See also:

• AMPHITHEATRE (Gr. 441, around, and O&arpov, a place for spectators)

AMPHITHEATRE (Gr. 441, around, and O&arpov, a See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place for spectators)  , a See also:

• BUILDING

building in which the seats for spectators surround-the See also:

• SCENE (Fr. scene, Lat. scaena, Gr. oflvil, a tent or booth, a stage or scene)

scene of the performance . The word was doubtless coined by the Greeks of See also:

• CAMPANIA

Campania, since it was here that the gladiatorial shows for which the See also:

• AMPHITHEATRE (Gr. 441, around, and O&arpov, a place for spectators)

amphitheatre was primarily used were first organized as public See also:

• SPECTACLES

spectacles . The earliest building of the See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind still extant is that at See also:

• POMPEII

Pompeii, built after 8o B.C . It is called spectacula in a contemporary inscription . The word amphitheatrum is first found in writers of the Augustan See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age . In See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy, combats of See also:

• GLADIATORS (from Lat. gladius, sword)

gladiators at first took See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place in the forums, where temporary wooden scaffoldings were erected for the spectators; and See also:

• VITRUVIUS (MARCUS VITRUVIUS POLLIO)

Vitruvius gives this as the See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason why in that See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country the forums were in the shape of a parallelogram instead of being squares as in See also:

• GREECE

Greece . See also:

• WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

Wild beasts were also hunted in the See also:

• CIRCUS (Lat. circus, Gr. Kipeos or Kptxot, a ring or' circle; probably " circus " and " ring " are of the same origin)

circus . But towards the end of the See also:

• ROMAN

Roman See also:

• REPUBLIC (Lat. respublica, a commonweal or common-wealth)

republic, when the shows increased both in frequency and in costliness, See also:

• SPECIAL

special buildings began to be provided for them . The first amphitheatre at See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome was that constructed, 59 B.C., by C . Scribonius See also:

• CURIO, OAIUS SCRIBONIUS

Curio . See also:

• PLINY, THE ELDER
• PLINY, THE YOUNGER

Pliny tells us that Curio built two wooden theatres, which were placed back to back, and that after the dramatic representations were finished, they were turned See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round, with all the spectators in them, so as to make one circular See also:

• THEATRE (BEarpov, " a place for seeing," from OeacOae)

theatre, in the centre of which gladiators fought; but the See also:

• STORY, JOHN (c. 1510-1571)
• STORY, JOSEPH (1779-1845)
• STORY, ROBERT HERBERT (1835-1907)
• STORY, WILLIAM WETMORE (1819—1895)

story is incredible, and must have arisen from the false See also:

• TRANSLATION

translation of & s4xOiarpov by " See also:

• DOUBLE
• DOUBLE (from the Mid. Eng. duble, the form which gives the present pronunciation, through the Old Er. duble, from Lat. duplus, twice as much)

double theatre." It is uncertain whether See also:

• CAESAR, GAIUS JULIUS (102—44 B.c.)
• CAESAR, SIR JULIUS (1557-1558-1636)

Caesar, in 46 B.C., constructed a temporary amphitheatre of See also:

• WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
• WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
• WOOD, MRS HENRY [ELLEN] (1814—1887)
• WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

wood for his shows of wild beasts; at any See also:

• RATE

rate, the first permanent amphitheatre was built by C . Statilius See also:

• TAURUS (" the Bull ")

Taurus in 29 B.C .

Probably the See also:

• SHELL
• SHELL (O. Eng. scell, scyll, cf. Du. sceel, shell, Goth. skalja, tile; the word means originally a thin flake,. cf. Swed. skalja, to peel off; it is allied to " scale " and " skill," from a root meaning to cleave, divide, separate)

shell only was of See also:

• STONE
• STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
• STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
• STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
• STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
• STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
• STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
• STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
• STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)

stone . It was burnt in the See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• FIRE (in O. Eng. f j'r; the word is common to West German languages, cf. Dutch vuur, Ger. Feuer; the pre-Teutonic form is seen in Sanskrit pu, pavaka, and Gr. irup; the ultimate origin is usually taken to be a root meaning to purify, cf. Lat. purus)

fire of A.D . 64 . We hear of an amphitheatre begun by Caligula and of a wooden structure raised in the See also:

• YEAR

year A.D . 57 by See also:

• NERO (37-68)

Nero; but these were superseded by the Amphitheatrum Flavium (known at least since the 8th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century as the Colosseum, from its See also:

• COLOSSAL

colossal See also:

• SIZE

size), which was begun by See also:

• VESPASIAN

Vespasian on the site of an artificial See also:

• LAKE
• LAKE, GERARD LAKE, 1ST VISCOUNT (1744-1808)

lake included in the See also:

