Theatre of Nero facts for kids
The site of the theatre lies to the left in this view, under the upper courtyard of the Palazzo dei Penitenzieri.
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 Theatre of Nero
Location in Rome
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| Location | Ager Vaticanus |
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| Coordinates | 41°54′6″N 12°27′39″E / 41.90167°N 12.46083°E |
| Type | Roman theatre |
| History | |
| Builder | Nero |
| Founded | 54–64 AD |
The Theatre of Nero (Latin: Theatrum Neronis) was the private theatre erected in Rome by Nero, the Roman emperor between AD 54 and AD 68. It was known only from literary sources until its remains were discovered in 2020 during excavations. The remains were excavated through 2023 by the Special Archaelogical Superintendency of Rome. The discovery of the remains was announced that same year.
Location
The theatre was located on the right bank of the Tiber, in the Ager Vaticanus, in the horti of Agrippina the Elder (inherited by her grandson Nero), in the same area where Caligula had built his circus. Its remains are located in the courtyard of the renaissance Palazzo dei Penitenzieri, also named Palazzo Della Rovere, in the Borgo rione, between Via della Conciliazione and Borgo Santo Spirito.
History
The theatre is mentioned explicitly only by Pliny the Elder, and implicitly by Suetonius and Tacitus. According to Pliny, the emperor displayed the seized possessions of a former consul in his private theatre (theatrum peculiare). The theatre was used by Nero for rehearsals of his subsequent public singing performances in the theatre of Pompey, and was large enough to satisfy his vanity when filled with people. Suetonius writes that during the Neronia festival the emperor promised to exhibit himself in hortis ("in the gardens"), an indirect reference to his theatre. Finally, Tacitus states that during the Ludi Juvenales Nero sang per domum aut hortos, another hint to the building. It is also possible that the domestica scaena mentioned by Tacitus as the place from which Nero admired the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD does not refer to the tower of Gaius Maecenas on the Esquiline Hill, but to the scene of his theatre. This, lying on the right bank of the Tiber, was well away from the affected areas, and therefore a safe observation point, unlike the tower, which was in the middle of the fire. At the beginning of the second century AD, the building was dismantled to recover its materials, as evidenced by five marble columns found in situ.
The theatre is mentioned a last time in the middle of the 12th century in the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, a pilgrims' guide of the city, where it is said to be near the Castellum Crescentii (today's Castel Sant'Angelo). The 2020 stratigraphic investigation yielded artefacts ranging from the late Republican period to the 15th century. In particular, in the Middle Ages the area of the theatre became the site of handicrafts and activities related to the arrival of pilgrims, as evidenced by the discovery of moulds for rosaries, bone objects crafted to create musical instruments and furniture hinges, jugs, glass chalices used as liturgical furnishings and ceramic material, and two pilgrim insignia (showing the Holy Face of Lucca and Notre-Dame de Rocamadour). Several road tracks were also found, connecting the site to the Portus Maior, the landing place on the Tiber downstream of Ponte Sant'Angelo. Around 1480 in the area of the theatre, Cardinal Domenico della Rovere began construction of Palazzo Della Rovere, possibly entrusting Baccio Pontelli.
The remains of the theatre were found during excavations that began in 2020 under the direction of the special archaeological superintendence of monuments of Rome. The theatre's discovery was announced on 27 July 2023 by Rome's superintendent Daniela Porro.
Architecture
Two structures in opus latericium have been found under the courtyard of the Renaissance Palazzo della Rovere. They overlooked an open courtyard possibly surrounded by a portico. The buildings can be dated to the Julio-Claudian period thanks to the bipedal stamps found on their bricks. The first structure has a hemicycle plan, with radial entrances and stairs and walls, and can thus be identified with the cavea of the theatre, where the tiers of seats for the audience stood. The scaenae frons was oriented toward the west. The decorative apparatus was of the Ionic order, and from the remains it can be deduced that it was covered in white and coloured marble and stucco covered in gold leaf, as in the Domus Aurea. The second building, on the other hand, perpendicular to the first, was used for service functions, and housed perhaps the sets and costumes.
