Roman Theatre of Florence
Encyclopedia
The Roman Theatre of Florence was a Roman
theatre dated to the 1st century in Florence
, Italy
. It was located under the current Palazzo Vecchio
and Palazzo Gondi
, with the auditorium facing Piazza della Signoria
and along the Piazza San Firenze and Via dei Leoni.
The first remains of the theatre were excavated in 1876. Other excavations took place in the underground at the Palazzo Vecchio
in 1935. Archeological digs have resumed recently, notably in 2006-2007 by Riccardo Francovich
.
The building, which has been dated to 1st century AD, was a semicircular shape with a very large capacity, demonstrating the demographic development of the city at the time. Estimates place its capacity at around 15,000 spectators, the same as the Teatro Marcello of Rome
. It was around 100 metres in length and 35 metres in width.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
theatre dated to the 1st century in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was located under the current Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
and Palazzo Gondi
Palazzo Gondi
Palazzo Gondi is a palace in Florence, Italy, located a block from Piazza della Signoria.It was built in 1490 under design by Giuliano da Sangallo, who was inspired by other major works of stately buildings in the city, such as Palazzo Medici and Palazzo Strozzi...
, with the auditorium facing Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio....
and along the Piazza San Firenze and Via dei Leoni.
The first remains of the theatre were excavated in 1876. Other excavations took place in the underground at the Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
in 1935. Archeological digs have resumed recently, notably in 2006-2007 by Riccardo Francovich
Riccardo Francovich
Riccardo Francovich was a pioneering Italian archaeologist and expert on Medieval Italy....
.
The building, which has been dated to 1st century AD, was a semicircular shape with a very large capacity, demonstrating the demographic development of the city at the time. Estimates place its capacity at around 15,000 spectators, the same as the Teatro Marcello of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. It was around 100 metres in length and 35 metres in width.