The Roman Theatre in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

Rhineland Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

(ancient '' Mogontiacum'') was excavated in the late 1990s. It is located immediately next to the Mainz Römisches Theater station and was once the largest Roman theatre north of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, with a diameter of 116 metres, a stage-width of 42 metres, and a capacity of roughly ten thousand people.

History

Mogontiacum owed its significance to its location at the meeting point of the Main and the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

. The city provided a convenient base for the defense of the nearby border of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, the ''

limes Limes may refer to: * ''Limes'' (Roman Empire), a border marker and defense system of the Roman Empire * ''Limes'' (Italian magazine), an Italian geopolitical magazine * ''Limes'' (Romanian magazine), a Romanian literary and political quarterly ma ...

'', and for the organisation of military campaigns against the

Germani The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...

. As a result, a double legionary camp was built on the site in 13/12 BC, which remained in place until some time after AD 350. Over time a civilian settlement (Latin ''

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

'') also developed on the site, which became the provincial capital of the newly created province of

Germania Superior Germania Superior ("Upper Germania") was an imperial province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of today's western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany. Important cities were Besançon ('' Vesont ...

around AD 80. In this city, a Roman theatre was built, which was probably closely associated with the funerary games held in honour of Drusus. From 9 BC, military parades (''decursio militum'') were held in honour of Drusus at his cenotaph, the

Drususstein The Drususstein (Drusus stone) is a nearly 20 metres high masonry block of Roman origin on the grounds of the citadel of Mainz, Germany. It was originally cased in marble. Researchers now largely accept that this is the structural remnant of the ...

, which was only 340 metres away from the theatre. Accordingly, the Roman theatre may have been used for the thanksgiving ceremony (''

supplicatio In ancient Roman religion, a ''supplicatio'' is a day of public prayer during times of crisis or a thanksgiving for receipt of aid. During days of public prayer, Roman men, women, and children traveled in procession to religious sites around the ...

'') by the representations of the sixty local Gallic communities (''Galliarum civitates'') in honour of Drusus.

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is ''De vita Caesarum'', common ...

mentions a theatre at Mogontiacum in his account of events in AD 39. Probably the currently visible stone structure was preceded by an earlier structure in wood. The theatre was the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, seating some 10,000 visitors. The diameter of the seating area is 116 metres and the diameter of the orchestra in 42 metres. After the construction of the city wall in the middle of the fourth century AD, for which stone from the theatre was used, the theatre was left outside the walled area and fell into ruin. More and more of the stone from the theatre was taken away for reuse in new construction projects. The massive vaults of the theatre survived for a few centuries. From the 6th century they were used as catacombs for burials of the surrounding monasteries, especially St Nikomedes (which itself no longer exists). Graves associated with this period have been found in the recent excavations. The theatre is mentioned for a final time in the 11th century. Gozwin writes in his "''Passio sancti Albani Martyris Moguntini''" "The remaining ruins of the theatre there, which was built in the Roman manner for circus games and theatrical spectacles, provided this too." During the construction of the Mainz Citadel in the middle of the 17th century, the area was completely levelled. The final visible remains of the masonry disappeared and the theatre was forgotten.

Rediscovery and excavation

Foundations of the stage building were found in 1884 during the construction of the railway and were recorded before being demolished to make way for the tracks and platforms of the South Station (now the Mainz Römisches Theater station). The finds were not connected with the long lost theatre. In 1914, when further remains were discovered during the construction of a canal, the art historian Ernst Neeb identified the remains as part of a Roman theatre building. An exploratory excavation in 1916 supported his case, but because of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, no further excavations could be undertaken. The remains were covered over once more and were completely forgotten. In 1998, after several years of planning, several pillars were uncovered as part of a first test trench. From 1999, general excavations of the structure were undertaken, funded by sponsorship and donations and the assistance of local volunteers. The theatre and its environs, including the neighbouring trains station and citadel, are to be further renovated in the near future. Musical and theatrical performances will be held in the theatre. There are also plans to extend the excavation area to the citadel and to reconstruct part of the theatre.

Amphitheatre

Mogontiacum very likely also had an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

. For a long time this could not be specifically located, but historical records and excavations suggest it was located in Zahlbach, near the Dahlheim cloister (itself no longer extant). In the notes of the Mainz monk Siegehard c. 1100 AD, there is mention of the ruins of a theatre in Zahlbach, which was said to have been used for gladiatorial fights and circus races. In the ''Alten Geschichte von Mainz by Father Joseph Fuchs, the amphitheatre is placed on another site, betweenthe modern Innenstadt and Hechtsheim. There would have been a large semicircle in which remains of solid pillars should have been found.A. & R. Schmid, p. 222 So far, however, archaeological evidence for either site is lacking. The existence of an amphitheatre is only asserted indirectly, through signs like the dedication of gladiators.

References

Bibliography

* Günter Walz: ''Die Geschichte des Theaters in Mainz. Ein Rückblick auf 2000 Jahre Bühnengeschehen'' Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2004, * Armin & Renate Schmid: ''Die Römer an Rhein und Main''. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt 2006,

External links