebrates live on land but breed in water. Another example is the Amphibian Man, who lived both on the ground and in water.

How does this relate to Amphitheater? This brings us to our next question.

What is the difference between the Roman Theater and Amphitheater?

Since “Amfi,” which means “on both sides,” the amphitheater is a circular theater where people sit on both sides. And though Form follows function is a principle associated with 20th-century modernist architecture, it is also applied in this case. A semi-circular theater allowed better sound propagation (suited for plays in a theater), and amphitheater is better suited for viewing (for example, gladiator battles).

Today amphitheaters are often confused with theatres, but there are differences between the two structures that relate principally to the event’s stages therein.

As the action was the order of the day in an amphitheater, seeing that action was more important than hearing it. The reverse is true for theatres. Consequently, theatres tend to be smaller and have much better acoustics. Perhaps the most fundamental difference between a Roman amphitheater and a Roman theatre is the shape, theatres have a semi-circular arrangement of raised seating looking into a stage, whereas an amphitheater is a ‘theatre in the round’ – Amphi is Greek for around.

Source: archaeology-travel.com

Roman Theaters In Israel

As you understood by now, there is no Amphitheater in Caesarea. The building in Caesarea has a semi-circular shape and has great acoustics. Thus it is a Roman theater.

You can find additional information about this theater at Caesarea National Park.

There are several other famous Roman theaters—for example, the Roman theater at Beit Shean National Park.

And there is a Roman theater in Tzipori National Park.

Amphitheaters In Israel

So far, we saw only theaters. But is there an Amphitheater in Israel? Yes, there is one. And you can find it in Beit Guvrin National Park.

And since we are talking about Amphitheaters, I want to mention the biggest amphitheater in the world, the Colosseum in Rome.

The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete, it was the largest amphitheater ever built at the time and held 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.

Source: Wikipedia

Note that the Colosseum is oval and the audience sat from all sides.

Summary

Many people confuse between amphitheaters and theaters. And the next time somebody tells you about an Amphitheater in Caesarea, then you can refer them to this post 😉

Hope this post made things clearer, and if you have any questions leave a comment below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.