Teatro romano di Benevento

The monument was constructed between the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd century AD and is located in the western area of the ancient city.
The monument, with a diameter of approximately 98 metres, is constructed using opus caementicium with limestone and brick facings. The tiers of seating and the frons scenae were clad in marble, as were the aulae, the two large rooms that, via parodoi corridors, lead into the orchestra and which still display partial preservation of marble slabs and stuccoes.
The cavea, with a semicircular plan, is constructed on substructures and exhibits three orders. The orders are Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian. Of these, only the lower order has survived, comprising twenty-five arches on pillars with Tuscan half-columns.

The arches of the cavea, with a wide, finished cornice, featured configured reliefs as keystones. These were represented by busts in the lower order and, most probably, masks in the upper orders. Some of these masks were subsequently reused in buildings in the Old Town, where they can still be observed.
The cavea terminated in the upper section with a gallery that featured niches.