©MarinaDeFranceschini - Progetto Accademia
1 – GREEK THEATER
Description
Entering the Villa and turning left into a walkway flanked by cypresses, the path goes along the Valley of Tempe reaching the Greek Theatre, which was excavated in recent years by the Pablo Olavide University of Seville (Spain) with Rafael Hidalgo Prieto and Pilar Leon [see bibliography].
View of the Greek Theater
Most of its marbles have been removed, starting with those from the scene (scaenae frons), also because they were closer to the ancient road, and easier to transport to Tivoli. So they were probably the first to be looted an reused in the churches and palaces of Tivoli.
Steps of the cavea of the Greek Theater
In the Theater only a few steps of the cavea remain, while the marble blocks where the spectators were sitting have completely disappeared.
The cavea, built in concrete, rests on a masonry substructure, under which there is a well preserved cryptoporticus.
The Cryptoporticus under the Cavea of the Greek Theater
The excavation has revealed a series of side rooms, including a latrine, with walls in tuff and opus mixtum and some remains of painted plaster. The marbles of the scena were all taken away.
In the eighteenth century Count Fede found in this theatre two magnificent busts of the Tragedy and the Comedy, currently preserved in the Vatican Museums
Bust of the Tragedy found in the Greek Theater
Function and meaning
Given the proximity of the Gymnasium (Palaestra, which was probably dedicated to the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis, it is possible that the Greek Theater was used for sacred performances in honor of the goddess. Often the sanctuaries of Isis were located near theaters, as is the case in Pompeii.
1a – SQUARE OF THE GREEK THEATER
Description
According to the antiquarian plans, starting from the one by Contini (1668), next to the Greek Theatre there was a rectangular square [n. 1b], surrounded by a portico.
According to Eugenia Salza Prina Ricotti, it served as a sort of "parking lot" for the carriages of the spectators, but no evidence supports this idea.
Actually, that rectangular square does not exist; recent excavations of the Pablo Olavide University of Seville (Spain) identified only one corridor of a portico paved with opus sectile, but no traces of the rest of the rectangular square have been found.
Unfortunately, a parking area for visitors has been built on part of its area.
SEE:
Marina De Franceschini, Villa Adriana. Mosaici, pavimenti, edifici,
1991, pp. 601-603.