• GOLDEN

Golden See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

House of Nero, and inaugurated by See also:

• TITUS
• TITUS, FLAVIUS SABINUS VESPASIANUS
• TITUS, THE EPISTLE TO

Titus in A.D . 8o with shows lasting one See also:

• HUNDRED

hundred days . It was several times restored by the emperors, having been twice struck by See also:

• LIGHTNING

lightning in the 3rd century and twice damaged by See also:

• EARTHQUAKE

earthquake in the 5th . Gladiatorial shows were suppressed by See also:

• HONORIUS
• HONORIUS, FLAVIUS (384-423)

Honorius in A.D . 404, and wild beast shows are not recorded after the reign of See also:

• THEODORIC

Theodoric (d . A.D . 526) . In the 8th century See also:

• BEDE, BEDA, or B
• BEDE, CUTHBERT

Bede wrote Quamdiu stabit Coliseus, stabit et See also:

• ROMA

Roma; quando See also:

• CADET (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. capitettum, a diminutive of caput, head, through the Provencal form capdet)

cadet Coliseus, cadet et Roma .

A large See also:

• PART

part of the western arcades seem to have collapsed in the earthquake of A.D . 1349, and their remains were used in the See also:

• RENAISSANCE, THE

Renaissance as a See also:

• QUARRY

quarry for building materials (e.g. for the Palazzo di Venezia, the Cancelleria and the Palazzo See also:

• FARNESE
• FARNESE, ALEXANDER (1545-1592)
• FARNESE, ELIZABETH (1692-1766)

Farnese) . Rome possesses the remains of a second amphitheatre on the Esquiline, called by the chronologist of A.D . 354 Amphitheatrum Castrense, which probably means the " See also:

• COURT
• COURT (from the O. Fr. court, Late Lat. cortis, curtis, a popular form of class. Lat. cohors, gen. cohortis; the mod. Fr. form tour is due to the influence of the Lat. curia, the word used in medieval documents to translate " court " in the feudal sense)
• COURT, ANTOINE (1696-176o)

court " or " imperial " 892 amphitheatre . Its See also:

• FINE

fine See also:

• BRICKWORK

brickwork seems to date from See also:

• TRAJAN [MARCUS ULPIUS TRAJANUS] (A. D. 53-117)

Trajan's reign . It was included by See also:

• AURELIAN [Lucius DoMITIus AURELIANUS]

Aurelian in the See also:

• CIRCUIT (Lat. circuitus, from circum, round, and ire, to go)

circuit of his See also:

• WALL (O. Eng. weal, weall, Mid. Eng. wal, wane, adapted from Lat. vallum, rampart; the original O. Eng. word for a wall was wag or tenth)
• WALL, RICHARD (1694-1778)

wall . The remains of numerous amphitheatres exist in the various provinces of the See also:

• EMPIRE

empire . The finest are—in Italy, those of See also:

• VERONA
• VERONA, CONGRESS OF

Verona (probably of the See also:

• FLAVIAN (d. 449)

Flavian See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period), See also:

• CAPUA (anc. Casilinum;, a town and archiepiscopal see of Campania, Italy, in the province of Caserta, 7 M. W. by rail from the town oI Caserta. Pop. (1901) 14
• CAPUA (mod. S. Maria di Capua Vetere)

Capua (built under See also:

• HADRIAN (PUBLICS AELIUS HADRIANUS)

Hadrian) and See also:

• POZZUOLI (anc. Puteoli, q.v.)

Pozzuoli; in See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France, at See also:

• NIMES
• NIMES, COUNCILS OF (Concilia Nemausensia)

Nimes, See also:

• ARLES
• ARLES, KINGDOM OF

Arles and See also:

• FREJUS

Frejus; in See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain, at Italica (near See also:

• SEVILLE
• SEVILLE (Span. Sevilla, Lat. Ispalis or Hispalis, Moorish Ishbiliya)

Seville); in See also:

• TUNISIA (Regency of Tunis)

Tunisia, at Thysdrus (El-Jem); and at See also:

• POLA (Gr. Hart or Haas; Slovene, Pulj)

Pola, in See also:

• DALMATIA (Ger. Dalmatien; Ital. Dalmazia; Serbo-Croatian, Dalmacija)

Dalmatia . The builders often took See also:

• ADVANTAGE

advantage of natural features, such as a depression between hills; and ruder structures, mainly consisting of banked-up See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

earth, are found, e.g. at See also:

• SILCHESTER

Silchester (Calleva) . The amphitheatre at Pompeii (length 444 ft., breadth 342 ft., seating capacity 20,000) is formed by a huge See also:

• EMBANKMENT

embankment of earth supported by a retaining wall and high buttresses carrying See also:

