On May 28th 2022, we had a day in Ostia where we got to visit ancient cities there and a place I found very interesting was the theater. We saw a theater in Pompeii that was small and only got to see from an open window and only get to see it from one angle. Looking at it only open and down, from the bottom near the stage was not as exciting as in Ostia. Seeing the Ostia theater and walking through all sides, even going all the way to the top and seeing from an aerial view was thrilling. From down below you could see all around at the people on the top and from the sides, getting to walk around and see the stage. But, on top, it was a whole other experience was I got to test out how the structure of the theater made it so everyone, no matter where sat, could hear the people on stage. A traveler with me stood at the bottom and from up there it was far, but she spoke in a normal volume and you could hear her from the top! Looking around to understand how it worked made the experience much more amazing and understanding how they used what they had, with no microphones like we do now was a phenomenal moment. This was more of a semi-self-guided tour as once it was spoken about we got to use the theater basically, as much as we could, and it made it worth it than just passing the area. Being able to walk all around it, seeing every step, all around it, bottom to top, on my own was a good independent viewing experience.
It is interesting to me to think about the technology of the past. They did not have a need for microphones as their technical understanding of architecture and sound allowed them to construct these kinds of stages. I think, oftentimes, we overlook the technologies of the past which may give insights into how to implement or adapt our current technologies to be less damaging to our society.
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