A Study on Roman Ampitheatres

A Study on roman print AmpitheatresRoman amphitheatresIf one were to ask any person what first comes to approximation when they think of Roman civilisation, most people would instantly respond with the Colosseum in capital of Italy, or the Gladiatorial games. The Colosseum in capital of Italy was a symbol of the power and wealthiness that Rome possessed at the height of her glory, and even today, the amphitheatre dominates the surrounding area, and draws the eye like nothing else. Roman amphitheatres became synonymous with the spread of roman finishing throughout the empire, and as such are an clear case for understanding the spread of roman engineering practices as well as colonization of rising territories.1A roman amphitheatre is a large freestanding structure, often oval or circular, which was built by Romans, primarily for the purpose of entertainment.2 Amphitheatres ho utilise a contour of spectacles, such as gladiatorial games, or executions of prisoners. The roman rul ing elite understood that in order to keep the populace happy and complacent, they needed to be fork outd with nourishment for both the body and for the mind. As such, those who belonged the roman ruling class, the equestrians, would often fund spectacles for roman citizens of lower classes to att force out, and be entertained by.3The history or so of the earliest Roman amphitheatres date to the re humanity period, however, the majority of the most well-known were built during the imperial period.4 The word amphitheatre comes from the latin amphitheatrum meaning theatre in the round, which differentiates amphitheatres from traditional greek theatres, which were most often semi-circular.5 The Roman amphitheatre as an architectural phenomenon is believed to have roots in the Greek theatre traditions, indeed, the two are quite similar to one another in multiple respects.6There has been some debate over how Roman amphitheatres came to be invented, with some scholars suggesting that the y first appeared in the area of Campania, which was well-known for its displays of funeral games, and by and by for its gladiatorial schools.7 Interestingly, it is possible that the Romans borrowed the idea of gladiatorial combat from the Campanians, and adapted it for Roman ideals. One should note, however, that it has likewise been suggested by certain scholars that the Roman style of rocknroll amphitheatres originated in Romes Forum Romanum, where a temporary wooden structure may have been built to provide a setting for gladiatorial games.8 This wooden structure took the shape of the forum, which happened to be oblong.9 This idea of a wooden amphitheatre comes from Pliny, who stated that Gaius Scribonius Curio constructed two wooden theatres which were move together to become an amphitheatre to house the gladiatorial combats for the funeral games of his father.10 Additionally, there are also records which show that after the destruction of Romes first stone amphitheatre, Nero built a new one of wood.11Later, when the Romans began to build more permanent versions of this original structure, they kept the same basic shape, though it was changed to be more round, which would provide more equidistant views of the spectacles below. The first permanent amphitheatre is believed to be the one built at Pompeii, and is a real simple construction compared to later amphitheatres.12 The first stone amphitheatre in Rome was built by Statilius Taurus, an associate of Augustus. Unfortunately, this amphitheatre was eventually destroyed, and, in AD57, Nero built a new, wooden, amphitheatre. This construction was improbably short-lived, and was eventually destroyed as well.13Though Romes Flavian amphitheatre was built rather late, most colonies had their own amphitheatres at least one one C and fifty years before the Flavian amphitheatre was constructed.14 Archaeological evidence suggests that the roman stone amphitheatres built outside of Rome were largely constructed for those roman citizens who armed serviceed to colonize the area, and to help the spread of the idea of Romaness.15 It has been suggested that the amphitheatre at Pompeii may have been constructed specifically for the purpose of entertaining Sullas military colonists who were stationed there.16The Colosseum is today the most long known and recognised of the roman amphitheatres, and even at the height of Romes power it was no different. The Flavian amphitheatre, as the name suggests, was the centre-piece of the Flavian dynasty. In AD 69, Rome fought a short, but brutal civil war, with the end result of Vespasian and his sons, Titus and Domitian, in control of Rome. The two initial goals of any new regime in Rome were often the same first, to establish legitimacy and authority, and secondly, to discredit their predecessors. The Flavians were able to do both in one fell swoop, with the construction of the amphitheatre.17Emperor