A study of the acoustic qualities of the ancient theatre in Segesta

Although many centuries have passed, in many ancient theatres evocative theatrical performances still take place, especially during summer. Greek and Latin architects’ care for equilibrium of proportions offers not only an intense quality of view but also a high quality acoustics. In this study we made an analysis both theoretical and experimental of the acoustic qualities of the ancient theatre of Segesta, in Sicily, an open-air theatre of almost 4000 seats, actually difficult to date with precision (II century B.C. or IV century B.C.). By the studying of Vitruvius treatise, "De Architectura", the comprehension of geometrical methods and proportions used to plan the theatre was made possible; with the help of surveys a graphic reconstruction of the theatre was made in order to use it in a predictive software. Measurements were carried out placing sound source in many points of the theatre. The results were compared with the ones obtained from the predictive software and the subjective sensations gathered during classical performances in the theatre.