Théâtre Roman of Lillebonne

Conception et réalisation :Département de la Seine-Maritime /Direction de la Communication et de l'Information www.theatrelillebonne.fr [email protected] ou 02 35 15 69 11 du lundi au vendredi. au lundi du 11 69 15 35 02 ou [email protected] Informations — Informations Rouen : N : Rouen . inv. 391 (A) 391 inv. o Museum of Antiquities, Antiquities, of Museum allowing the spectacle to last longer. last to spectacle the allowing Some breaks could happen during the fights fights the during happen could breaks Some (1841). 2 (1841). C. AD. C. 3 to rd nd , found in Lillebonne Lillebonne in found , missio possibility to ask to be spared. be to ask to possibility gladiator begging for his his for begging gladiator Statuette of a Thracian Thracian a of Statuette for his missio, which means that he had the the had he that means which missio, his for the fight was called ad digitum -, and beg beg and -, digitum ad called was fight the raise his hand or a finger - the duration of of duration the - finger a or hand his raise The gladiator who was losing the fight could could fight the losing was who gladiator The exhaustion, wound or death. or wound exhaustion, (arbitrator), and ended with one of the fighters’ fighters’ the of one with ended and (arbitrator), the by equipment the of verification the rudis — guide Visitor’s ■ E NN OF LILLEBO OF and an with started always fights These ave “fighters with a sword”). a with “fighters (lat. fights gladiatores some gladiator gladiator some munera : the afternoon, the In mimicked some executions. some mimicked disguised, and played some comic parts or or parts comic some played and disguised, N MA RO ÉÂTRE TH were actors the entr’actes, these During spectators, like today’s first part of shows. shows. of part first today’s like spectators, studies. games consisted in distracting the the distracting in consisted games the site is still being still is site the : 2007-today • various various ludi meridianii ludi : the midday, At other intermittently. other restoration works succeeded each each succeeded works restoration most appreciated. most some excavations and and excavations some 1906-1974 : : 1906-1974 • and exotic beasts were undoubtedly the the undoubtedly were beasts exotic and Century. half of the 19 the of half Performances including the most dangerous dangerous most the including Performances th The site was abandoned in the second second the in abandoned was site The (rabbits, boars, bulls, etc.) were found. found. were etc.) bulls, boars, (rabbits, etc.) and to some more common species species common more some to and etc.) historical monument. historical (lions, panthers, giraffes, rhinoceroses, rhinoceroses, giraffes, panthers, (lions, the theatre was classified as a a as classified was theatre the • 1840 : 1840 Some references to some exotic animals animals exotic some to references Some to ensure its study and its protection. its and study its ensure to the natural environment of the animals. animals. the of environment natural the of Seine-Maritime) purchased the site site the purchased Seine-Maritime) of then hunted. A decor would often recall recall often would decor A hunted. then Seine-Inférieure (former Department Department (former Seine-Inférieure the wild animals were released in the arena, arena, the in released were animals wild the The General Council of the the of Council General The 1818 : : 1818 • In the morning, the hunts or venationes : venationes or hunts the morning, the In Gaillard and finally by Achille Deville. Achille by finally and Gaillard François Rever, then by Emmanuel Emmanuel by then Rever, François spectacles was based on the time of the day the of time the on based was spectacles during the excavations directed by by directed excavations the during In the arena, the program of several several of program the arena, the In the ruins were cleared cleared were ruins the 1812-1841 : : 1812-1841 • : SPECTACLES THE property. the site was sold as a national national a as sold was site the 792 : 792 1 • times, facing some barbarian incursions. barbarian some facing times, the site. the a fortress, more useful in those troubled troubled those in useful more fortress, a identified identified the Comte de Caylus de Comte 764 : 764 1 • limestone blocks. Then, it was turned into into turned was it Then, blocks. limestone All exits were nailed up with large cut cut large with up nailed were exits All but it was studied only in the 19th Century. 