The theater was built in the late first century BC under the patronage of Gaius Julius Zoilus, a native of Aphrodisias who had become a slave of Julius Caesar but was freed by his heir Octavian. Returning to his birthplace a wealthy man, Zoilus initiated a vast building program, of which the Amphitheater was one of the first fruits.
The theater was built in the late first century BC under the patronage of Gaius Julius Zoilus, a native of Aphrodisias who had become a slave of Julius Caesar but was freed by his heir Octavian. Returning to his birthplace a wealthy man, Zoilus initiated a vast building program, of which the Amphitheater was one of the first fruits.