ANTIQUE ENTERTAINMENT

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 !

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...

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...

This spring, I visited Córdoba's Roman theatre. The remains can be seen in the basement of the archeological museum. It was built on the south-east slope of the plateau on which the Roman City was founded. The spot chosen for the theatre was located in the new district that emerged in the times of Caesar Augustus, which extended the city limits to the riverbank. Part of the slope was cut away to build the theatre, and massive foundations - almost all of which are still intact today - were laid support the tiered seating area. The construction also triggered the urban development of the entire surrounding area. Important sewage works were undertaken to channel the water flowing down from the city's higher ground.    Foto's gemaakt in het Archeologisch Museum van Cordoba vind je hier !

This afternoon, I visited the theater of Regina Turdulorum. About a 1.5 hour drive from Seville, heading north. The excavation is located in a deserted area. Only the hamlet of Reina is within walking distance. There were no other visitors, which added to the serene atmosphere. Pliny mentioned the name of Regina as one of the 'oppida non ignobilia' (or independent community),  located in Baeturia Turdula founded in the layout of the road that runs from Augusta Emerita at Corduba. Among the reasons for founding the city is the mineral wealth of the area. Furthermore, there is political reason, control of the territory of Túrdulo people occupying this area.   The first archeological excavations off the theater, dated mid first century AD, started in the 1970s. At that moment the ruins were known as "The thick wall", referring to the solid concrete remains. The theater was built about the second half of the first century, making use of a soft slope which was used to cons...

My workation, gave me the opportunity to visit 4 theaters and 2 amphitheaters in Andalusia. One of the theaters is in the far south-west of Spain, Baelo Claudia. Originally, Baelo Claudia was the town of the Turdetani, which came a municipium under Claudius. The theater was integrated into the street plan. It has a diameter of 70 meter, facing south to the Ocean. It was built on a slope, with an outer wall of 2,70 meter hight. No seats survived. The orchestra was in front of the stage and was accessible from the side doors. In the south on both sides of the stage are flanked by rectangular buildings, so-called side-halls (parascaenia). A tier (pulpitum) separated the orchestra from the stage and was decorated with marble and painted stucco. Remains of it can still be found today. The 18 meter diameter semicircle at the foot of the auditorium was not just the orchestra pit. A balastrade (balteus) separated the orchestra from the first rows of seats, intended for the city's upper cla...

In February, I visited the Metropolitan in New York and saw this magnificent Faience masks, discovered in Medinet-el-Fayum at Antinoopolis, Middle Egypt. It dates from the 2nd century AD. With reference to the The Metropolitan, the masks are too small and brittle to have served as actual theater masks. They refer to the god Dionysus, patron of the theater and god of rebirth: in Egypt equated with Osiris. Terracotta masks are found in burials and sanctuaries in Greece, in sanctuaries and as garden decorations in Italy. In Egypt they are known only from burials, as offerings to Osiris, Dionysus. More of my pictures of the Metropolitan can be seen  here .

Early February 2011, I visited the Neues Museum in Berlin. It has this impressive emporer statue on display, found in the theater of Milete (or Miletus) in 1903. The museum description says: "Uber dem Pantzer tragt der Kaiser das Paludamentum, den romischen Feldherrenmantel. Der rechte Arm war erhoben." His cuiras shows two griffins and Helios. It is made of marble and dates from the 2nd century AD. Other pictures of the Neues Museum can be found here ! Visiting the theater of Milete is on my wish list, but until that moment I gratefully use a photo of Jean Thysen (under the following Creative Commons License ). The theater was built in the 4th century BC, after Alexander the Great defeated the Persians who controlled the city. In its first phase in the Hellenistic period, the theater could seat 5,300. After being enlarged in the Roman period, it held 25,000. Byzantine construction over the proscenium destroyed remains of th...

This weekend I visited Palazzo Massimo in Rome. On display is this beautiful terra cotta frieze, with the tragedy "L'Astiannette del poeta Accio", found as part of a tomb at the Via Salania in Rome. It is dated, end of the 1st century AD. Until now, I have not found more about this play. Nevertheless I really like the colors and the great expression of the masks, which I believe the actors are wearing.