More Cartagena

Saturday/Sunday, Aug 16-17, 2014 –

bIMG_4341A must-do visit in Cartagena is the Roman Theatre Museum.  The Roman Theatre was built at the end of the 1st century BC when Rome was at the height of its power under the reign of Augustus, the man who defeated Anthony and Cleopatra in battle.  It was used for both entertainment and political events, although these were usually one in the same as the royal family would often provide free entertainment as a way to win favor with the common people.  The theatre would seat 6,000 people in three sections depending on social class. Almost 2,000 years elapsed between the final use of the theatre and its discovery in 1987 when city buildings were being demolished for renovation.  bIMG_4345The curators have done a masterful job of preserving what they could while sculpting new stone to fill in missing sections to give the visitor a better idea of what it once was.  The designers also needed to work around existing buildings that encroached on the theatre area.  From the street it is hard to believe that there could be a huge outdoor theatre tucked in between modern buildings.

 

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