Gk. theatron, a “place for seeing”
An area suited to public presentations. The theater developed out of ancient Greek religious rituals involving song and dance. It consisted of a circular section of flat, hard earth, surrounded by stepped seating. In addition to serving as venues for performances of drama and comedy, theaters in Hellenistic cities served as gathering places for political events or criminal prosecutions. In the riot in Ephesus caused by Paul’s Christian preaching, two of his companions were dragged into the theater to be dealt with (
