The Great Theater of Pompeii was completely buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the city of Pompeii and preserved its cultural heritage for centuries.
A catastrophic eruption that occurred on October 24 (according to the latest discoveries made in Pompeii) and called Plinian, because it was described by Pliny the younger in a long letter addressed to his friend Tacitus.
It was an eruption that left no one alive and swept the city of Pompeii with piles of ash and lapilli. Imprisoning for over 2,000 years houses, temples, roads, theaters, villas and the remains of its inhabitants under a thick blanket of volcanic material.
Heritage that was discovered and brought to light only in 1748 through the work of Charles III of Bourbon.
The Great Theater of Pompeii where to find it and what it was used for
The Great Theater is located in the southeastern part of the ancient city. Near the Temple of Isis and the Quadriporticus of the Theaters, exactly we find it in Regio VIII. It can be reached either by accessing it from the entrance of Piazza Esedra – Porta Marina Inferiore or from the entrance of Villa dei Misteri – Porta Marina Superiore.
The theater, one of the best preserved in the world from the entire Roman era. Was used in ancient times to host theater, music, dance and gladiatorial performances. Not surprisingly, it still hosts numerous concerts and performances by national and international artists that take place every year in the Archaeological Park.
In the course of its history, the great theatre was restored several times, initially the work involved only the area of the cavea, which was enlarged by 10 metres.
Later, in the Augustan period, the theatre was completely restored thanks to one of Pompeii’s most important families. Who probably cultivated vines, as testified by an engraving found there.
Structure Great theatre of Pompeii
The great theatre of Pompeii, has a horseshoe shape, the part of the steps was built on the ridge of a hill to take advantage of the slope. The audience sat in the cavea, which was divided into:
- Ima cavea, which was reserved for the officials of ancient Pompeii and was covered with marble slabs
- Media cavea, the largest area and which enjoyed a better view of the stage reserved for the guilds.
- Summa cavea, intended for the rest of the population, which occupied only a small part of the cavea.
In addition to the cavea, in the Augustan period, boxes were also built for the guests of honour. Which benefited from reserved access positioned on either side of the stage, to avoid the queues that formed for access to the theatre.
In the centre of the great theatre was the area reserved for the orchestra. Which could be reached by two covered passages, one on the right accessible from the triangular hole and the other on the left accessible from Via Stabia.
The stage, approximately one and a half metres high, could be reached by the actors by means of two staircases. And was most probably covered by a velarium during the summer.
During excavations inside the great theatre of Pompeii, numerous fountains and nymphaea were found, probably used to decorate the whole area of the theatre.