19th the in only studied was it but Century AD. AD. Century spectacle venue c. the late 3 late the c. venue spectacle Ages and the 18th Century allude to the site, site, the to allude Century 18th the and Ages rd The monument lost its purpose as a a as purpose its lost monument The Many documents dated between the Middle Middle the between dated documents Many THE VESTIGES : VESTIGES THE THEATRE THE OF END THE EDITORIAL JULIOBONA, DESCRIPTION OF THE EDIFICE CAPITAL OF THE CALETES The antique theatre of Lillebonne is the THE HEMICYCLE, CAVEA vastest and the best preserved spectacle The first part of the hemicycle with benches, BIENS building in Northern France. Its architecture Carte des civitates (tribus romaines) cavea, leans against the natural slope underwent several changes in the course of Briga of the hill. As a local symbol of Eu (Le bois l’abbé) history. It is composed with : Roman Antiquity, CÈTES The upper part was built with walls and • a surrounding gallery managing all the Roman theatre of Alauna Juliobonna BELLOVAQUES embankments on top of the hill Valognes Lillebonne entrances and exits as well as the Lillebonne is famous LLES UNE Rotomagus Rouen internal circulation The second part of the cavea was made, like for its archaeological VÉLIOCASSES Augustodorum the arena, on the flat area. It is exclusively Bayeux LEXOVIENS • the hemicycle of the cavea (the whole excavations and some Noviomagus Seine Aregenua Lisieux supported by the masonries and the important restoration BAJOCASSES Vieux-la-Romaine benches for the spectators); Mediolanum - Aulercorum VIDUCASSES Evreux embankments. works the Department LERQUES Gisacum • an arena, Le Vieil-Evreux of Seine-Maritime have BRIC EBUROVIQUES NTES • a scene house (Scaena frons) still Possibly, the original walls were several been running since 2007, Ingena Avranches unearthed, underneath the departmental metres higher than today’s remains of allowing today the public road and Place Félix Faure. the cavea ; these remains are still 19m to access this prestigious overhanging the ground of the arena. The site. Lillebonne, situated near the mouth of the River Seine, in DIMENSIONS monument was complemented by a porticus Normandy, succeeded the Roman town of Juliobona. in summa cavea which covered the ring- As a witness of a period shaped corridor. when Juliobona was Juliobona, built in honour of Julius Caesar, was the capital the nerve centre of of the civitas (tribe) of the Caletes. commercial trading THE SCENE HOUSE After the pacification of Gaul by the Romans, the Caleti The scene house was installed northwards to and cultural exchanges (Caletes) chose to implant their capital Juliobona on a benefit greatly from the natural light. between Britannia strategic communication nexus for trades with Britannia (Great-Britain) and the (Great-Britain), also on the River Seine with Central Gaul Localized underneath the departmental rest of Gaul, the theatre or Southerner populations, which was made easier by the road, it was never excavated, but some of its is still holding secrets town’s localization on the last river pass. elements were identified on several occasions. we need to uncover. The quality of the ancient ruins found in situ (among The fact that the arena and the stage One of our Department’s which the theatre) reflects the importance and prosperity coexisted allows one to think that the theatre missions is to give back of the town during the first three centuries AD. of Lillebonne housed the traditional scenic to this spectacle venue Its general dimensions are 106.56 m from games as well as the gladiator games and its former and prime East to West (360 Roman feet) and 88.8 m to the hunts (venationes) which were well purpose by playing host 94.70 m (300 to 320 Roman feet) from North appreciated by the Gallo-Roman spectators. to some cultural and to South. These measurements should be educational animations ; confirmed by the excavations of the scene also to show it some house. respect as an illustrious historical monument. The installation of the monument benefited Lillebonne’s mosaic, from an ideal topography, with a flat area preserved in the Museum of Antiquities, in Rouen northwards and in its centre, and by the Pascal MARTIN in the 19th Century, this Toupin hill southwards. Président du Département mosaic was discovered inside a villa in the forest The construction of the theatre adapted the de la Seine-Maritime near Lillebonne. natural slope of the hill to its needs. (photo Y. Deslandes) Early 20th-century representation of Horace in the Roman Theatre of Lillebonne . The decor used for the stage background illustrates the scene’s wall, frons scaena, which does not exist anymore in Lillebonne DO YOU SPEAK ROMAN? 4 7 8 CAVEA : the cavea was constituted with THE �RENA : as it was elliptically shaped THE VOMITORIA : the vomitoria were the THE SURROUNDING GALLERY : the the hemicycle of benches for the spectators. northwards and circular southwards, the side entrances of theatres and amphitheatres surrounding gallery or ring-shaped corridor It was divided into three parts or ou maeniana arena was restricted by the podium’s wall. allowing the public to access easily to the provided access to the various vomitoria (groups of benches) where the public would Its big axis was about 47.30 m (160 Roman benches and, more importantly, providing leading the spectators to the areas reserved be seated according to their social rank : feet) and the small axis about 35.50 m (120 thousands of spectators an easy way out for them.

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