The different levels of the cavea in the Roman Theatre at Bosra. Ima cavea in blue, media cavea in red and summa cavea in yellow.
The cavea (Latin for "enclosure") are the seating sections of Greek and Roman theatres and amphitheatres. In Roman theatres, the cavea is traditionally organised in three horizontal sections, corresponding to the social class of the spectators:[1]
the ima cavea is the lowest part of the cavea and the one directly surrounding the arena. It was usually reserved for the upper echelons of society.
the media cavea directly follows the ima cavea and was open to the general public, though mostly reserved for men.
the summa cavea is the highest section and was usually open to women and children.
Similarly, the front row was called the prima cavea and the last row was called the cavea ultima. The cavea was further divided vertically into cunei. A cuneus (Latin for "wedge"; plural, cunei) was a wedge-shaped division separated by the scalae or stairways.
Cavea also referred to the subterranean cells in which the wild beasts were confined prior to the combats in the Roman arena.[2]
^Roman Architecture
^Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cavea" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 579.
The cavea (Latin for "enclosure") are the seating sections of Greek and Roman theatres and amphitheatres. In Roman theatres, the cavea is traditionally...
three main parts: the cavea, the arena, and the vomitorium. The seating area is called the cavea (Latin for "enclosure"). The cavea is formed of concentric...
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rooms. La cavea Exterior, two of the three levels of restored arcades. Orchestra and cavea. Two levels of seating, the Ima Cavea and the Media Cavea. Third...
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access stairs. A pathway (diazoma) runs around the theatre halfway up the cavea, dividing it in two. On the walls there are inscriptions for each of the...
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18th century were portions of the seating closest to the orchestra, or the ima cavea. Piranesi specifically notes that four of the large doors (vomitoria) through...
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media, and summa cavea. These zones served to section off certain groups within the population. Of these three divisions, the summa cavea or 'the gallery'...
blocks, that it originally extended higher with a curved overhang. The cavea and seating have largely been lost due to the stripping of the monument...
century BC marked the site's peak. A striking fact is the construction of the cavea (Gr. koilo, auditorium) on an artificial hill surrounded by numerous retaining...
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basilica (aithrion) which was built into the eastern parados, while its cavea served as a stone quarry. The basilica was subsequently destroyed and by...
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