DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0585
THEATRUM BALBI—THEATRUM MARCELLI 513
1915, T53 ; D. Orano, Il Testaccio ; il monte ed il quartiere dalle origini
al 1910, Pescara, 1910).
Theatrum Balbi : a stone theatre built by L. Cornelius Balbus the
younger (RE iv. 1270), and dedicated in 13 b.c. (Cass. Dio liv. 25 ; Suet.
Aug. 29). It was injured by fire during the reign of Titus (Cass. Dio
lxvi. 24) and restored, probably by Domitian : Ausonius speaks of it
as still in use (Lud. septem sap. 40), and it is mentioned in Not. (Reg. IX).
It had 11510 loca, or room for about 7700 spectators (BC 1894, 320).
Four small columns of onyx, set up by Balbus in his theatre, were regarded
at that time as very wonderful (Plin. NH xxxvi. 60). The location of
•this building near the Tiber, directly north of the upper end of the island,
is indicated by the slight elevation known in the Middle Ages as the
Monte dei Cenci. It occupied part at least of the ground covered by the
Palazzo Cenci, the buildings between it and the Via Arenula, and the
Piazza Cenci. The curve of the cavea was nearly tangent to the Via
Arenula, and its main axis ran northwest-southeast. The theatre is
marked on two fragments of the Marble Plan (FUR fig. 29 ; BC 1899,
pl. i. No. 23 ; Atti del Congresso storico i. 117 ; HJ 519-521).
Theatrum Marcelli.* Julius Caesar planned to build a theatre (Suet.
Caes. 44 : theatrumque summae magnitudinis Tarpeio monti accubans ;
Cass. Dio xliii. 49. 2 ; liii. 30. 5), and to make room for it he removed
the temple of Pietas (q.v.) in the forum Holitorium and other shrines
and private houses (Plin. NH vii. 121 ; Cass. Dio xliii. 49. 3), but the
building was not actually constructed by him but by Augustus, who
found it necessary to purchase additional land from private owners at his
own expense (Mon. Anc. iv. 22). The theatre was a memorial of Marcellus
and dedicated in his name (Cass. Dio, Mon. Anc. locc. citt. ; Liv. Epit. 138 ;
Suet. Aug. 29 ; Plut. Marc. 30). In 17 b.c. the work of construction was
so far advanced that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took
place within the theatre (CIL vi. 32323. 157 ;x EE viii. 233), but the
dedication did not occur until 13 (Cass. Dio liv. 26. 1), or less probably 11
(Plin. NH viii. 65 ; cf. Chron. Pasch. a. u. c. 732, ed. Momms. i. 218).
On this occasion magnificent games were held (Cass. Dio liii. 30. 6 ;
liv. 26. I ; Suet. Aug. 43). Augustus placed four remarkable marble
columns from the house of Scaurus on the Palatine ‘ in regia theatri ’ (Asc.
in Scaur. 45), but whether this was the middle door in the scaena, as was
probably the case in the theatre of Pompeius (q.v.), or one of the halls
at the ends of the scaena (see below), is uncertain (LR 498 ; BC 1901, 56).
Besides the ordinary form of the name, the theatre was also called theatrum
Marcellianum (Suet. Vesp. 19 ; Mart. ii. 29. 5 ; CIL vi. 33838 a).
Vespasian restored the scaena (Suet. Vesp. 19), which had perhaps
been injured when the Vitellians stormed the Capitol, and Alexander
Severus is said to have intended to restore it again (Hist. Alex. Sev. 44),
1 Here it is called ' theatrum [quod est] in circo Flaminio.’
A.D.R.
2 K
1915, T53 ; D. Orano, Il Testaccio ; il monte ed il quartiere dalle origini
al 1910, Pescara, 1910).
Theatrum Balbi : a stone theatre built by L. Cornelius Balbus the
younger (RE iv. 1270), and dedicated in 13 b.c. (Cass. Dio liv. 25 ; Suet.
Aug. 29). It was injured by fire during the reign of Titus (Cass. Dio
lxvi. 24) and restored, probably by Domitian : Ausonius speaks of it
as still in use (Lud. septem sap. 40), and it is mentioned in Not. (Reg. IX).
It had 11510 loca, or room for about 7700 spectators (BC 1894, 320).
Four small columns of onyx, set up by Balbus in his theatre, were regarded
at that time as very wonderful (Plin. NH xxxvi. 60). The location of
•this building near the Tiber, directly north of the upper end of the island,
is indicated by the slight elevation known in the Middle Ages as the
Monte dei Cenci. It occupied part at least of the ground covered by the
Palazzo Cenci, the buildings between it and the Via Arenula, and the
Piazza Cenci. The curve of the cavea was nearly tangent to the Via
Arenula, and its main axis ran northwest-southeast. The theatre is
marked on two fragments of the Marble Plan (FUR fig. 29 ; BC 1899,
pl. i. No. 23 ; Atti del Congresso storico i. 117 ; HJ 519-521).
Theatrum Marcelli.* Julius Caesar planned to build a theatre (Suet.
Caes. 44 : theatrumque summae magnitudinis Tarpeio monti accubans ;
Cass. Dio xliii. 49. 2 ; liii. 30. 5), and to make room for it he removed
the temple of Pietas (q.v.) in the forum Holitorium and other shrines
and private houses (Plin. NH vii. 121 ; Cass. Dio xliii. 49. 3), but the
building was not actually constructed by him but by Augustus, who
found it necessary to purchase additional land from private owners at his
own expense (Mon. Anc. iv. 22). The theatre was a memorial of Marcellus
and dedicated in his name (Cass. Dio, Mon. Anc. locc. citt. ; Liv. Epit. 138 ;
Suet. Aug. 29 ; Plut. Marc. 30). In 17 b.c. the work of construction was
so far advanced that part of the celebration of the ludi saeculares took
place within the theatre (CIL vi. 32323. 157 ;x EE viii. 233), but the
dedication did not occur until 13 (Cass. Dio liv. 26. 1), or less probably 11
(Plin. NH viii. 65 ; cf. Chron. Pasch. a. u. c. 732, ed. Momms. i. 218).
On this occasion magnificent games were held (Cass. Dio liii. 30. 6 ;
liv. 26. I ; Suet. Aug. 43). Augustus placed four remarkable marble
columns from the house of Scaurus on the Palatine ‘ in regia theatri ’ (Asc.
in Scaur. 45), but whether this was the middle door in the scaena, as was
probably the case in the theatre of Pompeius (q.v.), or one of the halls
at the ends of the scaena (see below), is uncertain (LR 498 ; BC 1901, 56).
Besides the ordinary form of the name, the theatre was also called theatrum
Marcellianum (Suet. Vesp. 19 ; Mart. ii. 29. 5 ; CIL vi. 33838 a).
Vespasian restored the scaena (Suet. Vesp. 19), which had perhaps
been injured when the Vitellians stormed the Capitol, and Alexander
Severus is said to have intended to restore it again (Hist. Alex. Sev. 44),
1 Here it is called ' theatrum [quod est] in circo Flaminio.’
A.D.R.
2 K