Roman Theatre (Cádiz) facts for kids
_06.jpg)
The Roman Theatre of Cádiz is an amazing ancient building in Cádiz, a city in southern Spain. It's in a region called Andalusia. This theatre, also known as Theatrum Balbi, was found by accident in 1980. Before that, its remains were hidden underground for a very long time!
It was probably built around 100 BC, which is over 2,100 years ago! It was one of the biggest Roman theatres ever built in the entire Roman Empire. People stopped using the theatre around the 4th century AD. Later, in the 13th century, a fortress was built right on top of its ruins. This fortress was ordered by King Alfonso X of Castile.
What Was the Roman Theatre Like?
The Roman Theatre of Cádiz was truly huge! It had a special seating area called a cavea. This area was more than 120 meters (about 390 feet) wide. Imagine how many people could fit there! The theatre could hold around 10,000 spectators. That's like a small town watching a show!
This theatre was so important that famous writers from ancient times mentioned it. These writers included Cicero and Strabo. They wrote about it in their books, which tells us how well-known it was even back then.
Discoveries at the Site
When archaeologists started digging at the theatre site, they found more than just Roman ruins. They also found remains from other time periods. For example, they found parts of a neighborhood from the Taifa period. This was a time when parts of Spain were ruled by Muslim kingdoms.
They also found houses built by the Almohad people. The Almohads were a powerful group who ruled in Spain and North Africa many centuries ago. And even more recently, they found pits from the 17th century. This shows that the area has been used by many different groups of people throughout history!
See also
In Spanish: Teatro romano de Cádiz para niños
- List of Roman theatres
External links
- Page at archeomolise.it
