Teatro romano di Saepinum: a monumental Roman theatre in Molise

The Roman Theatre of Saepinum is the most monumental and best-preserved building of the Roman-era city of Saepinum, located in Molise. Situated in the northern sector of the city near the city walls, its layout shows the need to align the structure's transverse axis with the cardo, which is about 60 meters away. The complex is divided into two distinct sections: the cavea for the audience and the scaena for performances. It has a maximum diameter of 61.50 meters and a length of 53 meters along the cavea-scena axis.

Built entirely in local limestone with load-bearing walls made of opus caementitium, the theatre has been subject to excavation and restoration since 1950. On opposite sides of the cavea are the tetrapili, each consisting of four massive quadrangular pillars about 2.20 meters high with semi-circular arches. These served structural functions and provided access to the orchestra and the first two levels of the cavea via covered corridors. The orchestra, which retains its original paving of rectangular stone slabs, is 8.50 meters long along the longitudinal axis. Access to the orchestra was possible through two lateral corridors (párodoi) which were partially covered by a barrel vault.

The first cavea was designed to host dignitaries who used portable seats, and its steps have a depth of 90 cm, deeper than the other two caveas which have a depth of 70 cm. A semicircular parapet (balteus) runs along the corridor separating the first and second cavea. While the first cavea rests on a cement casting, the middle cavea rests on a supporting structure of concentric walls and cement vaults. Spectators accessed the middle and upper cavea through vomitoria, which were covered lateral corridors rising from the internal ambulacra. Of these, the only survivor is located in the right emicavea, leading to the middle cavea at the height of the fifth row of seats.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons