A unique archeological masterpiece in Italy: http://www.teatroromanobologna.com
THE ORIGINS
The discovery of the Roman theater of Bologna is of fundamental importance both for the history of the city and for the history of ancient theatrical architecture in general.
It is the first large Roman public building identified with certainty, as well as the oldest masonry theater of Roman architecture.
The theater, whose construction began around 88 BC, like the Roman Basilica whose remains are now visible under the Sala Borsa, is part of a public building program of civil munificence linked to the monumental celebration of the passage of the rank of the city of Bononia from colony of Latin law with Roman municipium, with full Roman citizenship, exactly 2100 years ago.
The fact that the Roman Theater of Bologna is the first masonry theater of Roman architecture represents a remarkable primacy, considering that, in Rome itself, theatrical performances took place on wooden structures and that, the first masonry theater (theatrum marmoreum) was built only under the impulse of Gneo Pompeo Magno in the Campus Martius between 61 and 55 BC, the year of his second consulate (with Crassus), while masonry theaters according to the principles of Hellenistic architecture (excavated in a hillside) were present in the Greek and Etruscan cities of ancient Italy
THE REDISCOVERY
In 1977 the restoration and renovation work began in a building located in the historic center, in via de Carbonesi, destined to become a commercial and residential complex.
During the execution of the first works, what was only supposed to exist on the basis of weak historical traces and few clues emerged, excavating:
the remains of the Roman Theater of Bologna
The first findings date back to 1978 when the excavation works for the reclamation and lowering of the old basements led to the identification of a cobbled Roman road and a brick pavement not directly related to the theater building. The progress of the work in the basement, with the removal of the floors and plasters, highlighted ancient masonry structures of such an extent as to induce archaeologists to intervene with a series of methodical investigations that lasted from 1982 to 1984, with further checks in 1989 (State Archives).
The exploration turned out to be very difficult due to the environmental conditions in which it had to operate, moreover usual in the case of urban archeology: an underground construction site of about 1500 square meters, interrupted by the walls of narrow basements and crossed by old sewers and pipes.
The ruins, generally destroyed down to the level of the foundations, were in a poor state of conservation; nevertheless, the planimetric survey of the wall layouts made it possible to recognize the remains of a radial supporting masonry system (radial-concentric substructure system), clearly referable to a sector of a hemicycle intended to accommodate spectators (cavea) of a Roman theater complex .
The subsequent geometric projection of the curvilinear walls made it possible to reconstruct the original extension within the limits of the block currently included between the via Carbonesi, D’Azeglio, Val d’Aposa, Spirito Santo and Piazza dei Celestini.
After the renovation work, the COIN department stores entered the building as tenants, and remained there until the 2000s.
After the COIN department stores decided to abandon the structure and permanently close the doors of the place, due to different choices, the same remained in a state of neglect for almost twenty years.
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