Archaeologists are faced with the problem of historical reconstruction of ancient theatres that are in different states of conservation and, over the centuries, have suffered often dramatic changes. Acoustics can play an important role in guiding the choice of the most accurate reconstruction from different possible alternatives. Computer-aided simulations can provide a well-established tool for this task. The Roman theatre of Ostia Antica has been the subject of many studies of its architecture over the centuries, from the original construction of Agrippa (beginning the first century B.C.), to the drastic reconstruction of 1927. This paper presents different virtual reconstructions of the theatre of ancient Ostia. It reports on in-situ measurements, made in presence of a provisional stage, which have been compared with other related studies on ancient theatres of the Roman era. Auralization techniques are employed to investigate performance in different eras. An acoustic history of the theatre is given, from Roman times to the present day.
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