Nero before them had appropriated public land for the construction of his personal pleasure palace, the Golden Houseor Domus Aurea, making the already unpopular emperor despised among the populace.18 With the civil war which lead to the Flavians acceding to power, Nero was overthrown, and nearly all traces of his reign were obliterated. In AD 106 his opulent palace followed suit by means of a fire, freeing the once-public land to be used again. The Flavians took this opportunity, and constructed a venue which could be used and enjoyed by the Roman populace, the largest stone amphitheatre in the Roman pudding stone.19 Indeed, the Flavian amphitheatre was designed to impress.The Flavian amphitheatre was a undischarged feat of Roman engineering. The seating area or cavea of the amphitheatre featured five different levels of seating which were specific to different classes of the population. In order for spectators to end up in the correct seating tier, they needed to traverse multiple flights of increasingly limit steps, with the sena tors and members of the equestrian class climbing either no, or very few steps, while women and slaves climbing the most, to reach the highest tier of seating.20The manner in which the staircases and corridors were constructed is an interesting one in that the corridors and staircases closest to the bottom of the amphitheatre are wide and spacious, but the closer to the top, the narrower the passages become. It has been postulated that this was an intentional design on the part of the architects, not only to allow the best support for the structure, but also as an native form of crowd control.21 The wider passageways at the bottom allowed the members of the upper echelons of society to exit the amphitheatre in an expedient and prompt manner, while those of the lower classes were filtered through the narrow passageways, thereby taking a longer time to leave the amphitheatre, allowing the elites to pass unimpeded by those who were less important than they.The amphitheatre also made e xcellent use of the most modern innovations underground, in the two stories of corridors that formed the substructure of the make.22 This maze of chambers and passageways contained an assortment of lifts and pulleys which would allow animals for fights, or gladiators, to enter the pit patently from thin air, adding a layer of mystery and showmanship to the spectacle, to further excite the audience.23 There were also spaces in the substructure which housed cages for the animals, as well as measures for safety. Additionally, there were spaces for the gladiators, and also areas for the animals to run and exercise.24 In his On the Spectacles, Martial states that the structure surpasses earlier wonders of antiquity.While the Colosseum may be one of the best known amphitheatres, there were a considerable deal of others which were of similar importance. One such amphitheatre is the amphitheatre at Pompeii, which is currently the oldest surviving amphitheatre in the world.25 Amphitheatre s were synonymous with the spread of the Roman Empire and culture, and this trend continued at Pompeii.26 While Pompeii already had a greek-style theatre, once she became a Roman colony in 80BC, several wealthy local elites, Quinctius Valgus and Marcius Porcius funded the building of a new Roman Amphitheatre.27 This early amphitheatre was quite simple compared to the highly-engineered flavian amphitheatre, and featured a hollow oval arena, which was encircled by earthen banks for seating.28 As the amphitheatre at Pompeii was the first of its kind, the term amphitheatrum was not used when it was first built, and instead, the dedicatory inscription reads spectaculum, meaning spectacle.29The amphitheatres of Rome were, and still are, often viewed as the symbol for the involution of the roman culture and empire, and by examining them we can begin to comprehend the fantastic innovations that roman engineers were able to create. From the earliest amphitheatre at Pompeii, to the largest a t Rome, we can compute the brilliance, as well as the wealth and power, of ancient Rome.Works CitedBomgardner, D. (2002). The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre. New York Routledge.Coleman, K. M. (2003). Euergetism in its Place, Where was the Amphitheatre in Augustan Rome? capital of the United Kingdom Routledge.Holleran, C. (2003). The Development of Public Entertainment Venues in Rome and Italy. London Routledge.Kyle, D. G. (2007). Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World. Malden, MA Blackwell Publishing.Mueller, T. (2011). Unearthing the Colosseums secrets a German archaeologist has deciphered the large(p) stadiums complex stagecraft. Its underground labyrinth has just opened to visitors. Smithsonian, 26+.Welch, K. E. (1994). Amphitheatres in the Roman Republic An archaeology of the Roman spectacle. 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