The ancient theater of Herculaneum was built circa 1st century AD during the reign of Augustus. It was built in the standard Roman fashion of the time — with three cavea (seating sections) corresponding to various social classes of the time. It had a seating capacity of approximately 2500 people, and was smaller in size compared to Pompeii’s theater. Although it was damaged in the earthquake of 62 AD, restoration efforts were made in its wake.
The discovery of Herculaneum as a lost civilization was made possible through a chance encounter with this buried ancient theater. Who stumbled upon the theater? What developments did this random discovery set in motion? Here are all your questions answered about the ancient Herculaneum theater, its discovery, use and present-day existence.
In 1709, Abrogio Nocerino, a farmer, was digging a well near the town of present-day Ercolano, when his ax struck something strange: a block of marble. Nocerino sold it to a man who was working for Prince d’Elbeuf, who was an Austrian army commander in Naples. Prince d’Elbeuf was determined to dig deeper to find more such treasures to decorate his home in nearby Portici.
Excavations ordered by Prince d’Elbeuf were motivated by greed and not genuine curiosity; over the next few years, the theater was systematically plundered and looted of its busts, friezes, columns and more.
It was not until Karl Weber, under Charles Bourbon, King of Spain that slightly more organized excavations of Herculaneum began. Even then, personal gain trumped academic interest — with the Bourbon residence showcasing many of the theater’s treasures.
No, the theater is not a public entertainment space. Large parts of it are still unexplored due to the density of the volcanic rock covering it. The little we can see of the theater today is only for guided visits and scientific study.
When bits of marble were accidentally discovered in the theater, royal families like Prince d’Elbeuf and later, King Charles of Bourbon had vested interests in the excavation. They wanted to fill their homes with the rich marble statues, busts, columns and stones from the theater, not really caring about the deeper significance of this find.
Once scientists and archeologists understood that there is likely an entire town buried beneath the neighboring areas of Portici and Ercolano, they approached excavation efforts with more care. Under Amadeo Maiuri in the 20th century, Herculaneum’s reclamation efforts were more scientific and sensitized to the ecology and geology of the region.
Excavation of the theater was initially approached carelessly and unscientifically, since the main motive was only to retrieve treasures. There were vertical tunnels drilled into the theater that destroyed many important frescoes and theater elements. It was only by the 19th century that efforts to drill laterally were introduced to preserve the ruins and disturb them as little as possible.
You can enter the theater today through a building on Via Mare. However, the theater is not formally open to the public yet — though sometime this year, the Ministry of Culture plans to permit small-group tours on an experimental basis.
Entradas sin colas a Herculano
Herculano: tour guiado con un arqueólogo sin colas
Entrada sin colas a Herculano con audioguía oficial
Combo (Ahorra un 5%): entradas Pompeya + Herculano
