Tyndaris (Modern Tindari, Sicily, Italy)

375 BCE

Cavea Width: 75 meters
Orchestra Width: 16 meters

Tyndaris Theatre; Tindari, Patti, Sicily, Italy (ancient Tyndaris); Greek theatre later converted to Roman arena; cavea diameter 76m; originally 35 rows in 11 cunei, with 30 rows surviving after Roman modifications removing first 5 rows; facing north-east; seating capacity not specified in sources; orchestra diameter 25m (arena conversion phase); constructed post-396 BCE during early Hellenistic period, with scene building dating between late 4th century BCE and c.100 BCE, converted to arena in late 2nd/early 3rd century CE; well-preserved lower sections with cavea substantially intact and scene building footings visible, though upper portions lost, currently accommodating modern theatrical performances and serving as part of broader archaeological park with site museum.

The Ancient Theater at Tyndaris (modern Tindari), Province of Messina, Sicily, Italy
Tyndaris Theatre Panoramas
Author: T. Hines, 2024

The ruins of ancient Tyndaris can be found on a spectacularly sited promontory, 180 meters above the bay of the Tyrrhenian Sea on the northern coast of Sicily. The city was founded in 396 BCE by the Greeks as a colony for exiles from Messenia, who had been forced out of the Peloponnese. With its location on a rock-face, high above the sea, Tyndaris was an almost impenetrable fortress. The site is 59 km from modern Messina (ancient Messana) and is bounded by the Punta di Milazzo on the east and the Capo Calavà on the west. Visitors to the site will find the excavated ruins of a Roman theatre, built upon the foundations of a Greek theatre dating back to the late 4th century BCE.

Historical Context

City History

Ancient Tyndaris or Tyndarion was founded as a Greek city, one of the latest in Sicily to claim a purely Greek origin, having been established by Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, in 396 or 395 BCE (Stillwell et al. 915). The original 600 settlers were the remains of the Messenian exiles, who had been driven from Naupactus, Zacynthus, and the Peloponnese by the Spartans after the close of the Peloponnesian War. Tyndaris was inhabited, controlled and modified by Roman forces after 254 BCE, but continued to flourish as a result of its strategic position and for its loyalty in the battles against Carthage.

Around 42 BCE, due to its strategic importance, Tyndaris became the stronghold of Sextus Pompey (67-35 BCE) in the war against Octavian (63 BCE-19 CE). But in 36 CE, it was conquered by Agrippa (63-12 CE), and at the end of the civil wars, the city was depopulated and impoverished. In 20-21 CE, the emperor repopulated it and gave it the name of “Colonia Augusta Tyndaritanorum” (Wilson, Sicily under the Roman Empire 125).

Although it has lost its autonomy, it was exempted from various taxes and experienced a second period of prosperity. It was then that the basilica, probably one of the most monumental works, was built. Around the first century CE, “Tyndaris” was hit by a landslide. From that time, the city began a period of decline and depopulation. The inhabitants were scattered in the surrounding countryside, and the town was abandoned; the public buildings went into disrepair, and their materials were reused to reinforce the new walls.

The town recovered gradually, although it never reached its ancient splendor. At the beginning of the Byzantine Empire, Tyndaris became a bishopric seat and around the 8th century the first shrine of the “Madonna Nera” (“Black Madonna”) was presumably built, on the ruins of the Temple of Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, at the top of the ancient acropolis.

In 835-836 the town was almost completely destroyed by the Arabs, and the inhabitants took refuge in the area where Patti was built in Norman times (11th century). With the transfer of the bishopric seat to Patti, the decline of Tyndaris continued, and it was now a village with just a few inhabitants. By the 19th century, the site of Tyndaris was wholly deserted, but the name was retained by a church, which crowned the most elevated point of the hill on which the city formerly stood, and was still called the Madonna di Tindaro.

Theatre History

The theatre was built by the early Hellenistic founders of the city after 396 BCE and later remodeled by the Romans after 254 BCE (Sear 194). Following the destruction of Tyndaris during the Arab conquest in 835-36 CE, the city and theatre were abandoned.

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: Tindari, Patti, Sicily, Italy
• Orientation: Facing north-east (Sear 194)

Cavea (seating area)

• Diameter: 76 meters (Sear 194)
• Estimated capacity: 3,000
• Seating divisions: Originally 35 rows of seats, with 30 rows surviving in 11 cunei (wedge-shaped sections); 5 rows at bottom cut away for Roman arena (Sear 194)
• Seat dimensions: 0.35 meters high × 0.704 meters deep (Sear 194)
• Construction materials: Built against a steep slope with analemmata (retaining walls) of cut stone
• Substructures: Central cavea built against natural slope; edges supported on earth fill buttressed by analemmata and curved outer wall (Sear 194)

Orchestra (performance space)

• Original dimensions: Diameter not specified for the Greek phase
• Arena modifications: Diameter 25 meters following Roman conversion (Sear 194)
• Shape and materials: Orchestra lowered 0.90 meters during Roman modifications (Sear 194)
• Special features: Five brick-lined slots in arena floor for temporary wooden staging; podium wall (height 2.50 meters, 3.52 meters including parapet) surrounded arena (Sear 194)

Pulpitum (stage)

• Dimensions: Stage completely destroyed; fragments suggest original height of 2.80-3.34 meters (Bernabò Brea 125)
• Construction details: Originally supported by a row of eight fluted Doric columns; later removed during arena conversion (Sear 194)

Scaenae Frons (decorative scene house front)

