Gorham's Cave is a sea cave which has formed in Jurassic limestone. Total length of this cave is approximately 100 m and at the entrance it is approximately 35 m high. Further inside the cave, it becomes narrower, and turns per approximately 90 degrees. From the entrance of cave opens a view on the Alboran Sea. It is possible that during further research the cave will become longer.
Gorham's Cave got its name Gorham's Cave complex. It is a grouping of four distinct caves of such importance that they are combined into a UNESCO heritage site. The three other caves are the nearby Vanguard Cave, the Hyaena Cave, and Bennett's Cave.
In November 2010, the Gorham's Cave complex was put forward to compete for a nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Professor Clive Finlayson, director of the Gibraltar Museum, was responsible for coordinating the efforts to obtain this nomination. The first step was a proposal to the United Kingdom cultural authorities to get Gorham's Cave complex added to the UK's World Heritage tentative list. The list is changed every ten years. The process for a new list was ongoing at the date of the submission.
The ownership of land associated with Gorham's Cave was passed from the UK Ministry of Defence to the government of Gibraltar in 2011. The agreement swapped this MOD land and more than 300 MOD houses with the government of Gibraltar, who in exchange agreed to build 90 new houses on remaining MOD land.
In May 2012 Gorham's Cave complex was on the short list of two sites, along with the Forth Rail Bridge, that was forwarded for submission to UNESCO. The site was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site on 15 July 2016, and is Gibraltar's only World Heritage site.
Oro y plata
Oro y plata is the state motto of Montana. It means "Gold and silver" in Spanish.
Roman Theatre of Orange
The Roman Theatre of Orange (French: "Théâtre antique d'Orange") is a Roman theatre in Orange, Vaucluse, France. It was built early in the 1st century AD. The municipality of Orange owns the structure. The theatre is the home of the summer opera festival called the Chorégies d'Orange.
It is a very well preserved Roman theatres. It served the Roman colony of "Arausio" (more specifically, "Colonia Julia Firma Secundanorum Arausio": "the Julian colony of Arausio started by the soldiers of the second legion"). This colony was founded in 40 BC. The theatre played an important role in the life of the citizens. They spent a large part of their free time there.The Roman authorities saw it as a way to spread spreading Roman culture to the colonies. They also saw it as a way to make them forget about political activities.
Mime, pantomime, poetry readings and the "attelana" (a kind of farce, similar to the commedia dell'arte) were the most important forms of entertainment. It often lasted all day. The common people liked spectacular effects and beautiful stage sets became very important. The use of stage machinery also became important. The entertainment was open to everyone. It was free of charge.
The Western Roman Empire declined during the 4th century. Christianity had become the official religion. An official edict closed the theatre in AD 391. This is because at that time the Church was against what it saw as uncivilised performances. The Visigoths probably pillaged it in 412. Like most Roman buildings, a lot of its better stone was used again for other buildings. It was used as a defensive post in the early Middle Ages. By the 12th century, the Church started to use it for religious plays. During the 16th-century there were religious wars. The theatre became a place to hide for the townspeople. In 1981 UNESCO declared the theatre as a World Heritage Site. In modern days, it is used mostly for opera. It is also a tourist attraction.
The Romans made early Roman theatres mostly with wood. They were meant to be temporary structures. In 55 BC Pompey asked for a stone theatre in his home city of Rome. After this, important (and permanent) Roman theatres became more popular in the Empire. The Orange theatre was built under the rule of Augustus. It was one of the first of its kind in this area of France. The grand exterior (outside) facade is one of the most famous parts of the structure. It is 103 meters long and 37 meters high. At the beginning, there was a wooden roof across the theatre. This protected the people watching from bad weather. There is evidence on the walls that shows that, at some point, the roof burnt in a fire. There is not very much decoration on the theatre. However, the tall wall gives an imposing look to the whole building. The three main doors on the first level of the facade open directly onto the stage inside the theatre. The theatre can seat between 5,800 up to 7,300. Today, much of the seating is new. This is to make sure that tourists and people watching plays are safe.
The stage is 61 meters long. It is about one meter above the ground. To the back is the wall. Its height is the same as in Roman times. This wall is very important to the theatre. This is because it helps to make the sound louder for the large audience. The wall is also known as the scaenae frons. It is the only place with decoration in the entire theatre. It used to have marble mosaics of many different colours. It also had many columns, friezes and statues placed in niches. The central niche contains a statue of the emperor Augustus. This was likely a restoration of an original statue of Apollo, the god of music and the arts. The central door, below the central niche, is called the Royal Door, or "valva regia." Only by the most important actors used this door to enter and exit the stage. Above the door there was a frieze decorated with centaurs. It is not there anymore. It is now on display across the street in the Orange Museum. Only some parts of it are left. The stage now has a modern platform. This is to stop damage when actors use it for operas and other performances.
The reconstruction (building again) of the theatre started in 1825. People wanted to bring back the theatre to its original use: to host large, exciting performances. In 1869, the theatre was still being restored. It hosted “The Roman Festivals,” which brought over 10,000 guests. A very important part of the restoration was excavating the area around the theatre. This happened in the 1930s. This excavation and levelling of buildings around the theatre helped find many historical objects and artifacts. These helped make knowledge better about the history and uses of the structure. Today, all three levels of seating have been completely restored. This is the same for many staircases, large parts of the pavement, the stage, the orchestra, and parts of walls.
During the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, the Church used the theatre to host plays. Theatre companies also hosted plays. In the 16th century this tradition stopped once again when the town was sacked during The French Wars of Religion. Much of the population left.In the 19th century, the theatre went back to its original use. Today, the Orange theatre is considered the best preserved (kept) Roman theatre in all of Europe. Culturespaces manages it. This is an organisation that also manages other related cultural sites in the area, for example the Orange Museum and the Triumphal Arch. It also manages other sites in the South of France.
The theatre is a historical site, but also a venue for concerts and theatrical performances. The first major festival held in the theatre in 1869 after the restoration started was called “The Roman Festival”. This festival became a yearly festival called the Chorégies (see below). These decadent events brought in thousands of visitors from around the world. During the rest of the year, the Théâtre d'Orange is a major tourist attraction. Tourists can walk through the main theatre and rooms around it. They can also walk through the corridors.