Spain: The Roman Theater of Merida
by Miguel Angel Navarro
The last part of Hispania to be conquered by
the Roman Empire was that of the Cantabri
(currently the provinces of Cantabria and
Asturias). Actually, the emperor Caesar
Ausustus himself travelled to the battlefront to
take part in the so-called Bellum Cantabricum
et Asturicum, the Cantabrian Wars, which took
place between 29 and 19 B.C.
By the year 25 B.C. emperor Octavius
Augustus ordered the legate Publius Casirius to
found a city in the south west of the province
for the Roman soldiers of the V Alaudae, and X
Gemina legions, which fought in the
Cantabrian Wars. This was the origin of the
Colonia Iulia Augusta Emerita, a place of
retirement for the Emeriti, the
veterans. Mérida (current name of
Augusta Emerita) became the capital
city of Lusitania and a very important
economic, military and cultural
centre of the Roman Empire. The
poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius
considered Augusta Emerita the ninth
city of the Empire in importance,
even ahead of Athens.
The city developed quickly, it
reached the population of 50000
inhabitants, and public buildings such
as the theatre were continuously
renovated.
M. Agrippa L.F. cos III. trib. pot. III
(M[arcus] Agrippa L[uci] f[ilius] co[n]s[ul] III trib[unicia] pot[estate] III)
According to this inscription over the
doorways of the Augusta Emerita theatre,
the monument was promoted by consul
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and finished
about 16–15 B.C. Up to 6000 spectators
could be accomodated in a cavea divided in
three areas: the ima cavea (lower 22 rows),
the media cavea (central six rows) and the
summa cavea (upper five rows). People
could enter the building through thirteen
doors and occupied their rows according to
their social status. In the central lower part
was the orchestra, a 30 metres semicircular
space with the first three rows, the proedria,
separated by a low wall (balteus) which was
reserved for the high society. The orchestra
was originally covered with marble and in
front of it were the frons pulpiti and the
pulpitum, covered with wood under which
all the materials and tools for the scenery
and the stage were kept.
The frons scaenae, the spectacular stage façade, is the most famous part of the Augusta
Emerita theatre. It was built in 105 AD during the reign of the Spanish emperor Trajan, and renovated
in 333. Over a 2.5 metres high podium of red natural stone covered with marble, stand two tiers of
Corinthian columns 30 metres high made of bluish marble, with capitals and bases in white. Between
the columns there were statues of deified emperors, gods and classical figures, and the three main
doorways to the stage: valva regia (central entrance) and valvae hospitalarium (side entrances).
Behind the frons scaenae there are rooms for the actors and other theatre staff. Originally, there was
also an arcaded garden behind this façade with a small chamber dedicated to the imperial cult. The
east side leads to a house with a peristyle and beautiful mosaics.
Also during emperor Trajan’s reign, a sanctuary for the imperial cult was built in the central
stands (the ima cavea).
When Christianity became the sole religion in the Roman Empire, theatrical performances
were considered immoral and the theatre was abandoned and most of it was covered with earth. Only
the upper stands, the summa cavea, were left uncovered and lately called “The seven chairs” by the
Spanish tradition. It is said that in this place some Moorish kings held court to decide Augusta
Emerita’s fate.
The
Archaeological Ensemble
of Mérida is one of the
most
important
archaeological sites in
Spain and it was declared a
World Heritage Site by the
UNESCO in 1993. Once
restored in the 20. century,
the theatre was reopened
for theatrical performances.
Since 1933 it has held the
Merida’s
Festival
of
Classical Theatre, the
oldest and most important
festival of classical theatre
in Spain. The performances
in this festival take place
annually during July and August.
PLAUTUS, AULULARIA (THE POT OF GOLD)
Euclio has been keeping a pot of gold jealously for a long time. He is quite a miserly character,
capable of living miserably in order not to spend his own money. This scene (act IV, scene ix) is
Euclio’s lament after finding out that his pot of gold has been stolen. He enters the scene absolutely in
despair and unaware of who may have stolen his fortune. Suddenly he addresses the audience,
searching for a clue about the thief and speaking suspiciously to the people sitting in the cavea.
