Theatre of Marcellus

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Theater of Marcellus in the Via del Teatro di Marcello, Rome.

Theater of Marcellus by night.

The Theatre of Marcellus (Theatrum Marcelli) in Rome was named after Marcus Marcellus, Caesar Augustus' nephew who died five years before its completion. Space for the theatre was cleared by Julius Caesar^[1], who was murdered before it could be begun; the theatre was so far advanced by 17 BC that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took place within the theatre, which was inaugurated in 12 BC by Emperor Augustus^[1] and completed in 11 BC.

The Theatre of Marcellus was 111 m in diameter could originally hold 11,000 spectators.^[1] It was an impressive example of what was to become one of the most pervasive urban architectural forms of the Roman world. The theatre was built mainly of tufa, cement and opus reticulatum brickwork, completely sheathed in white travertine. The network of arches, corridors, tunnels and ramps that gave access to the interiors of such Roman theaters were normally ornamented with a screen of engaged columns in Greek orders: Doric at the base, Ionic in the middle. It is believed that Corinthian columns were used for the upper level but this is uncertain as the theater was reconstructed in the Middle Ages, removing the top tier of seating and the columns.^[1]

Like other Roman theaters in suitable locations, it had openings through which the natural setting could be seen, in this case the Tiber Island to the southwest. The permanent setting, the scaena, also rose to the top of the cavea as in other Roman theaters.^[1]

The name templum Marcelli still clung to the ruins in 998.^[2] In the Early Middle Ages the Teatro di Marcello was used as a fortress of the Fabii and then at the end of the 11th century, by Pier Leoni and later his heirs (the Pierleoni). The Savelli, heirs of the Fabii, held it in the 13th century. Later, in the 16th century, the residence of the Orsini, designed by Baldassare Peruzzi, was built atop the ruins of the ancient theatre.

Now its surroundings are used as a venue for small summer concerts; the Portico d'Ottavia lies to the north west leading to the Roman Ghetto and the Tiber to the south west.

The monument lies in the rione of Sant'Angelo.

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[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Roth, Leland M. (1993). Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History and Meaning, First, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 230-1. ISBN 0-06-430158-3., and Dio 53.30.5
^ Platner, Samuel Ball; Ashby, Thomas (1929). Theatrum Marcelli. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. London: Oxford University Press. Retrieved on August 2, 2006.