Theater of Santiponce (Italica), at Santiponce, Seville.   Hypothetical plan of the Theater of Italica   Today, it is included into the urban center of Santiponce, since it was built on the old Roman city, the vetus urbs. Construction began at the age of Augustus Emperor -from year 30 to 37-. Later, it was modified -years 60 and 80-. Finally, Adrianus decorated it in a rich way.   It has been recently discovered: at 1937, since it was hidden by a house of Santiponce village built on it. Excavation began at 1.970.   Theater follows basic directions for this kind of Roman buildings: it is placed to the East, at an area of public buildings on the slope of Saint Anthony hill in order to fit the rows on it. It could keep up to 3.000 spectators.   Building of structure is traditional: concrete at its beginning; then restored with brick. It was totally decorated and covered by white or vein marble or elements or first quality with bronze inscriptions, fountains, statues…   Its cavea is almost semicircular: 77,70 m. diameter: It defines an orchestra being 26 m. diameter. Division is given by a paved praecintium of coloured marble and a little semicircular wall. Close to the orchestra are the rows of poedria, reserved to the great proceres from Roman society.   Exterior façade of rows were austere and single, built with opus quadratum and stone ashlars.

The frons pulpiti is composed by three exedrae with fountains. It supports the scaenae Frons that is 49 m. long, with four rectangular furnaces. There, many doors are open: the central one valva regia and laterals valva hospitalarium. On rectangles formed by furnaces there were two orders of columns with capitals that composed the whole scene façade -scaenae Frons-.   Theater of Italica Scaenae Frons from Theatre of Italica   The exterior part, behind the scaenae Frons –Porticus Post Scaenam-, limited with a closed patio. There, a Temple devoted to Isis was built. Then the whole area became a Public Comitium.