Roman Theatre of Cádiz

The Roman Theatre of Cádiz (Theatrum Balbi) is an ancient structure in Cádiz, Andalusia, in southern Spain. The remains (only partially excavated) were discovered in 1980. The theatre, which was likely built during the 1st century BC and was one of the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, was abandoned in the 4th century and, in the 13th century, a fortress was built on its ruins by order of King Alfonso X of Castile.

The theatre featured a cavea with a diameter of more than 120 meters, and could house some 10,000 spectators. The theatre was one of the few Roman structures of ancient Hispania mentioned by classical authors, including Cicero and Strabo. Excavations in the site started in 1980 and they have also found remains of a quarter dating to the taifa period, Almohad houses and 17th century pits.

Text adapted from “Roman Theatre (Cádiz)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Roman Theatre of Cádiz ranks #2,736 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #107 of the 600 mapped in Spain. Founded c. 50 BC, it is older than 99% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 10 atlas entries founded in the 1st century BC. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,318 times in the last 60 days, more than 56% of the atlas. 11 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cádiz, 1 km away. It is one of the 125 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Andalusia. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

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