APPUNTI PER UNA RILETTURA CRITICA DEL TEATRO DI TINDARI

This paper presents a critical
reassessment of the Theatre of Tyndaris based on the systematic re-examination of archaeological,
archival, graphic, and photographic documentation dating from the late eighteenth to
the twentieth century. Although the monument has long been the subject of scholarly attention,
several aspects concerning its architectural development, construction phases, and later transformations
remain unresolved, largely as a result of excavation practices, restorations, and material
rearrangements that have altered both the physical evidence and its scholarly transmission. The
study integrates a comprehensive reading of stratigraphies across the entire monument with the
analytical review of unpublished archival sources, allowing for a more nuanced reconstruction
of the building sequence and a clearer distinction between ancient structures and the outcomes
of modern interventions. Particular attention is devoted to the cavea and its retaining systems,
the transformation of the orchestra into an arena, and the long-debated relationship between the
stage building, the analemmata, and the lateral access systems. The results contribute to refining
the relative chronology of the monument and to reopening the discussion on its original layout,
proposing new interpretative frameworks for understanding the architectural logic and functional
evolution of the Theatre of Tindari.