Museu do Teatro Romano, Lisbon

Museu do Teatro Romano, Lisbon

The Museu do Teatro Romano (Roman Theatre Museum) showcases the archeological remains of the adjacent Roman theatre that was built by Emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC in Felicitas Julia Olisipo, as Lisbon was known during the time.

The Museu do Teatro Romano (Roman Theatre Museum) showcases the archeological remains of the adjacent Roman theatre that was built by Emperor Augustus in the 1^st century BC in Felicitas Julia Olisipo, as Lisbon was known during the time. It is on the way from downtown to St George’s Castle.

The theatre was expanded in 57 AD to a seating capacity of 5000, but plunged into disuse after the fall of the Roman Empire in 480 AD. It became buried underground over the ages, and was rediscovered during the 18^th century redevelopment of Lisbon post the devastating earthquake.

The museum is housed in a 17^th century building and traces the evolution of the area, from the Chapter of the Cathedral to the Theatre of Aljube and later a luggage factory. The exhibition displays several pieces of the monument including columns, pediments, entablature, bases, capitals, a marble statue of a drunken Silenus, and inscription dedicating the theatre to Nero. Learn more about life in Lisbon during the Roman times here.