Contemporarily, it was known as a spectacula rather than an amphitheatrum, since the latter term was not yet in use at the time. The Roman amphitheatre at Caerleon. The work probably took place during the reign of the Emperor Trajan. Dwarfing all other buildings in the city, it was 45 metres high and measured 189 x 156 metres across. One of the best known ancient sites in the world, Pompeii itself was famously destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. [18], The third-largest Roman amphitheatre was the Amphitheatre of Capua, with building dimensions of 169.9 × 139.6 meters. The word amphitheatrum means "theatre all around". Able to hold around 20,000 spectators, Trier Roman Amphitheatre would have been the site of fierce gladiatorial battles, also involving animals. Free for all! Fresco Showing the Riot of 59 CE in the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. Wooden benches provided … Thus, an amphitheatre is distinguished from the traditional semicircular Roman theatres by being circular or oval in shape.[3]. Julius Caesar commemorated the Alexandrian war by staging a huge battle between Egyptian and Phoenician ships while Augustus staged one to celebrate his victory over Mark Anthony at Actium. An amphitheatre (or amphitheater) is a type of structure.It is a flat area, surrounded by an area that ascends gradually. In 1965, a semi-circular Roman amphitheater was discovered under what was known as Kom al-Dikka (Mound of Rubble) after the remains of a Napoleonic fort were leveled for a housing project. The amphitheatre was used for various public events such as gladiator games, entertaining soldiers and the public with animal fighting and public execution of criminals, as well as religious activities. If there was one thing the Roman people loved it was spectacle and the chance to escape reality for a few hours and gawk at the weird and wonderful public shows which assaulted the senses and ratcheted up the emotions. James The Romans. Cite This Work Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The Roman Amphitheatre: From its Origins to the Colosseum. Please help us create teaching materials on Mesopotamia (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. Let the games begin! Many ruined amphitheatres … The arena is 61.4 metres (201 ft) by 42.2 metres (138 ft) and is 20 metres (66 ft) high. Great Roman amphitheatres were also built at Verona and at ancient Capua (modern Santa Maria Capua Vetere), where the amphitheatre, built in the 1st century, is second in size to the Colosseum, with an area of 560 by 460 feet (170 by 140 metres) and a height of 95 feet (30 metres). Other more theatrical methods included burning at the stake or crucifixion, often with the prisoner dressed up as a character from mythology to give a little extra colour to the occasion. The earliest securely dated amphitheatre is that of Pompeii, built c. 75 BCE and known as the spectacula. Roman amphitheatres are Roman theatres – large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised seating – built by the ancient Romans. Tickets were probably free to most forms of spectacle, as organisers, whether city magistrates given the responsibility of providing public civic events, super-rich citizens, or the emperors who would later monopolise control of spectacles, were all keen to display their generosity rather than use the events as a source of revenue. [13] Others were transformed into fortifications or fortified settlements, such as at Leptis Magna, Sabratha, Arles and Pola, and in the 12th century the Frangipani fortified even the Colosseum to help them in Roman power struggles. [3] But while this may be the origin of the architectural term amphitheatrum, it cannot be the origin of the architectural concept, since earlier stone amphitheatres, known as spectacula or amphitheatera, have been found. [14] Yet others were repurposed as Christian churches, including the arenas at Arles, Nîmes, Tarragona and Salona; the Colosseum became a Christian shrine in the 18th century.[14]. The amphitheatre was capable of seating over 20,000 spectators. In 74 AD the II Augusta Legion founded a fort at Isca, in what is now Caerleon. [11], These changes meant that there were ever fewer uses for amphitheatres, and ever fewer funds to build and maintain them. Certain animals acquired names and gained fame in their own right as did their human 'hunters' (venatores). It had up to 80 entrances, and the sanded arena itself measured a massive 87.5 m by 54.8 m. On the upper storey platform, sailors were employed to manage the large awning (velarium) which protected the spectators from rain or provided shade on hot days. Perhaps the shockingly different world of Roman spectacle, in fact, helped reinforce social norms rather than acted as a subversion of them. The amphitheater in Pula is known as an ‘arena’, due to the sand that covered its inner space since Roman times. Roman Chester Facts. Amphitheatres of all sizes were built across the empire as Roman culture swept in the path of its army. "Amphitheatre." The Amphitheater of El Jem is an immense theatre in the classic Roman town of Thysdrus (now El Jem), dating from the 3rd century. The spectacle of criminals fighting animals went on for another century, but gradually the amphitheatres crumbled into disuse and suffered varying degrees of reuse and abuse. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. One of the best known ancient sites in the world, Pompeii itself was famously destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. There was also an extensive drainage system, a feature seen at other arenas such as Verona's amphitheatre where it still functions and has greatly contributed to the excellent preservation of the monument. Even though the Romans departed from Britannia, the civilian settlement located around the fortress still existed. Other websites. The amphitheatres at Sutrium, Carmo and Ucubi were built around 40–30 BC, those at Antioch and Phaestum (Phase I) in the mid-first century BC. Retiarius Gladiator Mosaicby Carole Raddato (CC BY-SA). They were used for events such as gladiator combats, venationes (animal slayings) and executions. Trier Roman Amphitheatre may have been constructed as early as the first century AD, but was certainly in use by the second century. and could hold up to 60,000 spectators. It was built with the private funds of Gaius Quinctius Valgus and Marcus Porcius (a relative of Julius Caesar's rival). Animals were frequently chained together, often a duo of carnivore and herbivore, and cajoled into fighting each other by the animal handlers (bestiarii). Other well-preserved arenas besides the Colosseum and the Arena of Verona which can be visited today include Arles, Burnum, Capua, El Djem, Frejus, Nimes, Leptis Magna, Pergamon, Pompeii, Pula, Salona, Tarragona, and Uthina. 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