Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Theatrum

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

THEA'TRUM. A theatre, for the representation of dramatic performances and mimetic exhibitions. The earliest theatres, both in Greece and Italy, were nothing more than temporary wooden scaffoldings, erected for the occasion, and afterwards pulled down; but subsequently they were constructed in stone or brick, as permanent buildings, and with a considerable display of architectural beauty and magnificence of decoration; alike in both countries as far as regards the general features of the plan, but differing materially in some of the internal arrangements and distribution of some essential parts.

1. The Roman theatre was usually built upon a level space within the town, and consisted externally of a semicircular elevation at one end, comprising one or more stories of arcades, through which the spectators entered, and passed by staircases constructed within them to a number of semicircular tiers of seats in the interior of the building, which were enclosed by the external wall described, and exhibited by the annexed illustration (Theatrum/1.1) representing the circular end of the theatre of Marcellus, as it now exists in partial ruins at Rome. Two stories only remain, the lower one, of the Doric order, partly embedded in the soil; over this, the Ionic is more perfect; but there was originally a third story, of the Corinthian order, which has entirely disappeared. The circular line of the plan is distinctly apparent in the drawing; as well as the columns which decorated each story, and the stonework of the arches between them, which formed so many open arcades, now filled up by the wall and windows of modern houses, into which the edifice has been transformed. The opposite extremity of the building, which contained the stage, apartments appropriated for the use of the actors, and conveniences for storing the property, &c., was flat, forming, as it were, a chord or base to the semicircle, and was decorated externally by a portico (porticus), sometimes of considerable extent, containing numerous colonnades, and open as well as covered walks and corridors, which formed a favourite place of resort for the idle and fashionable loungers of the city. A portion of these appurtenances, sufficient, however, to give an accurate notion of the entire structure, is exhibited by the lowest part of the annexed illustration (Theatrum/1.2), which represents the ground-plan of Pompey's theatre at Rome, from the marble map of that city, and shows the portico at the bottom marked in black lines, then the walls of the scene and stage, and, beyond them, the circular seats for the spectators, which were enclosed externally by a wall similar to that exhibited in the preceding illustration. The interior was open to the sky, having no roof, and consisted of the following essential parts, distributed in the manner shown by the annexed illustration (Theatrum/1.3), representing the ground-plan of the theatre at Herculaneum, which is constructed upon the Roman model. The body of the house (cavea) where the spectators sat, consists of a number of semicircular rows of seats, formed by deep steps (gradus) rising in concentric lines one above the other, which were subdivided horizontally into tiers (maeniana), comprising several rows each, by broad landing-places (praecinctiones, AA, AA); and, vertically, into cuneiform compartments (cunei, BBBBB) by a number of staircases (scalae, aaaaa), down which the spectators descended to the row where their respective places were situated, upon entering the house through the open door-ways (vomitoria, bbbbb) at the head of each staircase, which were reached by means of passages and covered lobbies constructed in the shell of the building, precisely in the same manner as explained and illustrated by the text and wood-cut s. AMPHITHEATRUM, p. 29. At the bottom of the cavea was the orchestra (C), an exact half circle, and answering in use and locality to our pit, for it contained the seats appropriated to the magistrates and persons of distinction; and was not used, like the Greek orchestra, for a chorus and musicians. A little in advance of this was a low wall, pulpitum, or proscenii pulpitum, C, forming the front of the stage (proscenium, DD) towards the spectators, and separating it from the orchestra. At the back of the stage, there was a lofty wall of brick or masonry (scena, eee), which formed the permanent scene of the theatre, with three grand entrances for the chief actors; and behind this, the apartments for the actors and property (postscenium, EE), or what we call the part "behind the scenes." The two divisions in advance of the stage, on each side of it, like our stage-boxes (ff), are supposed to have been reserved as places of honour for the chief magistrates of Herculaneum, for they have each a private entrance from the portico at the back of the house, by a separate staircase (gg); but they constitute exceptional varieties, which do not appear to have had a permanent place in every theatre.

2. (θέατρον). The Greek Theatre was usually formed at the foot of a hill, the sloping sides of which, when cut into steps, afforded accomodation for the spectators' seats, and the level beyond, for the outbildings required for the stage, scenes, &c. In such cases, the entire locality was little more than an excavation, like the stadium, described at p. 617., and had no exterior; but when the nature of the country would not afford such facilities, and it became necessary to build on level ground, the external construction would present features of a similar character to those described under the Roman practice. The interior contained all the parts enumerated in the preceding paragraphs, disposed in the same manner, but differing in some important particulars, as respects the uses to which some of them were applied, and the plan upon which they were designed; as will be understood by comparing the present illustration (Theatrum/2.1), representing the ground-plan of the great theatre at Pompeii, which is constructed upon the Greek model, with that of the Roman theatre last inserted. The part where the spectators sat (κοῖνον, cavea) is, like that, open to the sky, and subdivided in a similar manner into tiers by broad landing-places (διάξωματα, praecinctiones), and compartments of a wedge-like form (AAA, κερκίδες, cunei), by converging lines of staircases (aaa, κλίμακες, scalae); but instead of being semicircular, it consisted of a much larger segment of a circle, and thus afforded accommodation for a greater concourse of visitors. The orchestra (ὀρχήστρα), in like manner, was much deeper than in a Roman theatre, and was not occupied by the spectators, but appropriated solely to the chorus, who required room to range themselves, and perform their evolutions. In the centre of the orchestra stood the altar of Bacchus (B, θυμέλη, thymele), which, being formed of wood, had perished, but is restored in the wood-cut, to show its situation. The stage and its adjuncts (προσκήνιον, proscenium) was divided in the same manner as the Roman, into two parts; the stage itself, from which the actors spoke (b, λογεῖον, ὀκρίβας, pulpitum), and the back part, with its wall or permanent scene (C, σκηνή, scena). The name of the part behind the scenes, corresponding with the Roman postscenium, is doubtful: some antiquarians think that it was called ὑποσκήνιον, but others attribute that term to the low wall which separates the front of the stage from the orchestra.

3. Theatrum tectum. A covered theatre, which had a roof over head, like the Odeum of Pericles at Athens; generally used as a concert-room. (Stat. Sylv. iii. 5. 91. Inscript. ap. Orelli. 3294.) The smallest of the two theatres at Pompeii is believed to have been a covered theatre, from an inscription found in it, in commemoration of the person at whose expense the roof was made. It is constructed internally upon the same plan as other theatres; but as the upper part has fallen into decay, the nature of the roof cannot be ascertained.

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  Theatrum/1.1
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  Theatrum/1.2
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  Theatrum/1.3
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  Theatrum/2.1