About this place
The Roman Theatre of Caesaraugusta is the largest and most impressive of Zaragoza's Roman remains. Built in the first century AD, in the reign of the emperor Tiberius, it was a magnificent semicircle modelled on the great theatre of Marcellus in Rome, capable of seating some six thousand spectators who came to watch comedies and tragedies. After the decline of Rome the theatre was abandoned, quarried for its stone, and gradually buried and built over, until the dense medieval and modern city covered it completely and its very existence was forgotten. It was rediscovered only in 1972, during building work, and after decades of careful excavation it is now the heart of a modern museum, its curved tiers of seating protected beneath a vast translucent canopy. Walking around it, you can still sense the scale and grandeur of Roman public entertainment.
Key facts
- 6000 spectators — Could be seated in the great theatre at the height of Roman Caesaraugusta
- 1972 year — The long-buried theatre was rediscovered during building work
- 1 century — The theatre was built in the first century AD under the emperor Tiberius
📍 Calle de Santo Dominguito de Val, 50001, Zaragoza