Dougga - Theater

The Theater in Dougga, built into the hillside in the usual Roman fashion, was erected in A.D. 168/169 at the expense of a wealthy citizen of the town. It has a diameter of 120m/395ft. The three tiers of seating in the semicircular cavea, with 19 rows in each, rise to a height of 15m/50ft, with an arched corridor running round the top, and could accommodate 3,500 spectators. At the foot of the cavea were seats for guests of honor. A low wall, the pulpitum, with numerous niches for marble statues separated the auditorium from the stage. The fine view into the valley, over the whole area of the ancient city and down to the Numidian mausoleum, which present-day visitors enjoy from the top rows of seating was originally closed off by a high stage wall, now represented only by a few columns; originally it consisted of three superimposed rows of columns with a flight of steps in front of them. The theater was used for performances of comedies and pantomimes. A doorway on the stage leads into a hall with Corinthian columns, the foyer of the theater. Here there is an inscription naming the generous founder of the theater and describing its amenities. In the basement of the stage building were property stores and other store-rooms. Above the theater, to the north, are the Temple of Saturn (the columns of which are a landmark visible from the access road), the Victoria Church and a pagan cemetery.