Saepinum (Sepino)

SAEPINUM (Sepino), ancient Regio IV Samnium et Sabina, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 41º26’03.99” N // 14º37’02.85” E

TIPOLOGY : Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: First I A.D. (Augustan)

TRANSFORMATIONS: Scene building in IV.

CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south-east. 61,5 m. diameter. Maenianum: Ima cavea had 10 rows of seats divided in four cunei, five rows of them (three complete) survives; Summa cavea: probably had 7 rows of seats.

ORCHESTRA: 23 m. diameter including balteus and three steeps of bisellia.

STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium had three curved and two rectangular niches. Scaenae frons was rectilinear. Pulpitum was 40,3 x 8,7 m.

LOCATION: Sepino is 50klm. north-west of Benevento.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // Courtois, Catherine; “Le bâtiment de scène des théâtres d’Italie et de Sicile”. Providence, Louvain-la.Neuve, 1989. // Maggi, Stefano; Troso, Cristina. “Guida all’Italia archeologica”. Casale Monferrato, Piemme, 2007. // 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.

OUT OF PRINT: Who would not like to leave there? Sepino´s ancient theatre is surrounded by opening the window every morning and find these view... the ancient theatre. In the photo you can see the house built in the scene building place, but at the back some old houses surrond all the cavea. I spend a lovely evening there, experiencing a very special silence, imagine all the common life around the theatre, children playing, clen clothes drying in the sun, elderly people talking in the row of seats, the smell of the food scaping from the windows... all the life flowing aroun the ancient theatre... it remains me something, the name of one of my favourites music recordings: “All the world is a stage”, by Rush.