Amphitheatre

A large-scale Roman arena open to the elements and surrounded by tiers of seats. They were constructed for exhibiting gladiatorial and other public spectacles (military displays, combats, and wild beast fights) to the populace. The earliest were oval and built of wood, later changing to stone construction. Rome's Colosseum has tiered galleries 2-3 stories in height and has provision for covering the arena with shades to protect against rain or sun. Roofing of so wide an expanse was beyond Roman technology. The arena of the Colosseum had a false timber floor, below which there was a labyrinth of service corridors. The animal cages were situated here, linked with pre-tensioned lifts and automatic trapdoors so that participants and animals could be sent up to the floor of the arena with speed and precision. Somehow Roman engineers staged the grand opening by flooding the arena for a full-scale sea battle. Amphitheatres accommodated a great number of spectators (possibly more than 50,000 at the Colosseum). The Romans derived their ideas from the classic Greek theater and stadium and the model was widely copied throughout the Roman empire. It could be erected on any terrain and set inside an urban center. An early example of the Republican period is at Pompeii the Colosseum is of the Imperial model. The fortress of Caerlon and the towns of Caerwent, Cirencester, Colchester, Dorchester, Richborough, and Wroxeter are some British places which had amphitheatres.

A characteristically Roman development of ideas derived from the classic Greek theatre and stadium, the amphitheatre is a large-scale construct with tiers of seats rising from a central space, usually an oval. Designed for events of spectacular complexity, the amphitheatre reveals two typically Roman emphases: the great number of spectators accommodated (possibly more than 50,000 at the Colosseum) and the fact that it was widely copied throughout the Roman empire, since the structure was not dependent on the availability of suitably shaped hills as a backdrop. The new model could thus be erected on any terrain and sited inside an urban centre where required. An early example from the Republican period is to be found at Pompeii. This represents a transitional stage: the seats are supported by soil, as in the Greek theatre, but the soil itself is kept in place by retaining walls. Presumably to avoid problems with the height and weight of the masonry, the central floor of the arena was excavated below the original ground level. Typical of the Imperial model is the Colosseum in Rome, the amphitheatrum Flavium, where tiers of seating are supported on an intersecting network of vaulted corridors and arches. Roofing so wide an expanse was beyond Roman technology, but here and elsewhere in the Empire a system of ropes, poles and anchorages was apparently devised so that a canvas could be drawn across at least part of the auditorium. The arena of the Colosseum had a false timber floor, below which there wound a labyrinth of service corridors, probably lit only by crude naked torches. The animal cages were situated here, linked with pre-tensioned lifts and automatic trapdoors with the aim of shooting participants and animals up on to the floor of the arena with unexpected speed and precision. There is evidence that such advanced technical features caused continuous trouble, and many modifications were needed. It is interesting to speculate how the Roman engineers solved the staging of the grand opening, when the arena was flooded for a full-scale sea battle.