Akrai (Palazzolo Acreide)

AKRAI (Palazzolo Acreide), ancient Magna Graecia / Sicilia, modern Sicilia,  Italy.

COORDINATES: 37º03’27.27’’N // 14º53’40.77’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.

DATE: Late III B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Roman stage and orchestra.

CAPACITY: 700 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north. 37,5 m. diameter. Semicircular cavea. Only one maeniana with 15 rows of seats in 9 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 19,2 m. diameter, paved in limestone in Roman times.

STAGE BUILDING: Pulpitum is 13,7 x 2,6 m. Roman stage 1,2 m. high, with curved niches. Evidence of thyromata.

LOCATION: The theatre is next to the bouleuterion. Ancient Akrai is west of Palazzolo Acreide, 50 klm. west from Syracuse.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Mitens, Karina; “Teatri greci e teatri inspirati all’architecttura greca in Sicilia e nell’Italia Meridionale c. 350-50 a.C.”. Roma, L’Erma di Bretschneider, 1988 // 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:
“Where are my bay-leaves?
Come, Thestylis; where are my love-charms?
Come crown me the bowl with the crimson flower o’ wool”
     -Theocritus of Syracuse-

Letoon (Kumluova)

LETOON (Kumluova), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 36º19’55.09’’N // 29º17’23.87’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Not urban.
DATE: First half of II B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Rebuilt in II A.D.
CAPACITY: 5.700 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-west. Built in hollow. 79 m. diameter, cavea exceeds semicircle. Maenianum: Ima cavea with 16 rows of seats in 12 cunei, top rows with continuous back; Summa cavea with 17 rows in 20 cunei. Frieze with bearbead heads of Dionysos in east doorway arched.

ORCHESTRA: It was surrounded by podium. Not excavated.

STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium with Doric half-columns; Scaenae frons had two-storey columnatio.

LOCATION: Theatre is part of Xanthian sanctuary of Letoon, the sanctuary is in modern Kumluova, 4 klm. south-west from Kinik, 70 klm. south from Fethiye.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010. // Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978. // Freely, John; “The Western Mediterranean coast of Turkey”. Istanbul, Matbaacilik ve Yayincilik A.S., 1997. // 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:
“If it had happened short or long time ago
I do not know
if we did this trip
or just seems to me
I do not know”
                        -Nâzim Hikmet-

Seressi (Oum el Abouad)

SERESSI (Oum El Abouad), ancient Africa Proconsularis, modern Tunisia.

COORDINATES: About 36º09’58.52’’N // 9º46’26.40’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.

DATE: Imperial Roman times.

TRANFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY:

CAVEA: Facing south-west. Three rows of seat preserved.

ORCHESTRA: 22 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: 22x12 m.

LOCATION: Theatre remains are west of ancient town. Oum El Abouad is in C46 road, 85 klm. north-east from Mactaris.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Lachaux, Jean-Claude. “Théâtres et amphithéâtres d’Afrique Proconsulaire”. Aix en Provence, Édisud, 1979. // 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:

“Heroically
one hero strips his heroism to the air
to smoke a little of sad, lonely
in exile”.
     -Youssef Rzouga”-

Delos (Dilos Island)

DELOS (DILOS), ancient Achaia, modern Cyclades, Greece.

COORDINATES: 3Gº23’52.96’’N // 25º16’14.96’’E

TIPOLOGY: Cultic greek theatre. Urban. It´s not the big theatre in Delos, is the small one associated to the Sanctuary of the Syrian gods.

DATE: Last II B.C.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 500 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing west. Built against hillside, 20,6 m. diameter. Cavea exceeds semicircle. Maenianum: 12 rows of seats in 5 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 10,6 m. diameter, paved in mosaic.

STAGE BUILDING: there´s not traces. Probably never had.

LOCATION: The theatre is in Delos island, south-east in the ancient city; the theatre is part of the Syrian gods sanctuary, 0,25 kllm. north-east from the big Greek theatre.

MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Nielsen, Inge. “Cultic theatre and ritual drama”. Aarhus, Aarhus University Press, 2002. // 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: The theatre did not belong to the sanctuary originaly, but was constructed in the enlargement carried out in 113-104 B.C.