In Roman comedy, these words to the audience are an important source of information about
the society in Roman times. In this fragment we can see an open criticism of high society, seen as
“thieves” hidden under their “dapper clothes”. This relationship between the characters and the
audience was maybe inspired by the architecture of the theatre itself. In Emerita Augusta we can see
that in Roman theatres actors and spectators are very close to each other (in comparison to Greek
theatres), so it is easy to talk to them directly. This kind of speeches also provides information about
the cultural level of the audience in Roman theatres (writers often complain about the noise in the
cavea during the performance).
The theatre of Emerita Augusta, still in use, has been celebrating a summer theatre festival for
57 years held by professionals. A spring theatre festival held by students from all over Spain has also
been celebrated for 15 years. In these festivals we can check the proximity between actors and
spectators.
Plaut. Aul. 4, 9:
EVCLIO Perii interii occidi1. quo curram2? quo non curram?
tene, tene. quem? quis? necio, nil video, caecus3 eo atque
1. occido 3, -cidi, -cisum: to
kill, to wound; 2. curro 3,
cucurri, cursum: to run.
3. caecus 3: blind;
equidem quo eam aut ubi sim aut qui sim
715
nequeo4 cum animo certum investigare. obsecro5 vos ego,
mi auxilio,
oro obtestor6, sitis et hominem demonstretis7, quis eam
4. nequeo, –ire, -ii, -tus: not
to be able to; 5. obsecro 1: to
beg.
qui vestitu13 et creta occultant sese atque sedent quasi sint
6. obtestor 1: to implore;
7. demonstro 1: to show;
8. aufero, abstuli, ablatum: to
take away; 9. rideo 2, risi,
risum: to laugh; 10. nosco 3,
novi, notum: to know;
11. fur, furis m./f.: thief;
12. complures, -plura: a lot
of; 13. vestitus, -us m.: dress;
frugi14.
14. frugi: honest;
abstulerit8.
quid est? quid ridetis9? novi10 omnes, scio fures11 esse hic
complures12,
quid ais tu? tibi credere certum est, nam esse bonum ex
voltu15 cognosco.
720
15. vultus, -us m.: face;
hem, nemo habet horum? occidisti. dic igitur, quis habet?
nescis?
heu me miserum, misere perii16,
16. pereo, -ii, -itum: to
perish;
17. ornatus 3: equipped;
18. gemitus, -us m.: moan;
19. maestitia, -ae f.: sorrow;
20. offero, obtuli, oblatum,
offerre: to present, to offer;
21. fames, -is f.: hunger;
male perditus, pessime ornatus17 eo:
tantum gemiti18 et mali maestitiaeque19
hic dies mi optulit20, famem21 et pauperiem.
perditissimus ego sum omnium in terra;
nam quid mi opust22 vita, qui tantum auri
perdidi, quod concustodivi
22. opus est: to need;
23. concustodio 4: to watch
over, to protect;
24. sedulo: jealously;
25. defraudo 1: to disappoint;
23
sedulo24? egomet me defraudavi25
725
animumque meum geniumque meum;
nunc eo alii laetificantur26
27
meo malo et damno. pati nequeo.
725
26. laetifico 1: to rejoice;
27. patior, pati, passus sum:
to put up with, to bear;
Questions and Tasks:
1. What is the relationship between the character and the audience shown in this fragment? What
were the possible reasons that motivated it?
2. How does Plautus refer to the high society? Do you see any similarity with the modern point
of view?
3. What is Plautus trying to tell us about avarice? Do you know any modern proverb about the
consequences of being avaricious?
4. This play influenced one of Moliere’s plays. Which one? Why did Moliere use the same
argument some centuries later than Plautus?
5. Do you think avarice is still present in modern society? Why?