The construction of the Theatre

For a long time the Romans made do with theatres built from wood that could be taken apart, where only the first few rows of the audience could sit down. The construction of permanent theatres was banned as the Senate wanted to prevent entertainment from distracting the people from their religious and civic duties. It was only in 55 BC that Pompey had the first stone theatre built in Rome. A few decades later under the reign of Augustus, the Theatre of Orange was constructed. Along with the theatre in Arlès, it was one of the first great public buildings built in the Narbonensis province in the early days of the Empire.

Like the Greeks before them, the Romans looked to take advantage of an existing hillside which they hollowed out to build the terraces against it. Only in Rome and a few other cities were theatres were built on flat ground, with high, thick walls and deep foundations needed to bear the weight of the terraces. Here, they were built against Saint-Eutrope hill.