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Origin and history

The ancient Lugdunum theatre, located on the hill of Fourvière in Lyon 5th, is one of the oldest Roman theatres in Gaul, probably built around 15 BC under Augustus. Behind the hillside, it was originally designed for 5,700 spectators before being enlarged in the 1st or 2nd century to reach 10,000 seats, becoming the second largest theatre in Gaul after that of Autun. Its semi-circle stands, its marble orchestra and its stage wall adorned with niches followed Roman architectural cannons, with imported materials (marms of Italy, Choins du Bugey stone).

Abandoned at the end of the Roman Empire, the theatre was transformed into a career in the Middle Ages, its stones reused to build the Saint John Cathedral or the bridges of the Saône. Enveloped under rubble and terraced cultures, he fell into oblivion until his fortuitous rediscovery in 1887 by Professor Lafon, who first thought to identify the amphitheatre of the martyrs of Lyon. The systematic excavations, launched in 1933 under the impulse of Mayor Édouard Herriot, revealed its true use and allowed its partial restoration, with archaeological methods then rudimentary (no stratigraphy).

The theatre was a place of varied performances, including competitions under Caligula (37–41 A.D.) and pantomimes accessible to provincial populations not mastering Latin. Its decline in the fourth century coincided with the rise of Christianity, which condemned these representations considered idolatrous. The remains, classified as Historical Monument as early as 1905, were completely cleared and consolidated between 1933 and 1946. Today, the site — integrated into the Fourvière Archaeological Park with the Odeon and Gallo-Roman Museum — hosts the Fourvière Nights, a summer festival, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

The architecture of the theatre follows a classical Roman plan: a cellara (gradins) in three levels supported by radiant vaults, an orchestra dalled with polychrome marbles reserved for notables, and a stage wall (scaenae frons) with three monumental doors. The materials, analysed by archaeologists, come from various regions: local granite for the bases, limestone from Bugey or Provence for the coatings, and marble imported from Italy or Greece for the decorations. The mechanism of the stage curtain, reconstituted with limestone cassettes, is exhibited at the nearby museum.

Controversies over its dating persist. If Amable Audin proposed a construction under Augustus (c. 15 BC) and an expansion under Hadrian (II century), these assumptions were questioned by Armand Desbat and Jean-Claude Golvin, who point to the absence of stratigraphic evidence. The excavations of the 1960s revealed a rear esplanade bordered by portals, with traces of basins and sewers, but without permanently resolving the chronology. The site, owned by the city of Lyon, is today a symbol of the ancient Lugdunum, attracting researchers and tourists for its exceptional state of conservation.

The rediscovery of theatre takes place in a context of local scholarship and heritage policies. In the 19th century, the emerging remains were interpreted as the amphitheatre of the Christian martyrs of 177 A.D., a theory reversed by the excavations of 1933. The construction site, employing up to 120 workers, was also a social project under the Popular Front, offering jobs to unemployed people. The methods of the era — bonuses for found objects, lack of stratigraphy — today limit interpretations, but the site remains a key milestone in understanding Roman urbanization in Gaul.

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