The Theatres of Roman Arcadia, Pausanias and the History of the Religion

Abstract

When studying Roman Greece, scholars often rely on the descriptions given by the ancient literary sources. Ancient sources, however, are very contradictory and sketch quite different images of the conditions of Arcadia during the imperial age. This paper examines different kinds of evidence: numismatic testimonia, various literary sources, epigraphical evidence, and archaeological data related to the history of Roman Arcadia. In particular, the archaeological evidence offered by the theatres of Roman Arcadia is emphasized. These monuments, in fact, have to be considered as one of the most revealing indicators of the economic, social and political conditions of a Roman city. The fact that several Arcadian centres certainly possessed a theatre must be, in its turn, combined with other kinds of evidence.