Metellinum (Medellín, Spain)

Last quarter 1st century BCE.

Cavea Width: 62 meters
Orchestra Width: 22 meters

Metellinum Roman Theatre (Medellin, Spain)

The Roman Theatre of Metellinum, located in present-day Medellín, Spain, was constructed in the last quarter of the 1st century BCE. The theatre’s cavea, or seating area, spans approximately 62 meters in diameter and is divided into the ima cavea (lower seating) with 8 rows divided into 4 cunei, and the summa cavea (upper seating) with 8 rows divided into 7 cunei. The orchestra, the semi-circular space in front of the stage, measures about 22 meters in diameter. The theatre could accommodate between c.3,000 to 3,500 spectators.

Metellinum Theatre (Medellin, Spain)

Historical Context: The Roman colony of Metellinum (present-day Medellín) was founded around 79-78 BCE by the Roman consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius as a military base for his operations in western Iberia during the Sertorian War (Asociación Histórica Metellinense). This foundation occurred approximately 54 years before nearby Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida) was established. The name “Metellinum” derives directly from its founder, and the settlement was later elevated by the Roman Senate to the status of “Colonia Metellinensis” (Extremadura Romana).

The Roman theatre of Metellinum is located in present-day Medellín in the Badajoz province of Spain’s Extremadura region. The theatre is carved into the hillside beneath what is now the 14th-century Castillo de Medellín, a medieval castle that crowns the hill (Princeton Encyclopedia).

The theatre itself dates to the “last quarter of 1st century BC” (Sear 265), placing its construction during the early years of the Roman colony and aligning with the historical context of Roman expansion and urbanization in Hispania during the late Republican and early Imperial periods.

The theatre’s specifications cited below are from Frank Sear’s Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. Oxford (p. 265) and from personal observations of the restorations in 2008 and 2011.

Location

• GPS coordinates 37.44001, -6.03873
• Built on the south slope of the hillside beneath what is now the 14th-century Castillo de Medellín

Cavea (seating area)

• Diameter: approximately 63 meters, facing south (Sear 265)
• Seating capacity c.3400
• Ima cavea (lower seating section): 8 rows divided into 4 cunei and accessed by 5 stairways; summa cavea (upper seating section): 8 remaining rows divided into 7 cunei; accessed by 8 stairways.
• Additional seating above the tribunalia (platforms above the side entrances to the orchestra
• Sacrarium (small roofless shrine) in lower center ima cavea.
• The cavea was surrounded by 2 walls, with the outer wall (width 2.50 m) forming a crypta (covered corridor) of 2 m width (Sear 265)
• Staircases led down to the aditus (entrances to the orchestra level) (Sear 265)
• Construction materials included various types of Roman opus (building techniques): opus caementicium (Roman concrete), opus latericium (brick-faced concrete), opus incertum (irregular-faced concrete), and opus quadratum (regular ashlar masonry) (Europa Nostra)

Orchestra (performance space between audience and stage)

• Dimension: c.22 meters including 3 bisellia steps (curved platforms for honorific seating).
• The orchestra was paved with marble, as indicated by the preservation of “the orchestra marble” during restoration work (Europa Nostra)

Pulpitum (stage)

• The proscaenium (the low wall or stage front separating the stage from the orchestra) was “not fully explored” during the initial excavations (Sear 265)
• Enough was revealed to determine the “line of proscaenium wall” (Sear 265)

Scaenae Frons (decorative scene house front)

• “Some stuccoed shafts found” (Sear 265)
• Archaeological investigations have unearthed “a notable and varied sculptural set which would have decorated the complex” (Nogales Basarrate and Merchán)
• The decorative program included “estatua oficial” (official statuary) in bronze that was part of the monumental programming of the colonial theatre, complementary to the rich marble cycles of the monument (Nogales Basarrate and Merchán)

Current Status

The Roman theatre of Metellinum is currently in a well-preserved state following the extensive restoration work completed in 2013. The project was awarded the Europa Nostra Prize for heritage conservation in 2013, recognizing “the thoroughness of the work, as well as the importance of this project for the recovery and conservation of the ancient Roman Theatre of Medellin” (Europa Nostra).

The theatre is now open to the public as part of an archaeological site that includes a visitor center housed in the former Church of Santiago. The site has become a significant tourist attraction and cultural landmark in the region (Travel Extremadura).

