Smith, William: A smaller dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities (London, 1871)

TIIEATRUM.

THENSAE.

come acquainted with the theatres of the
Italian Greeks at an early period, whence
they erected their own theatres in similar
positions upon the sides of hills. This is
still clear from the ruins of very ancient
theatres at Tusculum and Faesalae. The
Romans themselves, however, did not possess
a regular stone theatre until a very late
period, and although dramatic representa-
tions were very popular in earlier times, it
appears that a wooden stage was erected
when necessary, and was afterwards pulled
down again, and the plays of Plautus and
Terence were performed on such temporary
scaffoldings. In the mean while, many of
the neighbouring towns of Rome had their

stone theatres, as the introduction of Creek
customs and manners was less strongly
opposed in them than in the city of Rome
itself. Wooden theatres, adorned with the
most profuse magnificence, were erected at
Rome even during the last period of the
republic. In b. c. 55 Cn. Pompcy built the
first stone theatre at Rome, near the Cam-
pus Martins. It was of great beauty, and is
said to have been built after the model of
that of Mytilene ; it contained 40,000 spec-
tators. The construction of a Roman theatre
resembled, on the whole, that of a Greek
one. The principal differences are, that
the seats of the spectators, which rose in
the form of an amphitheatre around the

Plan of Roman Theatre.

orchestra, did not form more than a semi-
circle ; and that the whole of the orchestra
likewise formed only a semicircle, the dia-
meter of which formed the front line of the
stage. The Roman orchestra contained no
thymele, and was not destined for a chorus,
but contained the seats for senators and
other distinguished persons, such as foreign
ambassadors, which are called primus sub-
selliorum ordo. In b. c. 68 the tribune L.
Roscius Otho carried a law which regulated
the places in the theatre to be occupied by

the different classes of Roman citizens : it
enacted that fourteen ordines of benches
were to be assigned as seats to the equites.
Hence these quatuordecim ordines are some-
times mentioned without any further addi-
tion, as the honorary seats of the equites.
They were undoubtedly close behind the
seats of the senators and magistrates, and
thus consisted of the rows of benches imme-
diately behind the orchestra.

THENSAE or TENSAE, highly orna-
mented sacred vehicles, which, in the solemn