Praeneste (Palestina)

PRAENESTE (Palestrina), ancient Regio I, Latium, Italy.

COORDINATES: 41º50’25.52’’N // 12º53’33.27’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatrical steps.
DATE: II B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY: 300 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south-south west. 59 m. diameter. Only one maeniana, with 9 rows of seats. Porticus at summa cavea.
ORCHESTRA:
STAGE BUILDING: The scene was made on wood
LOCATION: The theatre is part of sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia, in modern Palestrina, 35 klm. east from Rome.
MY BEDSIDE TABLE: Hanson, John Arthur. “Roman theatre-temples”. Princenton, Princenton University Press, 1959. // 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:

“Everyone is alone at the heart of the earth
pierced by a ray of sunlight:
and suddenly it´s evening”

                                         -Salvatore Quasimodo-

Orrouy - Champlieu

ORROUY, CHAMPLIEU, ancient Belgica, modern France.

COORDENATES: 49º18’32.57’’N // 2º51’15.48’’E

TIPOLOGY: Cultic Gallo-Romain theatre.

DATE: II A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS:

CAPACITY: 3.000 spectators.

CAVEA: Facing north-north-west. 71,4 m. diameter. Built on flat terrain.

ORCHESTRA: 32 m. diameter.

STAGE BUILDING: The stage was 12 x 9,6 m., it projects into orchestra.

LOCATION: The theatre is part of a temple complex. Orrouy is 30 klm. north-east from Senlis, about 70 klm. nort-east from Paris.

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. // Grenier, Albert; “Manuel d’archeologie Gallo-Romain”. Paris, Éditions A. Et J. Picard, 1958.// Landes, Christian (Ed.); “Le gout du theatre a Rome et en Gaule romaine”. Musée de Lattes, 1989. // Knight, Jeremy; “Roman France. An archaeological field guide”. Gloucestershire, Tempus, 2001

 

 

 

OUT OF PRINT: Some year ago I visited Orrouy ancient theatre a Sunday evening in January, I had slept in my car for two weeks, traveling around France for visiting some Gallo-Romains ancient theatres. I remember that day I prepare my food in a gas stove that I had... not very elegant for a Sunday lunch, but that day macaroni were like caviar for me, being closed to the absolutely marvelous Orrouy remains and surroundings.

Kibyra (Gölhisar)

KIBYRA (Gölhisar), ancient Lycia / Asia Minor, modern Turkey.

COORDINATES: 37º09’38.54’’N // 29º29’20.77’’E

TIPOLOGY: Greek theatre. Urban.
DATE: End I B.C.
TRANSFORMATIONS: Roman stage building, first half III A.D.
CAPACITY: 7.400 spectators.
CAVEA: Facing south-east. 81 m. diameter. Cavea exceeds semicircle. Maenuanum: ima cavea with 15 rows of seats in 5 cunei. Media cavea with 12 rows of seats in 10 cunei; Summa cavea with 7 cunei  and 10 steps, but did not extend to the entire width of the cavea.
ORCHESTRA: 35 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Was removed in roman times, only part of the scaenae frons survives with 5 doors.
LOCATION: On a hill, 2 klm. north-west from modern Gölhisar, about 100 klm north-east from Fethiye.
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.// Bean, George; “Lycian Turkey”. London, Ernst Benn, 1978.// Yilmaz, Yasar; “Anadolu Antik Tiyatrolari”. Istanbul, Yem Yanin, 2010.

OUT OF PRINT: Two times I were in Kibyra, two times -one was Kurban Bayrani day, I felt the same. After visiting more than 450 ancient theatres Kybira´s was the one that made me felt scared, I do not know why. I have slept in some ancient theatres, but I think I will never do it in Kybira´s one. Anyway is one of my favourite places, it is impressive, being on the top of the cavea you can feel vertigo, due to the slope of the rows, like in Selge´s ancient theatre.

Neapolis (Nablus)

NEAPOLIS (Nablus), ancient Palestina, modern Palestina.

COORDINATES: 32º12’59.24’’N // 35º15’46.52’’E

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre.

DATE: II A.D.

TRANSFORMATIONS: Orchestra was transformed in pool for nautic games in byzantine period.

CAPACITY: 8.000 spectators.

CAVEA: 110 m. diameter. Facing north – north-east. Three maeniana: Ima cavea with 14 rows of seat is 6 cunei.

ORCHESTRA: 35 m. diameter. Paved in green, white and grey marble, surrounded by podium and the steps from bisellia.

SCAENAE FRONS: Not excavated but richly decorated.

LOCATION: In the south of modern Nablus.

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. //“Teatri antichi nell’area del Mediterraneo”. Palermo, I Quaderni di Palazzo Montalbo, 2004. // Segal, Arthur; “Theatres in Roman Palestine & provincia Arabia”. New York, E.J. Brill., 1995.

 

OUT OF PRINT:

“Where should we go after the last border?
Where should birds fly after the last sky?
Where should plants sleep after the last breath of air?
We write our names with crimson mist!
We end the hymn of our flesh.
Here we will die. Here, in the last passage.
Here or there, our blood will plant olive trees.”
-Mahmud Darwish-

Brixia (Brescia)

BRIXIA (Brescia), ancient Regio X, modern Italy.

COORDINATES: 45º32’23.79’’N // 10º13’35.67’’E-

TIPOLOGY: Roman theatre. Urban.
DATE: First III A.D.
TRANSFORMATIONS:
CAPACITY:
CAVEA: Facing south. Built against hillside. 86 m. diameter including outer wall that not complete the semicircle.
ORCHESTRA: 24 m. diameter.
STAGE BUILDING: Proscaenium 1,25 m. high. There´s aulaeum remains (10 holes). Pulpitum 49 x 9,3 including proscaenium wall. Scaenae frons had three doors enclosed in niches with curved sides and flat backs.
LOCATION: Close to Capitilium and Foro.
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. // “Teatri antichi nell’area del Mediterraneo”. Palermo, I Quaderni di Palazzo Montalbo, 2004.

OUT OF PRINT: I found Brescia´s Roman theatre in silence, an early Sunday morning, nobody in the streets, only a whisper cradling the big theatre ruin that made me remembered Giussepe Ungaretti´s verses: “The sun kidnaps the city / it doesn´t look yet / even the tombs do not resist much”