Il teatro romano di Aquileia: l’individuazione dell’edificio e lo scavo della cavea

The paper provides a preliminary report on the 2015-2017 excavations carried out by the Department of Cultural Heritage, Universita di Padova, in the area named Fondi ex Comelli-Moro, in Aquileia. The investigations led to the discovery of the theatre of the ancient city, whose approximate location had been previously conjectured by Luisa Bertacchi. Following archive research and geophysical prospections, the excavations focused on the area occupied by the cavea foundations, revealing their overall dimensions (width of about 95 m) and architectural layout: the summa and media cavea were supported by series of radial walls, while the ima cavea was made of one single, bulky concrete casting. The excavation also provided insights on the area surrounding the theatre and on the activities which were carried out within the building once it ceased to be used for performances, particularly metalworking.