Le théâtre de Mandeure: relation et intégration au sanctuaire

Since the early days in the Greek world, theatre performances have been incorporated into religious ceremonies. The contests held were organised as part of festivals honouring the gods. Due to a lack of detailed and clear testimonia, it is difficult to trace these ceremonies in the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire. We must therefore depend on the architectural order, the distribution and identification of the remains of ritual furnishings and on traces of human presence to reconstruct them at least in part. The excavations carried out at the theatre of Epomanduodurum/Mandeure (F) and in its environs have allowed us to at least partially reconstruct the role played by the entertainment venue and the order of events at the sanctuary. Various observationshave prompted us to ask questions regarding the encapsulation of the theatre within the sanctuary and its involvement in the religious ceremonies.