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Theater of Aigai

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  Although it is covered beneath a green carpet of grass, the theatre of Aigai is one of the most historically charged monuments in Greece. Its  claim to fame is that it was the scene of one of the pivotal murders of antiquity: in October 336 BC, King Philip II of Macedon was assassinated here by Pausanias of Orestis, one of his young bodyguards, as he entered the theater unprotected during the festivities celebrating the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra to Alexander I of Epirus.  After the assassination, Pausanias tried to escape toward the city gates, where horses were reportedly waiting for him. He was pursued by Philip's bodyguards and companion. Sources name men such as Perdiccas, Leonnatus, and Attalus (not the famous general of that name) among the pursuers. According to the tradition, he tripped or was caught on vines and was killed on the spot by his pursuers, likely speared to death. The exact motive remains debated: the ancient sources (especially Aristotle an...
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Theatre of Acinipo in Andalusia

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I have now visited one of the most beautiful theaters in Andalusia, that of Acinipo, twice: during a wet October morning in 2024 and a warm afternoon in June in 2026. The archaeological site stands on a large limestone plateau of Tertiary origin with an average elevation of nearly 1000 meters above sea level and lies 18 kilometers from the town of Ronda. It offered strategic control over the upper basins of the Guadiaro and Guadalete rivers. Sometimes it is called 'Ronda la Vieja' or "Old Ronda". Acinipo was cited by classical authors like Strabo, Pliny, and Ptolemy (who described it as town of the Celtici in Hispani Baetica). Little remains of the town, but its location makes it one of the most striking I've ever visited.  From the entrance of the excavation, you walk up the hill towards "a wall". And that is exactly what the locals called the theatre before it was excavated. The wall however is the backside of this Roman theater, with once 2,000 seats,...
Locatie: MA-8406, s/n, 29400 Ronda, Málaga, Spanje
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A gladiator north of the limes

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Today I visited the regional museum 'Huis van Hilde' in Castricum, a small town north of the city of Velsen or Roman 'Flevum' in The Netherlands. It was one of the large military settlements or castra, the Romans built along the northern border of their Empire, the Rhine River, to defend themselves against invaders and to prepare for conquests with several legions, in this case fleet expeditions to the Wadden Sea, Ems and Elbe and the invasion of England. There was a harbour where several warships could dock. Unlike most smaller forts, this army camp was built north of the river.  Both Ptolemy, who refers to "Phleum," and Tacitus mention this fortress, but its exact location has long remained a subject of speculation. In the 1980s however, a small Roman castellum was excavated near Velsen, which, according to coin finds and radiocarbon dating, must have been destroyed in the year 28. It is assumed that this was the castellum Flevum.  The fortress played an imp...
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Locatie: Velsen, Nederland
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Theater of Igivium

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Vorig jaar bezocht ik het theater van Igivium, net buiten het huidige Italiaanse stadje Gubbio. Het dateert uit 20 vChr. Aanvankelijk had het theater een capaciteit van 3.900 toeschouwers, maar  na een uitbreiding bood het plaats aan 6.000 personen. The theater, built in opus quadratum of rusticated limestone blocks, is a two-story structure: the ground level in opus reticulatus, with vaulted access to the tiers, and the upper store, occupied by the porticus in summa cave, with Doric colonnade. Helaas konden we er niet in want er waren restauratiewerkzaamheden.  Meer foto's van Igivium vind je hier !
Locatie: 06024 Gubbio, Perugia, Italië
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Gades or Cádiz

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The ancient theatre of Cádiz in Spain is located on the road along the boulevard, but the entrance is hidden in a side street on the city side. As soon as you enter you will be surprised by beautifully displayed remains and information boards about its history. A corridor brings you to the theater. The city was known as Augusta Urbs Iulia Gaditana when it became a Roman colony, but its primary Latin name in historical and literary sources is Gades. It was built on the old Phoenician predecessor called Gadir.  The theater with a capacity of nearly 20,000 spectators was built during the late Republic, located in new town on island Kotinoussa. Here, I present the texts on display in the museum, which gives a great insight in its history.  The theater was built 'in montibus', taking advantage of the slope of the land to support the stands, whilst modifying it where needed. Architecturally the building stands out for its dimensions, given that the diameter of 118 meters, or 40...
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Locatie: Cádiz, Spanje
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Amphitheater of Lutetia Parisiorum

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This spring I visited the amphitheater of Lutetia in Paris. It is a very special place in a predominantly busy city. When I visited, parents were playing with their children, football was being played and there was rest.  What we see today is a Gallo-Roman mixed-used amphitheater with a stage. It consisted of an oval arena, two large lateral entryways and a cavea that did not completely encircle the arena. The missing section was taken up by a stage for mimes, pantomimes and singing performances. The arena was where gladiatorial combats (munera) took place and where wild beasts were hunted (venationes). The structure had an exterior gallery and a highly ornamented facade. It has an impressive size, 100 by 130,3 meters and it is one of the largest constructions of its kind in Gaul. Its total capacity is estimated at 17,000 spectators, so almost all inhabitants of the city that time could find a place there. It consisted of an oval arena, two large lateral entrywa...
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Verulamium at St Albans

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Last year I visited Verulamium - capital of the Catuvellauni - at St Albans near London. It was on my bucket list for quite a while, because it is the only Roman theater visible in Britain today. This time, I took the train from Rotterdam to London and from London to St Albans. Arriving in St Albans it took a half hour walk through the village and passing some Roman remains in a park to reach the remains of the theater. Verulamium was among the first Romano-British towns to be built and by about AD 250 it was the third largest in this Roman province, surpassed only by London and Cirencester. It was not until about a hundred years after the Roman occupation of Britain, that the theatre in Verulamium was built. That might be around 140 AD, with serious alterations through time, until the early fourth century. The stage and seatings were mainly of wood, while the arena and orchestra were covered by a flat cement floor during the fourth major renovation (AD 300).     The tota...
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