Roman Theater Mainz
The Roman Theater in the Rhineland-Palatinate state capital Mainz (Latin: Mogontiacum ) was uncovered at the end of the 1990s. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the Mainz Römisches Theater train station and, with a diameter of 116 m and a stage width of 42 m, was once the largest Roman stage theater north of the Alps . The theater offered space for around 10,000 visitors.
history
Roman Mainz owes its importance to its convenient location at the confluence of the Main and the Rhine . From here, the nearby border of the Roman Empire , the Limes , could be defended very well and campaigns against the Teutons could be organized from here . Therefore, around 13/12 BC A two legion camp was founded in the 3rd century BC , which existed until after 350.
Over time, a civilian settlement ( Latin: vicus ) with urban character developed around this camp , which became the capital ( Latin: caput provinciae ) of the newly established province of Germania superior from around 80 AD . A Roman theater was built in this city, probably in close connection with the solemn play of the dead in honor of Drusus . At the memorial for Drusus (see also Drususstein ), which is only 340 m away, the military parades ( decursio militum ) in honor of Drusus, mentioned as early as 19 AD, are likely to have been held. The Roman stage theater will have been used accordingly at the civil commemorations ( supplicatio ) of the representatives of the 60 Gallic regional authorities ( Galliarum civitates ) in honor of Drusus. Already 39 n. Chr. Mentioned Suetonius a theater in Mogontiacum. There was probably a wooden previous building in front of the stone theater, which is now being excavated.
As the largest stage theater north of the Alps, the theater offered space for around 10,000 visitors. The width of the auditorium was 116 m, that of the stage 42 m. With the reconstruction of the city wall in the middle of the 4th century, for which stone material from the theater was probably also used, the theater was outside the protected area and theater operations came to a standstill. Reusable stone material such as the stone blocks in the spectator tiers were gradually removed.
The massive brick vaults of the theater survived for several centuries. From the 6th century they were used as catacombs for burials from the surrounding monasteries (especially St. Nicomedes , a monastery that no longer exists today). Corresponding burials were found during the excavations carried out in recent years.
The Roman stage theater is mentioned for the last time in the 11th century. Gozwin writes in his Passio sancti Albani Martyris Moguntini : "Hoc etiam astruunt adhuc superstites theatri ruinae, quod Romano more ad ludos circenses et theatrica spectacula constructum est."
When the citadel of Mainz was built in the middle of the 17th century, the area was then completely leveled. The last visible remains of the masonry disappeared and the Roman stage theater was forgotten.
Rediscovery and excavation
It was not until the construction of the railway in 1884 that the foundations of the stage were found, which were measured but then demolished in order to lay the tracks and platforms of the south station. However, the remains of the wall were not associated with the long-sought theater. When the remains of the wall were found again in 1914 during canal works, the art historian Ernst Neeb recognized them as the remains of a Roman stage theater. A search excavation in 1916 confirmed his assumption, but due to the hardship of the First World War , no major excavations could be carried out. The remains of the wall were filled in again and were almost completely forgotten.
In 1998, after several years of planning, several remains of piers were made visible again in a first search cut. Extensive excavations of the building have been underway since 1999, made possible by donations and sponsorship help, also supported by volunteers from the Mainz population.
Use in modern times
The theater as well as the citadel and the surrounding area, including the adjoining Südbahnhof , which was renamed accordingly in December 2006, are to be further upgraded in the near future. There are also repeated considerations to expand the excavation area with a new traffic route to the citadel or to reconstruct parts of the theater.
As part of the privately financed international theater festival “TheaterTäume” with festival director Wolfgang Rademaker, the Roman Theater at Südbahnhof was used for the first time in modern times in 2004. In cooperation with the Archaeological Monument Preservation of Rhineland-Palatinate, the rows of seats in the Roman theater, originally made of stone, were reproduced in wood and offered space for around 500 visitors in the theater. On August 5, 2004, the play "Tablao" was staged by the dance theater "Increpacion Danza" from Barcelona in front of a sold out backdrop.
amphitheater
Mogontiacum almost certainly had an amphitheater as well. This has not yet been clearly localized; However, historical records and references from excavations point to the Zahlbach Valley near the Dalheim Monastery, which no longer exists, as the location. In the records of the Mainz monk Siegehard around 1100, there is talk of the ruins of a theater in the Zahlbachtal, which is said to have been built for gladiator and circus games.
In the ancient history of Mainz by Father Joseph Fuchs (in several volumes, published from 1771), Fuchs located the Mainz amphitheater at a different location, between today's city center and the Hechtsheimer Berg . There is a large semicircle on the bottom of which remains of strong pillars have been found. So far, however, archaeological evidence is pending in both cases. The existence of an amphitheater can only be inferred indirectly from evidence such as the dedication of gladiators.
literature
- Günter Walz: The history of the theater in Mainz. A look back at 2000 years of stage events Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2004, ISBN 978-3-8053-3333-7
- Armin and Renate Schmid: The Romans on the Rhine and Main . Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt 2006, ISBN 3-7973-0985-6
Web links
- www.theatrum.de - Project on ancient theaters, Roman Theater Mainz
- Direction Archeology Mainz - Roman Theater Mainz
- www.roemisches-mainz.de
- Roman stage theater. More information and pictures at Monumente Online
Individual evidence
- ^ Hans Jacobi: Mogontiacum. Roman Mainz. Regio Verlag Mainz, Mainz 1996, ISBN 3-00-001115-3 , pp. 348-349, 1235-1237
- ↑ after A. and R. Schmid, p. 221
- ↑ after A. and R. Schmid, p. 222
Coordinates: 49 ° 59 ′ 35 ″ N , 8 ° 16 ′ 40 ″ E