• Architectural order: Evidence of a two-story scene building with Doric order below (Bernabò Brea 130)
• Doorways and stories: Three doorways in scaenae frons; central regia (royal entrance) flanked by hospitalia (guest entrances) (Sear 194)
• Decorative elements: Fragments suggest use of large pediment; architectural details largely destroyed (Bernabò Brea 132)

Access and Circulation

• Entrances: Parodoi (side entrances) originally uncovered, later modified (Sear 194)
• Vomitoria: Multiple corridor entrances created below front rows during Roman arena conversion (Sear 194)
• Arena access: Three doorways into the arena corresponding to corridors in the scene building (Sear 194)

Preservation Condition

The theatre remains well-preserved in its lower sections, with the cavea (seating area) substantially intact and footings of the scene building visible. The upper portions of the structure have been lost, though sufficient architectural evidence remains for scholarly reconstruction of the original design phases (Sear 194).

Tyndaris (Tindari) today is an archaeological site featuring Roman habitations and baths, complete with stunning floor mosaics and a small but well-presented museum. Further on is the Basilica, a fine example of Graeco-Roman architecture built around a series of arches, and the well-preserved theatre. Each year, from late May until mid-June and from late July to late August, it is possible to see performances of Greek plays and other theatrical events.

A bus ferries visitors from a parking lot below to the top of the Acropolis, where the much-visited Santuario di Tindari sits. The shrine was founded in the 1960s to house the much-adored statue of the Black Madonna, which, according to legend, arrived here of its own accord over 1,000 years ago and has performed countless miracles since. To experience genuine religious fervor, visit the shrine on September 8th, the feast day of the Madonna.

Roman Imperial Remodel

Roman Imperial remodel of the theatre after 254 BCE adapted the Hellenistic orchestra for gladiatorial games:

• The orchestra was enlarged by removing the 5 lower front rows of seats and widening the space to 25 meters (Sear 194)
• The orchestra was lowered by 0.9 meters and a retaining wall built between the front row of seating and the arena (audience protection from blood sport activities) (Sear 194)
• A semi-circular, barrel-vaulted corridor was created below the front rows of seating that provided 3 entrances to the arena (left, center, and right) (Sear 194)
• The Hellenistic stage was removed and ground-level entrances to the arena were added to the scaenae frons (scene house front) (Sear 194)
• Five brick-lined slots in the arena floor were provided to accommodate supporting posts for temporary staging (Sear 194)

The end result of the Roman remodel was an almost circular arena surrounded by a wall some eight feet high. The audience sat safely above the action below and combatants and animals could enter the arena space through multiple openings in the retaining wall. For theatrical performances, a temporary stage could be quickly erected by placing support posts in the five brick-lined slots in the arena floor.

Tyndaris and Archaeology Research in Recent Centuries

The first research of the ancient monuments of Tyndaris began at the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon (Bernabò Brea 99). In the 20th century, the Tyndaris site was subjected to two excavation/restoration campaigns: 1938 (G. Cultrera), and After World War II (between 1960 and 1966) the first systematic excavations were conducted by Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier.

Major Excavation Campaigns

Giuseppe Cultrera Excavations (1938) Giuseppe Cultrera (1877-1968), serving as Superintendent of Eastern Sicily (1931-1941), conducted excavation and restoration campaigns at Tyndaris. Cultrera, who bridged the archaeological work between Paolo Orsi and Luigi Bernabò Brea, undertook significant excavations across Sicily during his tenure (Muscolino 167-180).

Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier Campaigns (1960-1966) The most systematic excavations were conducted by Luigi Bernabò Brea and Madeleine Cavalier between 1960 and 1966. Bernabò Brea, who concentrated his research on the Aeolian Islands and Messina province sites including Tyndaris, worked in close collaboration with Cavalier from 1951 onward. Their extensive restoration programs revealed the theatre ruins visible today (Bernabò Brea 99-144).

Publication History

Primary scholarly documentation includes Bernabò Brea’s comprehensive study “Tindari” published in Palladio (1967), supplemented by Sear’s architectural analysis in Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study (2006). Additional documentation appears in Wilson’s Sicily under the Roman Empire and various excavation reports from the mid-20th century campaigns (Wilson, Sicily under the Roman Empire 125-127).

Bibliography / Resources:

Tyndaris Theatre Panoramas

Bernabò Brea, Luigi. “Tindari.” Palladio, vol. 17, 1967, pp. 97-154.

Cultrera, Giuseppe. Archaeological Reports from Eastern Sicily. Soprintendenza Archeologica della Sicilia Orientale, 1931-1941.

Mitens, Klaus. Teatri Greci e Teatro Greco in Sicilia e nella Magna Grecia. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 1988.

Muscolino, Francesco. “Giuseppe Cultrera soprintendente in Sicilia: politica, scavi e restauri (1931-1941).” Archeologia e politica nella prima metà del XX secolo, Naus Editoria, 2017, pp. 167-180.

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

Stillwell, Richard, et al., editors. “Tyndaris.” The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, Princeton University Press, 1976, pp. 915-916.

von Gerkan, Armin. “Das Theater von Segesta und die griechischen Theater Siziliens.” Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, vol. 56, 1941, pp. 82-92.

Wilson, Roger J.A. “Roman Architecture in a Greek World: The Example of Sicily.” Journal of Roman Archaeology, Supplementary Series 62, 2007, pp. 68-89.

Wilson, Roger J.A. Sicily under the Roman Empire: The Archaeology of a Roman Province, 36 BC-AD 535. Aris & Phillips, 1990.