Commemorative Lintels. End of the 1st BC. Century

Grey limestone lintels crowned the entrance doors of the theatre. The one in the East was dedicated to Lucius Caesar and the one in the West was probably dedicated to Caius Caesar.

From the Augustan Age, the theatre, along with the forum, transformed itself into a privileged space for the self-advocacy of the local elite and the proclamation of the slogans and messages originating from the Imperial House. The commemorative lintels of the Cartagena theatre dedicated to Lucius and Caius Caesar constitute a monolithic representation of Augustus¿s plans for his successors. Caius and Lucius were sons of M. Vipsanio Agrippa, patronus of Carthago Nova and Julia la Mayor, and consequently grandsons of the emperor, very soon being adopted by Augustus who regarded them as his future heirs. The two youths became the objects of an early ennoblement after the death of their father in the year 12 B.C., consequently converting them into Augustus¿s actual successors in the year 6 B.C.

L(ucio) Caes[a]ri Augusti f(ilio) divi n(epoti)
To Lucius Caesar, son of Augustus, grandson of the divine
[Caio Cae]sari Augusti f(ilio) divi n(epoti)
To Caius Caesar, son of Augustus, grandson of the divine (Julius Caesar)