The rediscovery of Benevento Roman Theatre Acoustics

Abstract This study reports the acoustic history of the Benevento Roman theatre, from its origins in the Roman period to today. The theatre, built in the second century A.D., was abandoned following historical affairs – e.g. barbaric invasions – and natural events (earthquakes, floods, etc.). The building materials were used during the Langobardic Age for the construction of defensive walls and for the adornment of churches and buildings. During the following centuries some houses were built in the theatre. At the beginning of the 1900s, the dominating houses were demolished in order to bring to the light the buried parts of the theatre and to consolidate the structures. The recovery work ended only in 1950. The theatre is nowadays not only an ancient monument, but also the centre of important social activities with national and international festivals of music, dancing and drama. Using a software for architectural acoustic, and with a 3D theatre virtual model, we predicted the acoustic properties during the Imperial Age. With acoustic measurements carried out in situ , we evaluated the acoustic properties in the current state.