Roman Theater of Cadiz - Andalusia

The Roman Theater of Cádiz (Theatrum Balbi) was discovered in 1980 during archaeological excavations aimed at locating the villa's castle. Until then, only some of the interior galleries could be seen without identifying which building they belonged to.

The theater was abandoned in the third century . The Muslims built a citadel on the ruins . In the 13th century, King Alfonso X El Sabio retook the city and expanded the Islamic fort, giving rise to the medieval Castle or Castillo de la Villa . Today there are buildings that overlap the theater

It is the second largest theater in Roman Hispania , surpassing that in Cordoba by a few meters. The diameter of the Cavea of the Roman Theater in Cadiz is 118 meters and its capacity would be about ten thousand spectators , enough if we consider that the population would be about fifty thousand inhabitants.
It is the oldest known theater on the peninsula to date.
It is one of the few public buildings in Roman Hispania to which important figures such as Cicero or the Greek historian Strabo refer in their works.

It currently has an Interpretation Center accessible from Carrer Mesón, 11-13 (Barri del Pópulo), where you can observe different parts of the theater through glass-covered fountains dug in the ground , such as the stage, the orchestra or the Proedria Grandstands. In addition, the center offers visitors the opportunity to see the theater's cavea through large windows and learn about its history through informative plaques, archaeological remains, and an audiovisual representation of what this building looked like.

See also the link to the YouTube video of a tour!

Willem Vandenameele