Discover Theatre of Marcellus

Last updated on October 3, 2026

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali — The Sovrintendenza Capitolina gives the Theatre of Marcellus a diameter of 130 metres and a capacity calculated at 15,000 seats, expandable to 20,000 if necessary — figures that differ from Wikipedia's 111 metres and 17,580 (October 2026).
Checked against Wikipedia — Wikipedia gives the Theatre of Marcellus a diameter of 111 metres and records a 4th-century catalogue figure of 17,580 persons, with an original capacity of between 11,000 and 20,000 spectators — against the Sovrintendenza Capitolina's 130 metres and 15,000, Wikipedia describes the facade of the Theatre of Marcellus as Doric at the base and Ionic in the middle, with Corinthian columns likely used above, the upper order being uncertain because of the medieval reconstruction, Wikipedia states that in the 16th century the Orsini family commissioned the architect Baldassare Peruzzi to design a residence built atop the ruins of the Theatre of Marcellus, Wikipedia states that by the 19th century the rise in street level at the Theatre of Marcellus meant almost half the ground floor was below it, and that the upper floors were subsequently divided into clubs with the surrounding area used as a venue for summer concerts (October 2026).

Architecture