Suessa Arunca (modern Sessa Aurunca, Italy)

27 BCE – 14 CE

Cavea Width: 90 meters
Orchestra Width: 22 meters

Suessa Arunca (modern Sessa Aurunca, Italy). Roman theatre. Earliest date: 27 BCE with a major restoration and enlargement in the 2^nd century CE. The second largest theatre in Campania with only the theatre at Napoli being larger. Cavea: 90 meters wide; faces the SSW; well-preserved ima cavea with 7, well-preserved rows of seats divided into 4 cunei; media and summa cave with an additional 19 rows of seating in 9 cunei speculated but only the seating substructure remains. Seating Capacity: estimated at 7,000 to 8,000. Orchestra: semi-circular, 22 meters wide. Podium (stage): 40 meters wide backed by a 27-meter high, three-tired, scaenae frons. Neither the stage nor the scaenae frons remains.

Suessa Aurunca Theatre (modern Suessa Aurunca, Italy)Suessa Aurunca

Brief History of the City

Suessa Aurunca originated as a settlement of the Aurunci, an Italic people who inhabited the mountainous region known as the Pentapoli Aurunca. In 337 BCE, under pressure from the Sidicini, the Aurunci strategically relocated from their highland territories to establish Suessa on a more accessible plain (Livy 8.15). The Roman conquest during the Second Samnite War proved devastating, with systematic destruction of Auruncan cities in 314 BCE. A Latin colony was established in 313 BCE, later becoming a municipium around 89 BCE and receiving renewed colonial status as “Colonia Julia Felix Classica Suessa” during the Triumviral period (Termeer 2016).

Brief History of the Theatre

The theatre was constructed during the Augustan period (late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE) as part of the city’s integration into Roman imperial culture. The monument underwent a radical transformation during the first half of the 2nd century CE, funded entirely by Matidia Minor, sister of Sabina (wife of Emperor Hadrian) and niece of Trajan (Kleiner 2015). This renovation transformed the theatre into one of Campania’s most elaborate cultural monuments, incorporating an extensive international marble decoration program and complete imperial portrait gallery (Cascella 2009).

The theatre was abandoned during the 4th century CE and systematically stripped during the Romanesque period to provide materials for the construction of the city cathedral, where numerous architectural elements were reused.

Architectural Specifications

Location

• Modern city, Country: Sessa Aurunca, Italy
• Orientation: Facing south-southwest (Sear 138)

Cavea (seating area)

• Diameter: Over 90 meters, making it one of the largest in ancient Italy
• Estimated capacity: 7,000-8,000 spectators
• Seating divisions: Ima cavea with 26 rows in 4 cunei; summa cavea with only hillside foundation; praecinctio separating from upper sections
• Construction materials and techniques: Seats made of massive blocks of Campanian limestone; local limestone seating on earth embankment; brick-faced concrete substructures
• Substructures: Almost completely resting on natural slope, with only some sectors supported by radial partitions built in opus reticulatum technique; vast ambulatory supporting the summa cavea; ambulacrum around rim of cavea

Imperial Cult Complex

• Sacred precinct: Temple (sacellum) rose in the center of the summa cavea, imitating the Theater of Pompey in Rome
• Dedication: Dedicated to the imperial cult
• Sculptural program: Preserved two of four colossal statues: one representing Livia Augusta and another Agrippina Major
• Architectural features: Entire ambulatory of summa cavea crossed by portico of Ionic columns with gray granite shafts and white marble capitals

Orchestra (performance space between audience and stage)

• Materials: Opus sectile flooring in green and red Egyptian porphyry
• Special features: Surrounded by steps for bisellia; paved in marble during Antonine renovation

Pulpitum (stage)

• Dimensions: 40 meters length, over 20 meters height
• Construction details: Elevated platform with sophisticated aulaeum (curtain) mechanisms
• Design: Spread over three floors, functioning as a veritable open-air museum

Scaenae Frons (decorative scene house front)

• Architectural order and design: Rectilinear design with elaborate marble decoration program featuring 84 columns across three stories
• Doorways and stories: Three doorways (regia and two hospitalia); three-story elevation
• Decorative elements: Extraordinary international marble program including:
  • Cipollino
  • Sciro marble (marble from Settebassi)
  • Giallo antico di Numidia
  • Portasanta marble of Chios
  • Gray Granite
  • Pavonazzetto from Phrygia
  • Peach Blossom from Calcide
  • Proconnesio marble from the island of Marmara
  • Carrara marble
  • Red Egyptian Porphyry
  • Green Spartan Serpentine
  • Ancient Grey

Sculptural Program

• Original complement: At least 40-50 statues
• Surviving elements: 150 fragments and 7 almost completely reconstructed statues
• Thematic content:
  • Divinities linked to theatre (satyrs, maenads, muses)
  • Imperial family portraits of the Antonine age
  • Loricate statues of Hadrian
  • Possible statue of Trajan
  • Female statues of Matidia Maggiore and Sabina
  • Unique two-colored statue of Matidia Minor (Bigio Morato marble from Asia Minor for the chiton, white Greek insular marble for flesh)
• Manufacturing: All made in Greek marble by Roman workshops

Basilicas (large rectangular halls flanking Roman theatre stages)

In Roman theatre architecture, basilicas were substantial rectangular halls positioned on either side of the stage building, serving multiple functions including audience circulation, administrative purposes, and sometimes housing additional decorative programs or amenities.

