2022/06/21 by Glaser, Franz
paper · doi:10.25364/26.44:2021.14
Simon Martin Mayer was the first to refer to the structure of Virunum, partially excavated by the Carinthian Historical Society, as a “theatre”, in an article published in the weekly “Carinthia” on Saturday, 20 October 1885. On Sunday, 21 October 1885, Michael Franz von Jabornegg-Altenfels already sent a preliminary layout plan with a few notes to the President of the Royal & Imperial Central Commission for the Investigation and Maintenance of Architectural Monuments. Later on, Jabornegg would take the view that the building had most likely been a public bath. Anton von Gallenstein saw a Roman villa in the structure, while Gottlieb von Ankershofen, who also assumed it to be a residential building, referred to the excavation as a botched enterprise that would cause the destruction of the ruin. Among the many murals that were found in 1845 was that of a “life-size, green parrot”. Roseringed parakeets (psittacula kramen) and their ability to speak were showcased in public performances in the ancient world, and the theatre of Virunum would have been a suitable location for such a performance. (Translation: Büro Schweickhardt, Klagenfurt)