Exploring the acoustics of ancient open-air theatres

The theatres of Antiquity, Greek and Roman, constitute public buildings of the utmost importance inthe history of Western culture and in universal cultural heritage. Many of these spaces are being used fortheir original function with or without only minor adaptations. If they are well preserved and/or restored,these performance buildings attract large audiences to representations of classical and contemporary plays,thereby serving the purpose for which they were built in the Ancient Age. These theatres bear witnessto the existing relationship between architectural work, visual and acoustic experience, and dramatic art.Although the majority are located in the Mediterranean region, these structures were also built in themajor cities of the ancient world in Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, and beyond. This paper aimsto summarise and critically review research published in the literature regarding their acoustic aspects,with particular emphasis on Roman theatres. These pieces of research emphasize the importance of thediffraction of sound in the tiers of thecaveaand the good intelligibility for speech of the Greco-Romantheatre.