Mamas (Shuni)

MAMAS (Shumi), ancient Arabia, modern Israel.

COORDINATES: 32º32’04.86’’ N // 34º56’53.78’’ E

TIPOLOGY: Roman cult theatre. Not urban.
DATE: II or III A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS: In byzantine period.
CAPACITY: 1.000 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing east. 60 m. diameter. Probably two maeniana: Ima cavea with probably 11 rows of seats in 4 cunei; summa cavea unknown.
ORCHESTRA: 26 m. diameter including subsellia, without it 19,5 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium had semicircular an rectangular niches. Stage building was 35x10 m. Postcaenium had a pool for ritual purpose.  
LOCATION: 5 klm. north-east from ancient Caesarea. 52 klm. north from Tel Aviv.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995. // 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: Although the morning I visited Shumi´s ancient theatre it was cold, I do the way of the lizard, looking for the sun in the seats; the hot of the sun always invite me to read, to taste the silences of the book. I remember I was reading a play of a Israeli writer, Hanoch Levin, the play was The Whore from Ohio; not a Plauto´s comedy or a Greek tragedy, but for my personal cosmogony, somehow, after my stay in Israel, Levin is also a classic. I do not know what did the stone steps thought about my reading, maybe they were agree too, but my applause sounded poor for a so beautiful place. I like Hanoch Levin.