Three hundred years ago the theatre was the first building of the ancient Ercolano which was found during the digging of a well for gathering water. In 1710 the peasant Ambrogio Nocerino, digging out, came to the scene of this theatre, from which he removed marbles and statues. This date also marks the discovery of the ancient Herculaneum, destroyed by the Vesuvio’s eruption in 79 AD. Its systematics exploration started in 1738, beginning from the theatre, thanks to Charles of Bourbon’s will.
The theatre was built at the age of Augustus, we know the name of the architect who planned it: P. Numisius.
The building, one of best preserved theatres of the Roman civilization, was explored through tunnels during the Bourbon escavation, today it is also buried under a volcanic blanket, more than 20 metres thick, and over which some buildings were built.
It is constitued of an hemicycle which is more than 50 metres high, it is divided upright in three sectores (summa, media and ima cavea), where about 2500 people could find seats.
It was built completely by opera reticolata, with angular ammorsature of tufelli, while the stage was made of bricks and tiles.
The tiers of cavea was made of tufa, except the seats of honour in the down tiers, covered with white marble and ancient yellow, where the most eminent people of town had the right to sit.
The other zones of the theatre were richly decorated in the Pompeian fourth style, with frescoes and stuccoes which decorated also the outside of the building. The stage and the scene were covered with marbles which were almost all removed during the Bourbon explorations.
The scene was adorned with marble statues, while in the middle of the upper tiers, opposite the stage, there was a small temple, marble-covered, where a female bronze statue was placed. Some pairs of bronze horses, actual size, placed on high bases covered with marbles, made the decoration grand.
A colonnade arcade was placed back the theatre, where the audience could stay during the intervals of performances.