The first archaeological excavations at the Roman Theater of Sessa Aurunca were directed by Amedeo Maiuri in the 1920s. Previously, municipal historians had testified to its presence by recognizing, like De Masi, even its original destination. The monumental building, built close to the forum, was built in the Augustan age and then expanded in the second century AD. C. by Matidia Minore. With the end of the Roman Empire it suffered, like most ancient buildings, the almost total "dispossession" and reuse of the material for the construction of other buildings, including the Cathedral.
Unlike other ancient theaters, the one in Sessa has a structure closer to the Greek than to the Italian one, having a large part of the cavea "resting" on the tuff bench. During the last excavation campaign, which was only recently completed, several architectural emergencies that are now believed to have disappeared came to light. Among these, it is necessary to remember part of the media and ima cavea, with several steps still in good condition. Second in Campania, after the Roman theater in Naples, the cavea could hold from seven to eight thousand spectators. From the foundations still present, it was possible to understand the grandeur of the scene which reached a height of about twenty meters. The entrance took place from at least two areas. To the south was accessed via a monumental staircase, which connected to a basilica building decorated with marble, the north entrance consisted of a tunnel dug into the tuff, inside which a fresco was found depicting, probably, the tutelary deity of the theater.
Completely unexpected was the discovery of numerous statues, some almost intact, and inscriptions that enriched the decorative apparatus of the building, together with the different quality marbles. Among the statues, four visible at the Ducal Castle, particular interest arouses Maditia / Aurea, composed of two different black and white marbles, Traiano, Adriano and Vibia Sabina, datable to the 2nd century AD. C.
Cost of the ticket: Free
Booking procedure: Mandatory
E-mail for booking: [email protected]
Booking telephone: +39.0823.936455 (Archaeological office of Sessa Aurunca);
+39.0823.972130 (Archaeological Office of Mondragone)
Booking fax: +39.0823.972130
Roman Theater and Cryptoporticus of Sessa Aurunca
Address: Via Aldo Moro, Sessa Aurunca (CE)
Phone: 0823.972130
Site:
https://www.visitsessa.com/?page_id=70Location inserted by
Annalisa Giordano