- Pompey’s Stone Theatre was the first stone theatre to be built in Rome and was completed by Pompey in 55 BCE. No ruins are visible today. It was the site of the most famous Assassination in history.
- The Theatre was semi-circular in design, with gardens laid out behind and a Curia for the Senate to conduct meetings, in addition to the various temples they used.
Getting There
- Location: Via di Grotta Pinta. Although no vestiges remain, this semi-circular street marks the outline of the theatre.
Largo di Torre Argentina
- Largo di Torre Argentina is a square in the Campus Martius in Rome which holds the Ruins of four Republican Temples (3rd-1st century BCE) and part of Pompey’s Stone Theatre.
Assassination of Julius Caesar
- Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Curia of the Theatre of Pompey in 44 BCE on the Ides of March (15 March).
- The group of Assassins were led by Marcus Junius Brutus.
- Because the Theatre of Pompey was outside the Pomerium, the conspirators could not be charged with sacrilege for carrying weapons inside the sacred city.
- The Roman Senate was meeting here temporarily, while the new Curia Julia was being built.
Photo and map: The modern building follows the outline of Pompey’s Stone Theatre