La Documentazione dei Teatri Antichi del Mediterraneo. Le Attività del Progetto Athena a Mérida. [Edizione Italiana e Inglese] [Con CD-ROM]

Ancient theaters are in many ways one of the most extraordinary legacies that past civilizations have left us. No less extraordinary is how well this architectural type is distributed around the entire Mediterranean basin, or the number of theaters that regularly host performances and shows. Prospectively, the survival of ancient theaters will oscillate between these two extremes: on the one hand, a contemporary reuse that keeps their functions alive along with their cultural, social and even economic relevance, but in the medium to long run will lead to inevitable progressive decay; on the other hand, an uncompromising conservation that by eliminating all manmade pressures would indeed be effective in preserving the structure but would nevertheless condemn it to an inexorable death, culturally, socially and economically. All of these considerations, albeit with different levels of priority and different needs, make it clear that the problem must be addressed as a whole, chiefly through the design, testing and concrete application of innovative management tools capable of dealing case by case with the complex issues we have outlined. All the above mentioned issues do also represent the core of the Ancient Theaters Enhancement for New Actualities (ATHENA) Project, a Euromed initiative designed to bolster cooperation and ideas between Europe and Arab countries across the Mediterranean in the field of ancient theater development and their relationship with civil society institutions and communities. The ATHENA Project is supported and funded under the Euro-Med Heritage IV program by the European Commission and supervised by its Regional Monitoring and Support Unit (RMSU). The Project has pursued a number of goals, all focusing on developing a new and more up to date strategy for the documentation, conservation, valorization and compatible use of the Mediterranean basin's ancient theaters, starting from those located in the partner countries (Jordan, Italy, Spain, Tunisia and Algeria) and included in the UNESCO list. In this volume are presented the results of the documentation and analysis work carried out at the Spanish site in Mérida in cooperation with the Instituto de Arqueología de Mérida.