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Origin and history

The ancient theatre of Marseille, located in the district of the Town Hall, is a building of performances built in the Augustan period (between 14 B.C. and 27 A.D.), although some sources evoke an older origin (IV-III B.C.). Its remains, very partial, are buried under the Old Port College and classified as historical monuments since 1966. The theatre adopts an architectural style close to the Greek theatres, with an almost perfect half circle cellara and 19.5 m wide orchestra.

Backed by the St. Lawrence hill, the theatre enjoys an east-southeast orientation, in line with Vitruve's recommendations. Its stands, carved from the marnous substrate, were covered with pink limestone slabs extracted from the quarries of La Coronne (Martigues). No mortar-related masonry was found, and the seats served both as a seat and footrest for spectators.

The excavations, carried out between 1945 and 2005, revealed elements of the cellara and the orchestra, allowing to reconstruct a global architectural pattern. The stage building, narrower than the cellara (54 to 66 m wide), suggests a marked Greek influence, rare in Western theatres of the High Roman Empire. The remains indicate an abandonment of the site between the fourth and fifth centuries.

The first discoveries took place in 1945, during the reconstruction of the Old Port district, destroyed in 1943. Subsequent studies (1961-1964, 2000, 2005) refined dating and confirmed the use of pink limestone for all structures. The theatre, owned by the commune, remains partially accessible, although its remains are mostly buried.

Its hybrid architecture, combining Greek features (cavea divided into five cunea, lack of a podium wall) and Roman techniques, makes it a unique monument in Gaul. The multicolored marble slab and the slope of the steps (25°) reflect a design adapted to the local topography. The site illustrates the cultural importance of Massalia (Antique Marseille), Greek colony and then Roman city.

Ranked a historic monument on November 3, 1966, the ancient theatre bears witness to the Mediterranean architectural heritage. Its fragmentary state and burial limit its accessibility, but continuous excavations enrich the knowledge of its role in the public and artistic life of the ancient city.

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