ANTIQUE ENTERTAINMENT

This week, I received above picture of Guadix, taken by classical theater expert Alejandro Britos from Burgos, Spain. He did not only provide me with a great digital encyclopedia about Roman and Greek theaters and the Holy Land, but he also provided me with up-to-date information about recent findings. Last week he visited the theater of Colonia Iulia Gemella Acci, today's Guadix. The theater has been discovered three years ago, and as you can see, it is only partly excavated yet. The picture shows the scanea frons, but the orientation is hard to identify. Acci was founded by Julius Caesar or Augustus in 45 BC. The Latin 'Gemella' or 'twins' reflects that the original founders were veterans of two different legions, one of them the 'LEG II AVG'. Acci was also mentioned in Plinius 'Natural History' as Aquitani Accitani, and was occupied with mining. Acci had a mint. More pictures of the excavation can be seen here .

In 2002, 2004 and 2007, I visited Pompeii and its splendid amphitheater. These pictures show the amphitheater after a rainy night in 2004. It is the oldest Roman amphitheater in existence, dating 70 BC. An inscription records that it was erected by the duumvirs Quinctius Valgus and Marcus Porcius, "at their expense". It was built against the southeastern corner of the city walls, which buttressed the shell-like structure of the cavea. These terraces were divided into three sectors: ima cavea (the front row around the arena) for the magistrates and leading citizens, media cavea, further up, and summa cavea, at the top, for the other spectators. The tall parapet surrounding the arena was decorated with paintings of gladiatorial combats, hunting scenes, victory celebrations and so on. It could host approximately 20,000 spectators. Leaving the ampitheater, you have got a splendid view on Pompei gardens and the Vesuvius. During one show in 59 AD the supporters of the rival