Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja, Málaga, Spain)

59 – 53 BCE (Sear 260)

Cavea Width: 62 meters
Orchestra Width: 18 meters

Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja, Málaga, Spain). Roman Theatre. Cavea cut into rocky slope; width: 62 m, faces east: ima cavea 14 rows in 6 cunei; media cavea: 4 rows in 4 cunei; summa ?4 rows; seating capacity: 2,700 / 3,400; orchestra width: 21 m; stage: L. 29.4, W. 9.6; stage: 29.4 X 9.6 m; well preserved scaenae frons w / center regia door and 2 hospitalia doors; 6 aulaeum mast holes; 2 story scaenae frons.ca. 59-53 BCE. (Frank Sear, p. 260)

The Roman Theatre of Acinipo (Ronda la Vieja, Málaga, Spain)
Acinipo Panoramas

Brief History of the City

Human settlement at Acinipo dates back to the Neolithic period, with archaeological evidence indicating continuous occupation since approximately 3000 BCE (Visit Andalucia, 2022). The site gained prominence during the Iron Age when it established contact with Phoenician settlements along the Malaga coast around the 9th century BCE. Following a period of abandonment, it was repopulated and developed into a walled Iberian city by the 5th century BCE (Andalucia Rustica, 2022).

The arrival of the Romans in 206 BCE marked a transformative period for Acinipo. Some historians believe the city was specifically established for veterans of Julius Caesar’s legions following the Battle of Munda in 45 BCE (Visit Andalucia, 2022). Under Roman rule, Acinipo developed into a prosperous municipium of the Turdetani people, achieving the status of a city with the right to mint its own coinage featuring agricultural motifs such as bunches of grapes, reflecting the region’s economic foundation (Andalucia.com, 2023).

Brief History of the Theatre

The theatre at Acinipo was constructed during the late Republican period, with Frank Sear dating it to approximately 59-53 BCE (Sear, 2006). However, other scholars such as del Amo suggest a slightly different chronology, and there is evidence that the scene building was modified during the Augustan period (Sear, 2006). The theatre remained in use until the mid-2nd century CE when the city began to decline, with Ronda (ancient Arunda) eventually replacing it as the main center of the region (Andalucia Rustica, 2022).

During the Islamic period, the theatre structure was repurposed as a watchtower, demonstrating the strategic elevation of the site at approximately 1,000 meters above sea level (Andalucia.com, 2023). The site became known as “Ronda la Vieja” (Old Ronda) from the sixteenth century onwards, despite historical evidence showing that both Acinipo and Arunda coexisted during the Roman period (Visit Andalucia, 2022).

Architectural Specifications

The following specifications are drawn from Frank Sear’s reference book, Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study (Oxford University Press, 2006), except where otherwise noted.

Location

• Modern city, Country: Ronda la Vieja, Malaga, Spain
• GPS coordinates: 36.83185, -5.24054
• Orientation: The theatre faces east, situated on the western side of the ancient town

Cavea (seating area)

• Diameter: 62 meters
• Estimated capacity: 2,700-3,400 spectators (Sear), though some sources suggest around 2,000 (Andalucia.com, 2023)
• Seating divisions:
  • Ima cavea: 14 rows (0.40-0.70 m) in 6 cunei
  • Media cavea: 4 rows in 4 cunei
  • Summa cavea: Possibly 4 rows, though this is uncertain
• Construction materials and techniques: The cavea is directly carved into the natural limestone of the hillside
• Substructures: Cut into the rocky slope without artificial substructures
• Praecinctiones (horizontal walkways):
  • Lower praecinctio: Width 1.30 m with podium (Height 1.30 m)
  • Upper praecinctio: Width approximately 1 m

Orchestra (performance space between audience and stage)

• Dimensions: Diameter 21 m, reduced to 18 m by a surrounding wall of 0.70-0.80 m height
• Shape and materials: Circular, paved in stone with evidence of limestone and pink marble decorative elements
• Special features: Contains one step for bisellia (special seats for dignitaries), creating an inner diameter of 16 m

Pulpitum (stage)

• Dimensions: Length 29.4 m, Width 6.3-7.90 m (overall 9.60 m)
• Construction details:
  • Proscaenium (front wall of stage): Width 1.7 m featuring 3 curved and 2 rectangular niches
  • Two staircases connecting orchestra and stage
  • Aulaeum (curtain mechanism): Length 24 m, Width 1.25 m, with 6 mast holes (Depth 1.50 m)

Scaenae Frons (decorative scene house front)

• Architectural order and design: Rectilinear design with a two-story colonnade (columnatio) reaching approximately 11.60 m in height
• Doorways: Central regia door (Width 2.3 m) and hospitalia doors (Width 1.80 m)
• Decorative elements: One Corinthian capital has been found, comparable to those from the Horrea Agrippiana at Rome dated to 20-10 BCE

Access and Circulation

• Entrances and exits: Aditus maximi (main side entrances) of 2.5 m width
• Basilicas: North basilica measures 8.00 × 8.60 m
• Postscaenium (area behind scene building): Features 4 rectangular rooms separated by passages from the scaenae frons, with 5 doors (middle 3 arched)
• Wall construction: Regular stone blocks reaching a height of approximately 14.5 m

Current Status

Preservation Condition

The theatre at Acinipo remains in a relatively good state of preservation, with much of the seating area (cavea) and a remarkably well-preserved postscaenium wall still standing (Sear, 2006). The site provides one of the best examples of a Roman theatre in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly notable for its cavea carved directly into the natural limestone and its intact architectural elements.

