Il teatro e l'odeion di Venafro

The Roman theatre of Venafro represents a canonical example of a spectacle building from the imperial age. Its installation in the Augustan age is evidenced by the chronology of a part of the preserved architectural decoration and places it fully within the building scene of the time. The Augustan age is characterised by a strong interest of the emperor, his entourage, or local elites in the transformation of urban space with the construction of public buildings and especially theatres: from the completion in Rome of that conspicuis terna theatra locis, sung about by Ovid, with the construction of the Theatre of Marcellus to the numerous other examples in the Italic and provincial area. Despite the scanty remains brought to light so far of the theatre structures, the large amount of architectural material found over the years has made it possible to reconstruct the articulation of the building and also to propose an interpretation of the structural development after the Augustan era.