• Acinipo—A Forgotten Ancient Outpost
    Awake!—2004 | March 8

    • A Unique Theater

      Our eyes were again drawn to the high wall at the top of the hill. We wondered what it could have been in Roman times. As we got nearer, we realized that we were approaching the backdrop of a theater. It was made of stone, with a large arch and a tower. Following the Roman custom, the stones were cut and set without cement. When we stepped through the arch, we found ourselves on the stage, looking at steps and seating for perhaps a thousand people. It had been hewed out of the rock hillside. It impressed us to think that we were standing where Roman actors and orators had performed!

      The Romans knew how to make the most of mountainsides, by turning them into theaters. Vestiges of Roman theaters and amphitheaters can be found in places as far apart as Mérida in western Spain, Trier in Germany, and Nîmes and Arles in France, and even as far north as Caerleon in Wales. There are famous ones in Pompeii and Rome. The Roman Colosseum had seating for 50,000 people! Remains of more than 75 Roman amphitheaters are scattered throughout the limits of the former Roman Empire. Traveling groups of actors went from theater to theater, entertaining with their performances.

      The theater at Acinipo is the best-conserved part of the city. Its seating takes advantage of the hill’s gradient and is protected from the wind that comes whistling over the escarpment higher up. The theater is designed to make the best use of the natural acoustics.