Teatro di Marcello
Amphitheater
Roman theatre
Teatro di Marcello
Roman Theatre in the course of time
The Theatre of Marcellus was built around 12 B.C. by Augustus to commemorate his prematurely deceased nephew Marcello. The theatre, with its semi-circular auditorium, offered space for 15,000 spectators and was the smallest theatre in Rome. Ancient comedies and tragedies in particular were performed here. The two mighty arcade storeys with Attica were originally 33 metres high and mighty pillars once stood in front of the building. Equally impressive still are the huge arches of the façade.
In the Middle Ages the solid building was used as a castle, where the people were well protected from looters. During the Renaissance, the theatre was eventually transformed into a palace, which changed hands several times. Only in the 20th Century, the apartments in the stands, arch passages and workshops were deconstructed and the theatre assumed its current appearance.
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