Dr. Tyler Lansford, University of Colorado at Boulder: The Theater of Pompey
Built in 55 BC, the Theater of Pompey was not only the first permanent theater in the city of Rome but also a monument to the glory of its builder – Julius Caesar’s bitterest rival, Pompey the Great. In a time of political and social unrest, the construction of a building in which thousands of people could assemble was controversial: Pompey thwarted resistance to the idea by locating his theater on private property and by crowning it with a temple so as to suggest that the monument was of a fundamentally religious character. With a seating capacity of 11,000, it remained a dominant feature of Rome’s urban landscape for at least six centuries. Explore with Dr. Lansford the architecture of the building, its role in the projection of Pompey’s public image, and its ultimate fate in the medieval and modern periods. Dr. Lansford is currently working on an illustrated book on the history of Rome through its Latin inscriptions.
This lecture is part of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) lecture series. It is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!
For information on the Archeological Institute of America (AIA) contact Steve Lekson at lekson@colorado.edu or 303-492-6671. For information on the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, to receive exhibit, talk, lecture, Family Day and workshop invitations and to sign up for regular museum updates visit: http://CUmuseum.Colorado.edu or call 303.492.6892.
posted by Classics Department
