Ostia Scavi - Theater

Along the Decumanus past the Baths in Ostia Scavi, we come to the Theater, originally built in the time of Augustus and enlarged under Septimius Severus, with seating for 2,700 spectators. From the highest tier of seating there is a good view of the excavations, particularly of the Piazzale delle Corporazioni immediately north of the theater, with the columns of the Temple of Ceres. Along the east side of this square are the offices (scholae) of the various shipping corporations trading with overseas ports, mainly in Africa. To the west of the theater is the House of Marcus Apuleius Marcellus (second-third centuries A.D.), with a peristyle and atrium of Pompeian type. Adjoining it on the north is a shrine of Mithras.