Amphiteatres presentation in English

1. Ancient Amphitheatres:Ancient Amphitheatres:
● Building elliptical shape. A few available places.
● Gladiator's games.
● Fights between gladiators and animals: venationes.
● Name deriving from Greek: “theatre around”.
●
First in Pompeii built in 70th b.C.
● The most famous in the world: the Colosseum, built
during the Flavi's dynasty, begun by Vespasiano
emperor and finished by him soon Tito.
● It reach impressive size

3. The games in the amphitheatres:The games in the amphitheatres:
● Venationes: fights where animals and gladiators fight in
a kind of ritualized hunting, they were both penalized.
● The gladiator's games and the venationes was spread
in all the Roman kingdom between the I and II
century a.C.
● The amphitheatre was collocated at the periphery or
out of the wall of the city.
● When the Christianity starts to spread in the IV century
a.C., the amphitheatres were closed: the shows were
considered cruel and inhuman.
● The last gladiator's games were celebrated in the VI
century a.C, under the kingdom of Teodorico, in the
Colosseum.

5. The structure:The structure:
● Flat elliptical area covered with sand: arena.
● Masonry tribune around: cavea; they were divided in
sector to discern the spectators based on the social
stratum.
● Tribune on top was reserved for the authorities: pulvinar.
● Separate way out paths: vomitoria.
● Warehouse for the gear or scenery.
● Place where the fight animals were closed: carceres.

6. The structure:The structure:
● Thermal baths and gym for the gladiators.
● Place of workship.
●
Lots of people had a role in the amphitheatres like: the
animal eater, the scenoghraphers, the men who remove
the gladiator's bodies or the animal's bodies.
● To ensure that animals not coming back, it had been built
a corridor with poles that fallen behind the animals:
system of movable cages

9. SomeSome Amphitheater:Amphitheater:
● Pompeii, collocated in
the eastern part of the
town Pompeii
● Colosseum,it's
collocated in western
part of the area called
“roman court”
● Verona Arena, collocated
outside the ancient
Verona's city wall 1) Scaenae frons 2) Porticus post
scaenam 3) Pulpitum 4) Proscaenium 5)
Orchestra 6) Cavea 7) Aditus maximus 8)
Vomitorium, Roman theater of Bosra, Syria

10. Pompeii:Pompeii:
● Built around 80 a.C.
● Earliest Roman amphitheater known.
● The first built of stone.
● Modern crowd control specialists as near optimal.
● Wahsroom (neighboring palaestra) quoted as an
inspiration for better bathroom design in modern
stadiums .
● Awnings (velarium) protected against the sun
● The mast of awnings were attached to the rear wall of the
summa cavea.
● Private boxes (cathedrae) were reserved there for the
aristocratic women of Pompeii restricted by social
legislation of Augustus to these uppermost seats.

11. Modern Uses:Modern Uses:
Aside from being a
historical landmark and
an object of
archaeological study, the
amphitheater has been
used for concerts and
other public events in
modern times.

12. Colosseum AmphitheateColosseum Amphitheaterr
● Built between 70 a.C to 74 a.C.
● Is the most important roman amphitheater.
● There are more than 50.00. available seat.
● Its building started with Vespesiano during the Flavi
dynasty.
● It has, like the majority number of amphitheater, an
elliptical shape and a lot of arch.
● It was used for the gladiator's games, for the
venationes and other public performance.
● After the VI century it was used like burial-place and
castle especially during the government of papa Leone

13. Colosseum AmphitheateColosseum Amphitheaterr
● With the spread of Christianity, the shows were
considered pagan and inhuman: the amphitheater was
closed.
● The Colosseum became damaged by an earthquake.
● Symbol of the imperial city, expression of an ideology
where the celebration will became to define some model
for the entertainment of the people.
● The name of “Colosseum” was shared just on the
Middle age cause it was near the “Colosso di
Nerone's” statue.
● Now is one of the most tourist attraction in Italy.
● Symbol of Rome; one of the most 7 beautiful in the
world.

16. Verona ArenaVerona Arena
●
1st
century ad? in the Augustian period.
● The name comes from its central area covered by sand :
"Arena" in latin.
● Structure in line with the city's road: perfect integration
with town center.
● Included in the city's walls only through the work of
Emperor Gallienus (3rd
century).
● Barbaric inavsions: it was included to strenght them.
● Middle age: source of recycled construction materials:
creating new building in the city.
●
Earthquake in 12th
century leaving indelible traces on it.
● Rows arches in Tuscanic style: 31 metres high.

17. Verona ArenaVerona Arena
● The main entrance, the most imponent, was the one
facing on Porta Borsari.
● Inner ring has two rows with 72 arches, built in local
white and pink (vapolicella) stone.
● Access was through 64 openings: the vomitori.
● 30.000 available seat.
● Built well-squared blocks of marble and 3 concentric
circle.
● Most solemn monument in Roman Verona and one of
the best-preserved ancient sturctures.
● Complex hydarulic system.
● Internationally famouse for the large-scale opera
perfomance given there.