Clunia (Peñalba de Castro)

CLUNIA (Peñalba de Castro), ancient Hispania Tarraconensis, modern Spain.

COORDINATES: 41º47'02.42" N // 3º21'55.17" O
TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: First I A.D. (Tiberian)

TRANSFORMATIONS: II A.D. ima cavea and orchestra transformed for amphitheatre games.

CAPACITY: 10.000 espectators.

CAVEA: Facing east. 96 m. diameter. Maenianum: Only parts of summa survives, carved on rock. Ima cavea: unknow rows in 4 cunei; Media cavea: 12 rows in 4 cunei; Summa cavea: 12 rows in 4 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter. In the center there is a stone with a ring, it was used to tie the beasts in amphitheater games.

STAGE BUILDING: 11,6 m. high. Two storeys corinthian order columnatio.

LOCATION: Is close to Peñalba de Castro, a little village 90 klm. South-west of Burgos.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // Ciancio Rossetto, Paola; Giuseppina Pisani Sartorio (eds); Teatri Greci e Romani: alle origini del linguaggio rappresentato. Rome: SEAT, 1995. // “El teatro en la Hispania romana” Badajoz, 1982. // “Jornadas sobre teatros romanos en Hispania” Córdoba, 2006. // “La Scaenae Frons en la arquitectura teatral romana”. Murcia, Universidad de Murcia, 2010. // De Palol, P.; “Clunia. Historia de la ciudad y guía de las excavaciones”. Burgos, Diputación provincial de Burgos, 1994.

OUT OF PRINT: My first spanish roman theatre published in that blog had to be Clunia, the ancient theatre I have visited more. It is near of where I live. I have seen some transformations and excavations in it, the last one has been the last process of restoration and rehabilitation for summer concerts and plays, finished two months ago. In his rows I have read Plauto´s plays some summer evenings, a special place for me, and for dialogue with silence.