From 2007 to 2017, the archaeological site was visited by more than 123,000 people, and since its reopening in 2014, live performances have attracted more than 16,000 people (Interreg Europe). This demonstrates the success of the theatre’s restoration not only as a heritage preservation project but also as an engine of sustainable economic development for the region.

In 2012, it was the most visited of the five restored monuments selected for the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport’s program (European Heritage Awards), indicating its importance in the national cultural landscape.

While not individually listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the theatre contributes to the rich archaeological heritage of the Extremadura region, which includes the nearby UNESCO-listed Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida.

Metellinum Theatre Excavation and Restoration History

The archaeological research of the Metellinum theatre spans more than a century, beginning with the correct identification of the structure in the early 20th century.

Before the 20th century, the partially exposed ruins were misidentified by locals as part of a Roman circus (a stadium for chariot races). Professor José Ramón Mélida, Director of the National Archaeological Museum from 1916 to 1930, correctly identified the remains as a theatre from the Metellinum Roman military colony. His work, published in the “Catálogo monumental Provincia Badajoz” (1926), was foundational in establishing the true nature of the site.

Mariano Del Amo conducted the first formal archaeological excavation between 1969 and 1970, revealing the basic structure of the theatre. His findings were published in “Noticiario Arqueológico Hispánico, Arqueología 2” (1973) and in the volume “El teatro” (1982) (Sear 265).

After a hiatus of nearly four decades, excavations resumed in 2007 under a multidisciplinary team comprised of archaeologists, restorers, work coordinators, managers, architects, draughtsmen, assistants, surveyors, masonry monitors, and work managers (Nogales). Guadalupe Méndez Grande served as a co-director of these more recent excavations (Edmondson).

Two major phases of archaeological recovery and restoration, separated by a period of neglect. The first phase occurred between 1969 and 1970, when the first archaeological excavation was carried out on the visible remains of the theatre, exhuming part of its structure (Europa Nostra). These initial excavations were led by archaeologist Mariano Del Amo, who revealed a 2000-year-old structure with a relatively well-defined foundation (Mateos Cruz).

After a prolonged period of neglect lasting nearly four decades, excavations were resumed in 2007, documenting the historical sequence of the historic site up to the recent prehistoric era (Europa Nostra). This comprehensive restoration project, completed by 2013, transformed “an abandoned area, the hill on the southern slope of Cerro del Castillo, into an archaeological site that can be visited and recognized” (Europa Nostra).

The Autonomous Ministry of Culture invested 4 million euros to finance the excavations and restoration of the Metellinum Theatre, co-financed 75% with FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) (Aktüre). The project was backed by the municipality of Medellín, where the Metellinense Historical Association has been established (Europa Nostra).

The architectural modifications primarily involved preservation rather than reconstruction, with particular attention paid to “the preservation of the different types of Roman opus (caementicium, latericium, incertum, and quadratum), as well as the orchestra marble and approximately 800 ashlars that still exist in the original stands” (Europa Nostra).

Bibliography / Resources:

Aktüre, Zeynep. “Ancient Theatres as Landscape Elements: A Classification of Modern Implementations in Roman Theatres of Iberian Peninsula.” International Journal of Heritage and Sustainable Development, vol. 4, no. 1, 2015.

Del Amo, Mariano. “Noticiario Arqueológico Hispánico, Arqueología 2.” 1973, pp. 53-132.

Edmondson, Jonathan. “A Tale of Two Colonies: Augusta Emerita (Mérida) and Metellinum (Medellín), 25 B.C. – A.D. 100.” Roman Colonies in the First Century of their Foundation, edited by R. Sweetman, Oxbow, 2011, pp. 32-54.

“Europa Nostra Awards in Spain: Restoration and Consolidation of the Roman Theatre of Medellin.” Hispania Nostra, 2021.

“European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards: Roman Theatre in Medellin.” Europa Nostra, 2019.

“Interreg Europe: Valorisation of the Roman Theatre of Medellin.” 26 Nov 2018.

Mélida, José Ramón. “Catálogo monumental Provincia Badajoz.” Madrid, 1926, vol. I, pp. 367-71.

Nogales, Trinidad. “Restoration and consolidation of the Roman theatre of Medellin.” Asociación Hispania Nostra, 2013.

Nogales Basarrate, Trinidad, and M. J. Merchán. “Teatro romano de Metellinum: programa escultórico-decorativo.” Actas de la VIII Reunión de Escultura Romana en Hispania, 2018.

“Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, METELLINUM (Medellín) Badajoz, Spain.” Perseus Digital Library.

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