The Bouleuterion, possibly used for assemblies and rehearsals of performances from the nearby theatre, is a remnant of an ancient building located in Reggio Calabria. Initially identified by archaeologist Paolo Orsi as an Odeon, the theory that the structure is the Bouleuterion or Ekklesiasterion - a building for popular assembly meetings - is currently being consolidated. Constructed in arenaria and dating back to the end of the 4th or beginning of the 3rd century BC, the building integrated a koilon.
The koilon had a capacity of around 1,600 seats, and was divided into 7 Kerkides by six intermediate steps. Today, only remnants of the koilon remain, with only two orders of seats still visible. The building was rediscovered during construction works in 1921, and it is proposed that it was used for assemblies and possibly some special occasions. According to Plutarch, the assembly meetings were not freely accessible, and the site was situated in the hilly part of the city where the assembly met.
This layout allowed the Rhegian strategists to orchestrate a deception in 344 BC, using the building's structure to hide the movement of a fleet from the gathered crowd. The building was equipped with a platform for speakers - a bêma - around which the citizens gathered to create confusion, allowing for secret movements to occur while the assembly remained occupied.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.