Patrizio Pensabene boasts an extensive publication record on ancient Graeco-Roman buildings for spectacles, beginning with his 1972 article on the amphitheatre at Lecce.[1] As a specialist in capitals and marble, his interest has consistently centred on the architecture of the buildings under study, with a particular focus on their decorative elements.[2] In the book under review, he collaborates with Valerio Bruni, a former student. Together, they publish excavation data and material concerning both the theatre and the odeum of Venafrum, a prosperous town in central Italy that became a Roman colony in 14 BC.
The city’s trajectory over time is briefly outlined in the historical introduction, which constitutes the first chapter of the monograph. This chapter also addresses issues of topography and urban cults (particularly that of Magna Mater), as well as the question of private patrons of public works and buildings during the 1st century AD.
The second chapter is devoted to archaeological analysis of the theatre and the odeum, with a brief reference to the earliest excavations carried out by S. Aurigemma in 1972.[3] However, the two buildings remain only partially known, as work on them has been intermittent and restorations incomplete. They are topographically contiguous and are here examined together, as they form a unitary complex, the odeum being a later addition of the 2nd century AD. Their building phases are sometimes difficult to distinguish, as they may closely follow one another. Nonetheless, the authors succeed in reconstructing the structural development of the buildings and in identifying the changes they underwent over time. The theatre was built at the time of the triumvirate, it was then refurbished at the foundation of the Roman colony, and it was later rebuilt (in the area of the scene building) during the 2nd century AD. At that time—possibly under Hadrian or the Antonines—the odeum was added to the west of the theatre. Its architecture remains less known than that of the theatre due to the limited extent of excavations; essentially, only its external perimeter and some interior features are known. An accurate presentation and analysis of the surviving structures of both buildings provide readers with a clear overview of the status quaestionis.
The third chapter examines the architectural decoration of both buildings, with particular emphasis on the reconstruction of individual elements and their attribution to specific parts of the monuments. Marble slabs of various dimensions, uncovered during the excavations, are not considered in detail, as it would be extremely difficult assign them confidently to either the theatre or the odeum. Their presence, however, suggests the widespread use of marble, and it is possible that they originally formed part of the orchestra pavement in the theatre, given that many slabs were found in that area.
The fourth, very brief, chapter discusses two large, standing male statues discovered during the excavations of the last century, both belonging to the so-called type in ‘heroic’ nudity. They depict male individuals and were initially interpreted as portraits of Augustus and Tiberius, but are now correctly recognized as representations of two anonymous donors of the building. One of the statues (cat. nos. 194-195, for the statue’s body and head respectively) was restored in antiquity, when its original portrait head was replaced by a new, smaller, one—possibly at the time of the refurbishment of the scaenae frons.
The fifth chapter consists of a detailed catalogue of the finds, that is, both the architectural members and the sculptural decoration (other categories of material are neither examined nor mentioned).
The last chapter offers a lengthy discussion of the building phases of both structures. The first construction phase of the theatre (Augustan period), which has been identified in the ima and media cavea, as well as in the lateral entrances (aditus) and the retaining walls of the auditorium, is characterized by walls in opus reticulatum with the peculiar use, in certain parts of the structure (wall heads and arch archivolts), of small stone blocks. This technique is also seen in other theatrical buildings of the region (Cassino, Formia, Ostia and others). An accurate analysis of the building techniques used in the theatre leads the authors to conclude that the reticulatum masonry style belongs to a coherent phase dating to the early Julio-Claudian period. The scaenae frons, by contrast, is attributed to the mid-Augustan age on the base of the marble architectural elements. The architectural decoration of the Augustan phase is analysed in detail through the study of several Corinthian capitals, which show traces of reworking and have had their rear sides removed. The authors conclude that these capitals demonstrate the reuse of pre-finished marble architectural elements, which were brought to the site and subsequently adapted to the building. A comparison with marble cornices from the theatre indicates that the architectural decoration was not embedded into the rear wall of the scaenae frons but merely leaned against it, thus saving stone material for other parts of the structure.
The transformation of the theatre occurred in the Hadrianic or Antonine period, at the time of the construction of the adjacent odeum. It is also possible that the theatre was used for gladiatorial spectacles, as suggested by the discovery of a plaster fragment depicting a retiarius. The theatre was abandoned after the catastrophic earthquake of AD 346, which is attested by a destruction layer of architectural elements on the floor. The building suffered severe damage and some of the material was partially collected in nearby spaces, probably for reuse. This neighbourhood of the city was later occupied by private houses in the 5th and 6th centuries and ceramic kilns were installed at that time in the area of the scene building.
The Roman theatre of Venafrum is an example of canonical building for spectacles of the early Imperial period. Its architectural decoration, datable to the Augustan period, as well as the building techniques employed are carefully examined and contextualised. The odeum, by contrast, receives more limited treatment because of the scarcity of available data. The theatre underwent an interesting transformation in a later phase, when it was used for water spectacles (in the 3rd century AD or later). The relevant alteration works are visible in the western aditus, which was converted into a cistern to store water conveyed to the orchestra. However, the fact that the orchestra remains unexcavated prevents further analysis—although such investigation would be especially valuable for the study of aquatic displays.[4]
This monograph by Pensabene and Bruni is a successful reconstruction of the creation, use, and eventual abandonment of two buildings for spectacle in a city of central Italy during the first four centuries of the Empire. The book is also noteworthy for its integration of data from older excavations with the limited extant evidence from more recent, though still partial, interventions. Historical, archaeological, and architectural evidence is treated with care and the synthesis is compelling throughout. Particularly instructive are some reconstructions of the scene façade of the theatre, especially the one in which the surviving statues and architectural members are indicated on the drawing (pl. 39), corresponding to their catalogue numbers. Given the paucity of well-documented and exhaustive publications of Roman theatrical buildings, this volume is a valuable source for specialists. It not only explores the architectural features of both buildings, but also offers insights into broader urban dynamics—especially during the Augustan period, when a strong interest can be observed on the part of the emperor, his entourage, and local elites in reshaping urban space through the construction of public buildings and theatres in particular. This trend is visible from the building of the Theatre of Marcellus in Rome to numerous examples across Italy and the provinces, and the theatre at Venafrum is an eloquent example.
Notes
[1] P. Pensabene, “Un’officina greca per gli elementi decorativi architettonici dell’anfiteatro di Lecce,” Ricerche e studi 6, 1972, 9-39.
[2] See, for instance, his book on the theatre at Ferentum, published in 1989, or some articles about marbles and theatres (e.g., P. Pensabene, “Marmi e architettura nel teatro di Taormina,” in Un ponte fra l’Italia e la Grecia. Atti del simposio in onore di Antonino Di Vita, Ragusa 13-15 febbraio 1998, Padova : Bottega d’Erasmo – A. Ausilio 2000, 213-255; also “Marmi e committenza negli edifici di spettacolo in Campania,” Marmora 1, 2005, 69-143).
[3] Excavation trenches were also opened in the odeum in 1919, before the works in the nearby theatre.
[4] A. Berlan-Bajard, Les spectacles aquatiques romains, CEFR 360, Rome 2006. This book is not included in the monograph’s bibliography.