Recherche par auteur > Katerina Gottardo

It is well-known that Roman amphitheatres could be used for water displays, the arena filled with water to mimic sea-battles or other performances (Coleman 1993). Less considered, however, is the use of theatre buildings for other water spectacles. Gustavo Traversari (1960) was the first to consider this theme closely, hypothesizing a type of performance called the ‘tetimimo'; and, more recently, Anne Berlan-Bajard (2006) has extended his work, establishing that such water displays took place well before Late Antiquity. Nonetheless, they remain disputed in nature, lacking proper definition, and, above all, close relation to the archaeological evidence. Evidence for the supply of water to theatres remains altogether neglected.

In the Italian peninsula it has been counted 67 buildings present evidence of hydraulic systems, in most cases related to the sewerage system. Nevertheless, the presence of basins in the orchestra area or the evidence of the use of the orchestra as a pool in theatres demonstrates that these performances were played. In Pompeii the presence of a sequence of basins was found within the orchestra space dated before the final phase of the theatre, when they were buried, and a new paved floor was laid out. An example of the later use of the orchestra as a pool is the theatre of Ostia, dated in the 4th century A.D., when four radial rooms of the cavea and the axial corridor were converted into tanks to store water that was used for filling in the orchestra. These systems followed changes and additions due to the upcoming necessities. Hypothesis on the operation of the water system is presented.