• ARCHES, COURT OF

arches . The stone seats (of which there are See also:

• THIRTY

thirty-five rows in three divisions) were only gradually constructed as the means of the community allowed . See also:

• ACCESS (Lat. accessus)

Access to the highest seats was given by See also:

• EXTERNAL

external staircases, and there was no See also:

• SYSTEM

system of underground See also:

• CHAMBERS (the Fr. chambre, from Lat. camera, a room)
• CHAMBERS, EPHRAIM (d. 1740)
• CHAMBERS, GEORGE (1803-1840)
• CHAMBERS, ROBERT (18oz-1871)
• CHAMBERS, SIR WILLIAM (1726-1796)

chambers for wild beasts, combatants, &c .

In contrast to this See also:

• SIMPLE

simple structure the Colosseum represents the most elaborate type of amphitheatre created by the architects of the empire . Its external See also:

• ELEVATION

elevation consisted of four storeys . The three lowest had arcades whose piers were adorned with engaged columns of the three See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek orders . The arches numbered eighty . Those of the See also:

• BASEMENT

basement See also:

• STOREY (equivalents are Fr. etage, Ital. piano, Ger. Stock)

storey served as entrances; seventy-six were numbered and allotted to the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general See also:

• BODY

body of spectators, those at the extremities of the See also:

• MAJOR
• MAJOR (Lat. for " greater ")
• MAJOR (or MAIR), JOHN (1470-1550)

major See also:

• AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

axis led into the See also:

• ARENA (Lat. for " sand ")

arena, and the boxes reserved for the See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor and the presiding See also:

• MAGISTRATE (Lat. magistratus, from magister, master, properly a public office, hence the person holding such an office)

magistrate were approached from the extremities of the See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor axis . The higher arcades had a See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

low See also:

• PARAPET (Ital. parapetto, Fr. parapet, from para, imperative of Ital. porare, to cover, defend, and petto, breast, Lat. pectus; the German word is Brustwehr)

parapet with (apparently) a statue in each See also:

• ARCH
• ARCH, JOSEPH (1826– )

arch, and gave See also:

• LIGHT

light and See also:

• AIR (from an Indo-European root meaning " breathe," " blow ")
• AIR, or ASBEN

air to the passages which surrounded the building . The openings of the arcades above the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal entrances were larger than the See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest, and were adorned with figures of chariots . The highest See also:

• STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage was composed of a continuous wall of See also:

• MASONRY

masonry, pierced by See also:

• FORTY

forty small square windows, and adorned with Corinthian pilasters . There was also a See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of brackets to support the poles on which the awning was stretched . The interior may be naturally divided into the arena and the See also:

• CAVEA

cavea (see annexed See also:

• PLAN
• PLAN (from Lat. planes, flat)

plan, which shows the Colosseum at two different levels) . The arena was the portion assigned to the combatants, and derived its name from the See also:

• SAND
• SAND, GEORGE (1804-1876)

sand with which it was strewn, to absorb the See also:

• BLOOD

blood and prevent it from becoming slippery . Some of the emperors showed their prodigality by substituting See also:

• PRECIOUS (O. Fr. precios, mod. precieux, Lat. pretiosus, of high value or price, pretium)

precious powders, and even See also:

• GOLD
• GOLD [symbol Au, atomic weight 195.7(H = 1),197.2(0 =16)]

gold dust, for sand .

The arena was generally of the same shape as the amphitheatre itself, and was separated from the spectators by a wall built perfectly smooth, that the wild beasts might not by any possibility climb it . At Rome it was faced inside with polished See also:

• MARBLE (from Lat. marmor, Gr. pApµapos, shining stone)

marble, but at Pompeii it was simply painted . For further See also:

• SECURITY (Lat. securus, free from care, safe)

security, it was surrounded by a See also:

• METAL
• METAL (through Fr. from Lat. metallum, mine, quarry, adapted from Gr. µATaXAov, in the same sense, probably connected with ,ueraAAdv, to search after, explore, µeTa, after, aAAos, other)

metal railing or network, and the arena was sometimes surrounded also by a ditch (euripus), especially on See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account of the elephants . Below the arena were subterranean chambers and passages, from which wild beasts and gladiators were raised on movable plat-forms (pegmata) through See also:

• TRAP (0. Eng. treppe or traepee, properly a step, as that or which an animal places its foot and is caught, cf. Ger. Treppe flight of stairs)

trap-doors . Such chambers have been found in the amphitheatres of Capua and Pozzuoli as well as in the Colosseum . Means were also provided by which the arena could be flooded when a See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea-fight (naumachia) was exhibited, as was done by Titus at the inauguration of the Colosseum . The part assigned to the spectators was called cavea . It was divided into several galleries (maeniana) concentric with the See also:

