balteus : BAL te us

(Latin; pl. baltei: low stone wall or parapet separating the orchestra from the surrounding seating area). In Roman theatres, the balteus is a thin stone or marble wall, typically 0.90-1.00 metres high, that runs around the rim of the orchestra and separates it from a narrow passageway behind it. Beyond this passageway lie the broad steps where the seats of honour (bisellia) for senators and magistrates were placed. While modern writers sometimes use balteus to refer to the entire passageway system, strictly speaking the term refers only to the stone wall itself, with the correct term for the wall being podium (as evidenced by inscriptions). The balteus wall served both as a physical barrier and as a marker of social hierarchy, defining the privileged seating area around the orchestra rim that was reserved for the Roman elite.