2-368-530 - Samuel Magal/Sites & Photos/Heritage Images

The stadium at Aphrodisias, Turkey. Located in the north end of the city, the stadium is probably the best preserved and biggest of its type in the Mediterranean. It is 262 m long and 59 m wide with 22 rows of seats and could accommodate 30,000 spectators. The stadium was specially designed for athletic contests, but after the theatre was damaged in the 7th century earthquake the eastern end of the arena began to be used for games, circuses, wild beast shows and gladiatorial combats. During the Roman period the stadium was the scene of a large number of athletic competitions and festivals. Built near a marble quarry in Anatolia, the city of Aphrodisias was once famed for its famous sculpture school and for being one of the several cities that was dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. It was named after Aphrodite in the second century BC, but according to the Suda, before being known as Aphrodisias, it had three previous names: Lelegon Polis, Megale Polis and Ninoë, a name derived from Ninos. Ninos was the mythical founder of the Assyro-Babylonian Empire and the husband of the famous Semiramis. The city was later renamed as Stauropolis in the Cristian Era.