place

Theatre of Balbus

Ancient Roman theatres in RomeBuildings and structures completed in the 1st century BCRome R. XI Sant'Angelo
Crypta Balbi 1561 Giuliano da Sangallo
Crypta Balbi 1561 Giuliano da Sangallo

Theatre of Balbus was an ancient Roman structure in the Campus Martius of Rome. It was built in 13 BC by proconsul Lucius Cornelius Balbus (minor), likely from the spoils of a military campaign by order of Augustus (Cassius Dio 54.18.2; Pliny the Elder, Natural History (Pliny) 36.59-60). Very little is mentioned of the theatre in ancient writings. Its location was debated for decades until pieces of the Forma Urbis were finally pieced together in the 1960s. Excavations of the theatre began in 1981 and are still ongoing, however, the main portion of the crypta finished in 2000. Today what has been excavated can be seen at the Museo Nazionale Romano Crypta Balbi (National Museum of Rome), which is located at Via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31, (corner of Via M. Caetani). The museum is located in what was the crypta or courtyard in the rear of the theater's complex behind the stage. This courtyard was the smallest of all of Rome's major theatres. Here patrons would stroll between acts of a performance and seek refreshment. A catalogue complied at the end of the 4th century recorded that the theatre's seating capacity was 11,510 persons.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Theatre of Balbus (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Theatre of Balbus
Via Michelangelo Caetani, Rome Municipio Roma I

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Theatre of BalbusContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 41.894166666667 ° E 12.478055555556 °
placeShow on map

Address

Palazzo Caetani (Palazzo Mattei)

Via Michelangelo Caetani
00186 Rome, Municipio Roma I
Lazio, Italy
mapOpen on Google Maps

Crypta Balbi 1561 Giuliano da Sangallo
Crypta Balbi 1561 Giuliano da Sangallo
Share experience

Nearby Places