Formiae (Formia)

FORMIAE (Formia), ancient Regio I, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 41º15’17.59’’N // 13º36’01.26’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: Last I B.C. or first I A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY:
CAVEA: 60 m. diameter. Facing south-southeast. It was built against hill. The structures and the remains are incorporated into modern buildings, but the shape of the cavea can be seen in the planimetry of modern houses and in an aerial view.
ORCHESTRA:
STAGE BUILDING:
LOCATION: The theatre is behind “Piazza Bonomo” and “Vico Teatro” street. Modern Formia is 134 klm. south from Rome and 82 klm. north from Napoli.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Tosi, Giovana; “Gli edificio per spettacoli nell’Italia romana”. Roma, Quasar, 2003. // 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: Not too much visible of the ancient theatre in Formia, but that´s the pleasure sometimes, to look for, to imagine... if you take a slow look you will find opus reticulatum in the walls of the houses, and the shape of the cavea in the buildings that look to the courtyard, now a pleasant place for neighbors to talk. Long time ago the applauses were hung in the rows of seats, today clean and full of color clothes, wet, hangs from the windows... all in the same place.

Antiphellos (Kas)

ANTIPHELLOS (Kas), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º11’59.86’’N // 29º38’05.87’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: II B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Enlarged in second half of III A.D.
CAPACITY: 2.800 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south. 50 m. diameter. Built against hillside. Exceeds semicircle. Maenianum: 25 rows of seats divided in 3 cunei. There are holes for vela.
ORCHESTRA: 10,6 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: There is not remains.
LOCATION: Ancient theatre is west of modern Kas, in wonderful Lykia.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // 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. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978.

OUT OF PRINT: When the day falls people from Kas go to the ancient theatre to see the last ray of sun. They wait there, sitting in the cavea, talking slowly, eating sunflower seeds, stopping the time... that´s Antiphellos theatre, a place for being with a friend, talking, providing quietly with a drink, celebrating the meeting, stopping time, leaving the words flow, an ideal place to feel the night to come.

Nea Paphos (Kato Paphos) II

NEA PAPHOS (Kato Paphos) II, ancient Cyrenaica, modern Cyprus.

COORDINATES: 34º45’40.12’’N // 32º24,50.11’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: Late IV or first III B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: It was damaged by earthquake of 15 B.C. The cavea was extended late first I B.C. and meddle of II A.D. The theatre was abandoned after earthquake of 364 A.D.

CAPACITY: 8.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south. 88 m. diameter. Built against low hill. Maenianum: 33 rows of seats in 6 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 22,4 m. diameter. It was transformed in kolymbretha in roman late times for water games.

STAGE BUILDING: Different elements sign different construction and reconstructions phases. There is a tunnel, charonian, who runs from the stage building to the orchestra, like in Eretria, that was used in ancient Greek theatre for the actors appearances.

LOCATION: The ancient Greek theatre is in “Fabrika” hill, 600 m. east from ancient odeon, in Kato Paphos.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Sear, Frank; “Roman theatres: an architectural study”. Oxford University Press, 2006. // http://www.paphostheatre.com/index.html // Wood Conroy, Diana; “The fabric of the ancient theatre”. Lefkosia, Moufflon Publications, 2004.

OUT OF PRINT: When I visited Cyprus I read Diana Wood Conroy´s “The fabric of the ancient theatre”, excavation journals of the ancient Greek theatre of Paphos and another archaeological remains in Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean. Diana Wood worked some summers in the excavations of the theatre. The book includes comments on the theatre excavations as well as references to other historical and archaeological sites in Cyprus. I have to confess my jealousy... to lay bare the remains of the theatre, bring them out, to collect daily impressions... who could.

Cyaneae (Yavu Köy)

CYANEAE (Yavu Köy), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º14’45.27’’N // 29º48’54.07’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Not urban.

DATE: Last III or first II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 2.500 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing south.  55 m. diameter. Built against  low hill.  Exceeds semicircle.  Maeniana: Ima cavea with 10 rows of seats in 5 cunei; summa cavea with 14 rows of seats in 5 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 14,5 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: It was carved on rock and with rectangular shape. It has not been excavated, only some proscaenium remains are visible.

LOCATION: On a lower summit west of the ancient city. The theatre is on a hill up of modern little village of Yavu Köy, 60 klm. west from Kumluca.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // 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. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978.

OUT OF PRINT: First time I visited Cyaneae it was a storm winter day, it was all the day raining and cloudy, with a dense fog that covered the day with a spooky atmosphere. I knew the ancient theatre was up of the hill, but did not know the exact place. I started to climb awkwardly, I has lost the way and shrubs and bushes were my friends in my walk, soon my raincoat torned, I was walking around the fog about two hours, the fog was dense and I was soggy, that day I knew than even a good goretex boats finished soaking. When I was thinking about how to return because I was absolutely lost, the fog opened a little light window and an impressive greek theatre appeared... one of my favourites. I came back to Cyaneae in 2008, it was a clear day and it was easy to find the theatre... Cyaneae is like to take a walk by the moon, a place without words.

Faesulae (Fiesole)

FAESULAE (Fiesole), ancient Regio VII, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 43º48’27.98’’N // 11º17’37.39’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: Last I B.C or first I A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS: It has been hardly restored in modern times.
CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-east. 67 m. diameter. Built west side on natural hill. Only one maeniana with 23 rows of seats in 4 cunei and 5 scalaria. Foundations of porticus in summa cavea.

ORCHESTRA: 22,1 m. diameter. Paved in colour marble. Bisellia with four steps.

STAGE BUILDING: Hyposcaenium remains. Proscaenium with one curved and four rectangular niches. Pulpitum is 43,7 x 8,9 m. Sacenae frons has to columnatio storeys, regia door in curved niches, hospitalia in curved ones.

LOCATION: Close to a roman bath complex. The theatre is north of modern Fiesole, 5 klm. north-east from Firenze.

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. // 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: Firenze is a magical city, it hides infinite treasures and a sense that is far away from time, between fact and fiction... a secret, well not so much as a secret... there´s a wonderful treasure outside Firenze, 5 klm. north, up the hill... only a Roman theatre, only a quiet corner, just a quirk of time.