Conservation Efforts

Recent conservation work has focused on preventing further deterioration through:

• Installation of drainage systems to prevent water damage to the cavea
• Cleaning of the earth and plant elements
• Sealing of cracks with lime mortars
• Application of consolidation treatments, herbicides, and water repellents
• Minimal intervention approach to preserve authenticity (Arquitectura Viva, 2022)

In 2011, the Regional Government of Andalusia declared the Acinipo plateau a Heritage of Cultural Interest Site, providing legal protection for the archaeological complex. 

The theatre occasionally hosts cultural events, including classical theatre performances. In May 2001, the site hosted the First Acinipo Festival of Classic Greek and Roman Theatre, organized by the “Asociación Cultural de Teatro Grecorromano de Málaga” (Andalucia.com, 2023).

Ancient Renovations

Based on archaeological evidence and stylistic analysis, the theatre appears to have undergone at least two major construction phases:

• Initial construction: Late Republican period, c. 59-53 BCE, according to del Amo (Sear, 2006)
• Augustan renovation: The scene building appears to have been modified during the Augustan period, as evidenced by the developed Corinthian capital found at the site, which has been compared to those from the Horrea Agrippiana in Rome dated to 20-10 BCE (Sear, 2006)

The inscription found in the orchestra cannot predate the Augustan period, further supporting the chronology of renovation during this time (Sear, 2006; Jiménez Salvador, 1993).

Major Excavation Campaigns

• 16th century: First recorded archaeological reference to Acinipo by Lorenzo de Padilla
• 1650: Identification of the theatre as Roman by Fariña del Corral
• 1967: First formal excavations at the site began
• 1970s: Significant excavations led by Mariano del Amo y de la Hera, director of the Archaeological Museum of Huelva Province

Modern Restorations

• 1980: Restoration project prepared by Román Fernández-Baca Casares and Alafont
• Early 1990s: Implementation of the restoration program as part of the broader cultural initiatives surrounding Expo ’92 in Seville
• Recent conservation (21st century): Project by Sergio Valadez focused on preserving the theatre through minimal intervention, including drainage improvements, cleaning, sealing cracks with lime mortars, and applying consolidation treatments (Arquitectura Viva, 2022)

Publication History

The archaeological and architectural features of the theatre at Acinipo have been documented in numerous scholarly publications since the 19th century:

• Velázquez, Acinipo
• J. and M. Oliver y Hurtado, Munda Pompeiana (Madrid, 1861)
• M. Dieulafoy, Art in Spain and Portugal (London, 1913)
• A. Palomeque, Ampurias, 1 (1939)
• A. Palomeque, Arch. Esp. Arq. 16 (1943)
• Thouvenot, Prov. Bétique
• A. Palomeque, El teatro romano de Acinipo (Ronda, 1963)
• M. del Amo y de la Hera, in El teatro (1982)
• J. L. Jiménez Salvador, in Teatros romanos
• R. Fernández-Baca Casares et al., in Teatros romanos

Bibliography / Resources:

Acinipo Panoramas: https://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/acinipo/acinipo.tour.htm

Andalucia.com. The Ancient City of Acinipo. 2023. https://www.andalucia.com/history/acinipo.htm.

Andalucia Rustica. Acinipo Archaeological Site Located in Ronda la Vieja. 2022. https://andaluciarustica.com/en/acinipo-archaeological-site.htm.

Arquitectura Viva. Restoration and New Entrance of the Acinipo Roman Theater in Ronda – Sergio Valadez. 2022. https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/restauracion-y-nuevo-acceso-al-teatro-romano-de-acinipo-en-ronda.

Del Amo y de la Hera, Mariano. “El teatro romano de Acinipo.” El teatro en la Hispania romana, Badajoz, 1982.

Fernández-Baca Casares, Román, et al. Teatros romanos de Hispania. Cuadernos de arquitectura romana, vol. 2, 1993.

Jiménez Salvador, José Luis. “Teatro y desarrollo monumental urbano en Hispania.” Teatros romanos de Hispania, Cuadernos de arquitectura romana, vol. 2, 1993, pp. 225–238.

Oliver y Hurtado, Juan and Manuel. Munda Pompeiana. Madrid, 1861.

Palomeque, Antonio. El teatro romano de Acinipo. Ronda, 1963.

—. “El teatro romano.” Archivo Español de Arqueología, vol. 16, 1943.

—. “El teatro romano.” Ampurias, vol. 1, 1939.

Sear, Frank. Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Thouvenot, Raymond. Essai sur la province romaine de Bétique. Paris, 1940.

Velázquez, [Full Name Unknown]. Acinipo. [Publication details needed].

Visit Andalucia. Acinipo – A Roman Town Built for Heroes. 2022. https://www.visit-andalucia.com/acinipo-roman-town/index.php.