Abstract

In spite of its Greek name the odeion (odeum) is a Roman type of structure. It is a theatre-like structure with a roof, intended for holding public events before an audience of hundreds rather than thousands. The odeion of Hippos-Sussita is located in the western part of the city, at the distance of about 80m to the west of the forum. Its lengthwise axis (27m) is north-south, with a rectangular stage building on its eastern side and a semicircular seating complex on the western one. The odeion was carefully constructed of high quality ashlars, the building material being basalt and limestone. The seating complex is semicircular with a perimeter of 41m and a radius of 8.60m. It could be determined that there were 11 tiers of seats with a total length of 282m, sufficient for about 500 spectators. The building methods and materials, as well as numismatic and pottery finds, point out that the odeion was erected during the second half of the First century CE. Odeia are fairly rare structures. In the Decapolis area only two other odeia have been found so far, one in Amman/Philadelphia and the other in Beth-Shean/Scythopolis. Since the odeia were intended for an audience of a few hundred people, their very existence in a city have far-reaching implications. Thus, it was not the theatres but the odeia that truly expressed the refined taste and cultural identity of the Hellenized elite among the city dwellers in the region of the Decapolis during the early centuries of the Common Era.