A painting that adorned the balustrade of the podium of the Roman amphitheatre of Augusta Emerita depicting a venatio scene with a hunter attacking a lioness. Late 1st century CE. It was found reused in a tomb outside the amphitheatre, which accounts…

Theatrical spectacles were a part of sacred festivals in the Roman world. Actors would wear masks in order to embody the psychological state of their character. The exaggerated features projected the emotions outward to the spectators who sat in the…

The Theatre of Marcellus was first planned by Julius Caesar but was unfinished at his death in 44 BCE. It was completed in 13 BCE and formally inaugurated in 12 BCE by Augustus, who named the building after his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who…

The theatre of Lugdunum is set into the slope of the hill. It is the oldest theatre in Roman Gaul (built in 15 BCE) and is also one of the largest (108 meters in diameter) in Roman Gaul. Originally, there were only two levels of tiered seats for…

The theatre of Lugdunum is set into the slope of the hill. It is the oldest theatre in Roman Gaul (built in 15 BCE) and is also one of the largest (108 meters in diameter) in Roman Gaul. Originally, there were only two levels of tiered seats for…

The theatre in Mérida is one of the best examples of its kind to be found in western Europe. Its construction began c. 15 BCE, and an inscription indicates that Roman consul Marcus Agrippa (63-12 BCE) was the main instigator for building it. It could…

The small theatre a small roofed Odeon used for musical and singing performances as well as for miming, the most popular theatrical genre at the time. The building had a seating capacity of about 1,500.

In 59 CE, during games held in the arena, a notorious riot occurred in the Amphitheatre between Pompeians and Nucerians. As a result of these riots, the Senate of Rome decided to hand Pompeii a 10 year ban on holding gladiatorial games, though Nero…

This opus sectile panel, made of colorful glass fragments, depicts Junius Bassus on a biga, or a chariot led by two horses. Junius Bassus is flanked by four men on horses as he leads the processus consularis, a procession that occurs with the…

This is a terracotta oil lamp featuring a scene of gladiators in combat. The right gladiator is fighting with an oblong shield and a short sword, he may be a secutor type or a murmillo. The figure on the left fights with a round shield and long…