• Smaller basilica: Characterized by series of niches housing statuary cycle probably dedicated to Apollo and the Satyrs
• Larger basilica: Vast room covered with cross vaults, decorated with stucco and polychrome marble, featuring monumental three-apse nymphaeum fountain served by the Matidia aqueduct
• Nymphaeum sculpture: Fragments of marine Venus, male character in heroic nudity, and statue representing personification of the Nile River

Access and Circulation

• Entrances, exits, and vomitoria: Two spectacular stairway ramps providing access to lower theatre areas
• Velarium support: Corbels supporting velarium posts housed in annular corridor upstream of summa stairway
• Porticus post scaenam: Vast gallery (70 meters long) providing access to monumental public latrine and sacellum of the genius theatri with magnificently painted representation

Current Status

Excellent preservation with cavea reconstructed to full capacity and masonry preserved to 20 meters height. Scaenae frons architectural elements recovered and partially reconstructed. Adjacent cryptoporticus preserves original stucco decorations with painted inscriptions.

Conservation Efforts

The site operates under the Italian Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code protection, managed by the Soprintendenza as a site of national archaeological importance. Conservation employs specialized pozzolanic mortars and lime-based techniques avoiding Portland cement. Environmental monitoring systems enable ongoing preservation assessment.

Ancient Renovation History

• c. 30 BCE: Initial construction during Augustan period using opus reticulatum with tufa blocks
• First half of 2nd century CE: Complete reconstruction funded by Matidia Minor, transforming the building into its preserved form
• Late 1st/early 2nd century CE: Additional restorations and modifications

Architectural Modifications

The Antonine renovation transformed the theatre from a standard provincial monument into an elaborate showcase of imperial architecture, incorporating the most advanced marble working techniques and sophisticated decorative programs rivaling contemporary Roman examples. The reconstruction created an integrated architectural complex combining theatrical function with imperial cult worship and public amenities.

Major Excavation Campaigns

1920s Campaign

• Directors: Amedeo Maiuri
• Institutions: Soprintendenza per la Campania
• Countries: Italy
• Scope: Initial systematic excavation interrupted by World War II

1995-2005 Campaign

• Directors: Sergio Cascella (principal excavator), with collaboration from Patrice Pensabene
• Institutions: Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le province di Caserta e Benevento
• Countries: Italy
• Scope: Comprehensive systematic excavation and restoration bringing to light the entire building and adjacent areas, employing advanced documentation techniques

Excavation History (Chronological Order)

• 1920s: Amedeo Maiuri initiates systematic excavation
• 1940s: Work suspended due to World War II
• 1995: Modern excavation and restoration campaign begins
• 1999-2006: Intensive systematic excavation period
• 2003: Major restoration completed
• 2005: Final excavation campaign concluded
• 2014: Cryptoporticus restoration completed

Modern Restorations

A partial restoration was achieved by 2005 following an intensive conservation campaign. Adjacent cryptoporticus restoration completed in 2014 using historically compatible pozzolanic and lime-based mortars. 3D scanning and digital modeling supported conservation planning and documentation.

Publication History

Primary documentation published by Sergio Cascella (2002-2009) establishing foundational scholarship. François Chausson’s epigraphic study (2008) analyzed Matidia Minor’s dedication. Diana E.E. Kleiner examined the composite marble statue techniques (Kleiner 2015). Recent comprehensive volume by Cascella and Ruggi d’Aragona covers urban structure and monument integration (Cascella 2009).

Bibliography / Resources:

Cascella, Sergio. Memorie Suessane di Matidia: Suessa, Città e Territorio dagli Aurunci all’Età Romana. Soprintendenza ai Beni Archeologici di Salerno, Avellino, Benevento e Caserta, 2009.

Cascella, Sergio. “Il Genius Theatri di Sessa Aurunca.” Academia.edu, 2020.

Chausson, François. “Matidia Minor et la Bibliotheca Matidiana: Nouvelles Recherches sur l’Épigraphie de Suessa Aurunca.” Mélanges de l’École française de Rome, 2008.

Kleiner, Diana E.E. “Women in Action: A Statue of Matidia Minor and Its Contexts.” American Journal of Archaeology 119.2 (2015): 213-243.

Pensabene, Patrice. “Marble Architectural Decoration in Roman Theatres.” Journal of Roman Archaeology, 2010.

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

Termeer, Marleen K. “Colonial Coinage and Identity in the Roman Republic: The Case of Suessa Aurunca.” Journal of Roman Studies, 2016.

Cultural Heritage Online. “Roman Theater and Cryptoporticus of Sessa Aurunca.” https://www.culturalheritageonline.com/location-60_Teatro-Romano-e-Criptoportico-di-Sessa-Aurunca.php

Italian Ministry of Culture. “Antiquarium e Teatro romano di Sessa Aurunca.” https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/antiquarium-e-teatro-romano-di-sessa-aurunca

Archaeological site signage, Sessa Aurunca, 2023. (Translation from Italian)