The
Romans loved a good theatre performance but for the longest time
would only show such performances in temporary theatres erected for
the purpose (i.e. for a specific festival) and then taken down. To
build a permanent place where theatrical performances would be,
well, extravagant and encourage riots and other un-Roman behaviour.
Indeed, in the last half of the second century B.C. a permanent
stone theatre was being erected but was pulled down on the order of
one of Rome's censors, basically out of fear of the effect if might
have on the Roman people. And so, a century later, when Gnaeus
Pompeius (Pompey) wanted to build a theatre right in the heart of
Rome, he had to employ a bit of strategic thinking in order to
prevent it from suffering the same fate. What Gnaeus Pompey did was
to erect a Temple to Venus Victrix at the top of seats so that the
seats could be passed off as the stairway leading to the temple. He
also built structures in honour of the divinities Honos et Virtus
(Honor and Virtue), and Felicitas (Happiness), although we're not
sure whether they would be altars, shrines, or even small temples.
What we can be sure of is that on August 12 all these divinities in
Pompeius' Marble Theatre would be honoured with rites of some sort.
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