Roman Theatre and Archaeological Museum Historical Timeline

Origins

The theatre was built in the late first century BC, in the Augustan period, on the slope of the hill across the river from the Roman town -- using the gradient to carry the tiers, as Greek and Roman theatres did.

Turning points

It fell out of use in late antiquity, was quarried for stone, and then simply disappeared under the city: houses, churches and gardens were built over and into it, and by the Middle Ages its existence was a matter of scholarship rather than sight.

Influential people

From the 1830s a Veronese merchant, Andrea Monga, bought up the properties covering the site and demolished them at his own expense to excavate what lay beneath. The theatre exists as a visitable ruin because one private individual decided it should.

Cultural evolution

The excavated site passed to the city, and the convent of San Girolamo above the cavea was converted into the Archaeological Museum.

Present-day significance

Since 1948 the theatre has hosted the Estate Teatrale Veronese, a summer season of drama and dance with a strong Shakespeare strand -- so a building designed for plays is used for plays again.