Roman Theatre, Mainz

The Roman Theatre in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate was excavated in the late 1990s [1]. It is located immediately next to the Mainz Römisches Theater station and was once the largest Roman theatre north of the Alps, with a diameter of 116 metres, a stage-width of 42 metres, and a capacity of roughly ten thousand people [1]. From 9 BC, military parades were held in honour of Drusus at his cenotaph, the Drususstein, which was only 340 metres away from the theatre [1]. Foundations of the stage building were found in 1884 during the construction of the railway and were recorded before being demolished to make way for the tracks and platforms of the South Station [1]. In 1914, when further remains were discovered during the construction of a canal, the art historian Ernst Neeb identified the remains as part of a Roman theatre building [1]. An exploratory excavation in 1916 supported his case, but because of the First World War, no further excavations could be undertaken [1]. In 1998, after several years of planning, several pillars were uncovered as part of a first test trench [1].