![]() ![]() ![]() The Rise and Fall of the Roman Amphitheatre odeon), see this paper by Giulia Privitelli. Perhaps the most fundamental difference between a Roman amphitheatre and a Roman theatre is the shape, theatres have a semi-circular arrangement of raised seating looking into a stage, whereas an amphitheatre is a ‘theatre in the round’ – amphi is Greek for around.įor more on the relationships between amphitheatres, theatres and odeia (sing. Consequently, theatres tend to be smaller and have much better acoustics. Today amphitheatres are often confused with theatres, but there are differences between the two structures that relate principally to the events stages therein.Īs action was the order of the day in an amphitheatre, seeing that action was more important than hearing it. Other venues were used for other sporting and cultural activities: theatres were used for staging plays, pantomimes, choral events and orations circuses and hippodromes for racing events and stadia for athletics. The Colosseum had an estimated seating capacity of between 50,000 and 80,000 people, while those amphitheatres in smaller Roman towns were only required to accommodate around 5,000 spectators.Įssentially, amphitheatres were used for gladiator combats, chariot races, animal slaying and executions. Some amphitheatres were much more elaborate than others, but the common, basic structure is an open-air oval arena that is surrounded by raised seating.Īcross the Empire they varied considerably in size, often reflecting the importance of the city or town which the building served. Such as the amphitheatre in Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum, modern day Nijmegen – the only known Roman amphitheatre in the Netherlands. And for some, we just have a marker indicating where the amphitheatre once stood. While the amphitheatre in the Archaeological Park at Xanten in Germany is being rebuilt following the plans of its Roman predecessor. In the Provencal town of Fréjus in southern France, the restoration of the amphitheatre (photo at the top of this page) has enabled the remains of the Roman construction to be saved. Of course there is a whole range of partially and fully reconstructed amphitheatres. The manner in which these more modest remains have been prepared for display is sometimes quite exceptional – and for anyone exploring the history of this important city, this exhibition should not be overlooked. Of the recently discovered London amphitheatre, for example, all that remains are the foundations of what served as the east gate to the arena. Although some are so well preserved they are still used for events and concerts today, such as the amphitheatre in Nîmes, there is very little left of others. Not all surviving amphitheatres are as spectacularly well preserved as the Colosseum in Rome, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. ![]()
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