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1. THE
DEVELOPMENT OF
PUBLIC
ENTERTAINMENT
VENUES IN ROME
AND ITALY
Claire Holleran

2. Introduction
• Town life was obviously increasing in Italy, and the archaeology of a town
such as Pompeii displays the increasingly luxurious lifestyle of the wealthy.
• The Increase in public spending, and a number of public structures were
created in the cities of south-central Italy.
For example: theatres that created in some part of the town in Italy such as
Pompeii, Sarno, Teanum and Capua
• However Rome was still disorganized in appearance, with little evidence of
rational planning
• The city lacked a permanent stone theatre, amphitheater, and public baths.
How quickly Rome was provided with such facilities at the
very end of the republic and the early days of the empire?

3. The stilted development of
the city of Rome
• As early as the middle of the century BC, the first Theatre were made by stone
has erected in the city of Rome (Theatre of Pompey), but these were always
thwarted by the conservative reactions of the Senate.
• Before the influent of Roman, Paestum is a town that became a Greek colony,
even though the town was not obviously influent from Greek, but it’s still remain
the Greek Culture and the dominance of theatres as entertainment venues in
towns of the Greek world
• Welch statement:
– This idea of Amphitheaters being constructed in Italian towns for political purpose and there is
a connection between gladiatorial games and veteran colonization.
– Major of Republican amphitheaters appear in Campania, Italy.
– Welch believes that the amphitheater at Pompeii made a statement of the power of Rome, and
the construction of the building established a particularly Roman architectural presence in the
town
• Veyne statement:
– Argues that buildings were less useful for a political career than games or distributions of
money. Senators in Rome used euergetism as a means of gaining popularity
– He argues that the motive for euergetism at Rome was political ambition rather than social
zeal.

4. Con’t
• Theatre is the true and incorruptible judgement of the whole people.
• Public opinions expressed at the games represented a far truer voice of the
Roman general public than expressed at the assemblies.
• At the games in amphitheatre, people wearing less cloths to manipulation
and the audience closely replicated Roman society as a whole
• The games played a crucial role in establishing a relationship between the
masses and their emperor. The crowd show their honors to the ruler in
order to request for demands for personal matters.
• At the games the emperor was most answerable to his people, as a request
made in front of thousands of citizens is always potentially political and
difficult to resist
• However, emperors had an opportunity of personal contact and the ability to
ingratiate themselves with the peoples,

5. Rapid Development of Public
Entertainment Venues in the City
• Because of the emperor could demonstrate that he was one of
them(peoples), Perhaps the senatorial allow huge entertainment venues to be
erected. Such like theatre or amphitheater.
• Senator, now they know how important of public entertainment had become in
the political game
• Since the beginning of 58BC, it seem like the rise of the public entertainment
growth as significant
• Senators used euergetism as a means of gaining popularity.
• Thus we can see how senators tried to outdo each other not only with the
content of the games that they staged, but with the venues they created also
• Within a short time Rome went from having no theatres to possessing three
permanent stone structures. And later on during 29BC, the rising of
amphitheatre has increased as significant.

6. THEATRE
• Theatre is one of the most significant architectural structure for public
entertainment, which is more then a hundred of theatre in Italy that was
found.
• The theatre was the place where performances of comedies and tragedies
were held
• The theatre was commissioned by Pompey the Great, one of the richest and
most powerful men in the Roman world.
• The first stone theatre in Rome is the theatre of Pompey.
• In 55BC, the Pompey theatre has been ban by Senate and acknowledged
just a temple. And claiming that the theatre was just a staircase to the
temple.
• Later on, The theatre was officially inaugurated in either 13BC

7. THEATRE
• Pompeii Theatre: was constructed in the second century BC, it shows the
typical design of the Greek the architecture and interior. when Pompeii
became a Roman colony in 80BC, the original theatre was further
supplemented by the Odeon(now day we known as cinema), and built by
two members of the local elite, duumviri Gaius Quinctius Valgus and
Marcus Portius.
– SMALL THEATRE OR ODEON: 1,000 seats, used to host plays and musical events,
performance of mimes.
– LARGE THEATRE: 5,000 seats, performance of comedies and tragedies. natural
background.

8. Pompeii Theatre

10. Modern Theatre Opera
House
Opera House Sydney
• building was formally opened on 20 October 197
• Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The Sydney Opera House includes a number of performance venues which is
: Concert Hall(With 2,679 seats), Joan Sutherland Theatre (with 1,507
seats), Drama Theatre (with 544 seats), Playhouse or end-stage theatre
(with 398 seats) Studio (with 280 permanent seats)
which is 5408 seats

14. Amphitheatre
• Because of the spectacles held in the different venues such like beast or
hunts for example gladiatorial combats had been held in temporary
amphitheatres or in the Forum Romano, so, Rome needed permanent
amphitheatre, not only to stage specific forms of entertainment but also to
bring the city in line with many of the towns in Campania
• Rome’s first permanent amphitheatre was built by Statilius Taurus in 29BC.
It name Statilius Taurus amphitheatre.
• A second amphitheatre build by Caligula and it was abandoned, but later on
this amphitheatre rebuilt a huge wooden structure in AD57. it name
Amphitheatre Caligula.
• The Colosseum: the largest and most famous amphitheater in the Roman
world, constructed in 72AD til 80AD. During the Colosseum’s opening
ceremonies, spectacles were held for 100 days in which 5,000 of animals and
2,000 gladiators were killed. It can held 50,000 spectator with 8 entrance.

16. Colosseum Amphitheatre

17. Colosseum Amphitheatre

18. Conclusion
• In contrast to this, public benefactions such as games and shows gave an
individual fleeting prestige that only lasted as long as people remembered the
spectacles.
• Public building had always been an important part of the role of the elite in
ancient society, as it gave the upper classes the opportunity to glorify
themselves and display their commitment to public service by means of
permanent memorials
• The key term is that, everything is exchange, which mean the elite giving the
general public by developing the city in order to gain the popularity and their
benefaction.
• In the late Republic, the power of entertainment is a political tool that are the
most efficiency.

19. Thank For Your Attention!!