• OUTER

outer walls, and therefore, like them, of an elliptical See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form . The place of See also:

• HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour was the lowest of these, nearest to the arena, and called the See also:

• PODIUM (Gr. lr66tov, diminutive of ?roils, foot)

podium . The divisions in it were larger, so as to be able to contain movable seats . At Rome it was here that the emperor sat, his See also:

• BOX
• BOX (Gr. irl or, Lat. buxus, box-wood; cf. 2r6Eir, a pyx)

box bearing the name of suggestus, cubiculum or pulvinar . The senators, principal magistrates, vestal virgins, the provider (editor) of the show, and other persons of See also:

• NOTE
• NOTE (Lat. nota, mark, sign, from noscere, to know)

note, occupied the rest of the podium .

At Nimes, besides the high officials of the See also:

• TOWN

town, the podium had places assigned to the principal See also:

• GILDS, or GUILDS

gilds, whose names are still seen inscribed upon it, with the number of places reserved for each . In the Colosseum there were three maeniana above the podium, separated from each other by terraces (praecinctiones) and walls (baltei), and divided vertically into See also:

• WEDGE (O. Eng. wecg, a mass of metal, cognate with Dutch wig, wigge, Dan. vaegge, &c.; in Lith. the cognate form outside Teut. is found in wagis, a peg, spigot; there is no connexion with " weigh," " weight," which must be referred to the root wegh, to li

wedge-shaped blocks (cunei) by stairs . The lowest was appropriated to the equestrian See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order, the highest was covered in with a See also:

• PORTICO (Ital. for " porch," Lat. porticus)

portico, whose roof formed a See also:

• TERRACE (Fr. terrace, terrasse, from It. terraccia, terrazzo, Lat. terra, earth)

terrace on which spectators found See also:

• STANDING

standing See also:

• ROOM

room . Numerous passages (vomitoria) and small stairs gave access to them; while See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long covered corridors, behind and below them, served for shelter in the event of See also:

• RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain . At Pompeii each place was numbered, and elsewhere their extent is defined by little marks cut in the stone . The spectators were admitted by tickets (1esserae), and order preserved by a See also:

• STAFF (O. Eng. staef, cf. Du. staf, Ger. Stab, &c.; Icel. stafr meant also a written letter, and O. Eng. stafas, the letters of the alphabet; " stave," one of the thin pieces of wood of which a cask is made, is a doublet)

staff of See also:

• OFFICERS

officers appointed for the purpose . The height of the Colosseum is about 16o ft.; but the See also:

• FOURTH

fourth storey in its See also:

• PRESENT

present form is not earlier in date than the 3rd century A.D . It seems to have been originally of wood, since an inscription of the year A.D . 8o mentions the summum maenianum in ligneis . It is stated in the Notitia Urbis Romae (4th century) that the Colosseum contained 87,000 places; but Huelsen calculates that the seats would accommodate 45,000 persons at most, besides whom 5000 could find standing room . The exaggerated estimate is due to the fact that space was allotted to corporate bodies, whose See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers were taken as data . The greatest length is about 615 ft., and the length of the shorter axis of the See also:

• ELLIPSE (adapted from Gr. EXkei 'tc, a deficiency, iXXeirely, to fall behind)

ellipse about 510 ft .

The dimensions of the arena were 281 ft. by 177 ft . The following table, giving the dimensions of some of the principal amphitheatres, is based mainly on the figures given by Friedlander ENTIRE BUILDING . ARENA . Greater Shorter Greater Shorter Axis . Axis . Axis . Axis . Rome (Colosseum) 615 5io1 281 177 Capua 557 458 250 148 Julia Caesarea . 551 289 459 197 Italica (Seville) 514 4394 • • Verona 5024 403 248 1454 Thysdrus . 488 406 308 197 Tarraco 486 390 277 181 Pozzuoli 482 383 2361 137 ! See also:

• TOURS

Tours . 472 406 223 981 Pola .

4491 3674 230 1444 Arles . 448 352 229 129 Pompeii 444 342 2184 115 Nimes 440 336 227 1261 Pompeii, its See also:

• LIFE

Life and See also:

• ART

Art (2nd ed . 19o4), See also:

• CHAP

chap . 3o; for the Colosseum, See also:

• MIDDLETON
• MIDDLETON, ARTHUR (1742–1787)
• MIDDLETON, CONYERS (1683–1750)
• MIDDLETON, THOMAS (c. 1570-1627)

Middleton, Remains of See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

Ancient Rome, ii. pp . 78-110, and Huelsen's art . ` Flavium Amphitheatrum " in Paulyy-Wissowa, Realencyclopadie . (H . S .