Roman theatre of Mogontiacum (Mainz),
The Roman Theatre in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate (ancient Mogontiacum) was excavated in the late 1990s. It is located immediately next to the Mainz Römisches Theater station and was once the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, with a diameter of 116 metres, a stage-width of 42 metres, and a capacity of roughly ten thousand people. Mogontiacum owed its significance to its location at the meeting point of the Main and the Rhine. The city provided a convenient base for the defense of the nearby border of the Roman empire, the limes, and for the organisation of military campaigns against the Germanii. As a result, a double legionary camp was built on the site in 13/12 BC, which remained in place until some time after AD 350. Over time a civilian settlement (Latin vicus) also developed on the site, which became the provincial capital of the newly created province of Germania Superior around AD 80. In this city, a Roman theatre was built, which was probably closely associated with the funerary games held in honour of Drusus. From 9 BC, military parades (decursio militum) were held in honour of Drusus at his cenotaph, the Drususstein, which was only 340 metres away from the theatre. Accordingly, the Roman theatre may have been used for the thanksgiving ceremony (supplicatio) by the representations of the sixty local Gallic communities (Galliarum civitates) in honour of Drusus. Suetonius mentions a theatre at Mogontiacum in his account of events in AD 39. Probably the currently visible stone structure was preceded by an earlier structure in wood. The theatre was the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, seating some 10,000 visitors. The diameter of the seating area is 116 metres and the diameter of the orchestra in 42 metres. After the construction of the city wall in the middle of the fourth century AD, for which stone from the theatre was used, the theatre was left outside the walled area and fell into ruin. More and more of the stone from the theatre was take
Size: 6720px × 2764px
Location: Mainz Römisches Theater, 55116 Mainz, Germany, Europe
Photo credit: © Tony Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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