Amphitheater comes from the Greek amphi ~ on both sides and theatron ~ semicircular viewing place or theater.
The Colosseum in Rome is an amphitheater. It was developed as an improvement over the Circus Maximus for gladiatorial combats, wild beast fights (
venationes), and mock naval battles (
naumachiae). Elliptical in shape, the circus had a fixed central divider called a
spina down the middle, which was useful in chariot races, but got in the way during fights. In addition, the spectators' view was limited in the circus. The amphitheater put spectators on all sides of the action.
Early Amphitheaters
In 50 B.C., C. Scribonius Curio built the first amphitheater in Rome to stage his father's funeral games. Curio's amphitheater and the next one, built in 46 B.C., by Julius Caesar, were made of wood. The weight of the spectators was at times too great for the wooden structure and, of course, the wood was easily destroyed by fire.
Building a Stable Amphiteater
The Emperor Augustus designed a more substantial amphitheater to stage
venationes, but it wasn't until the Flavian emperors, Vespasian and Titus, that the enduring, limestone, brick, and marble Amphitheatrum Flavium (aka Vespasian's Amphitheater) was built.
"The construction utilized a careful combination of types: concrete for the foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill between piers for the walls of the lower two levels, and brick-faced concrete used for the upper levels and for most of the vaults."
Great Buildings Online - Roman Colosseum
The amphitheater was dedicated in A.D. 80, with the slaughter of 5000 animals. The amphitheater may not have been finished, though, until the reign of Titus' brother Domitian. Lightning damaged the amphitheater, but later emperors repaired and maintained it until the games were ended in the sixth century.
Colosseum
The Colosseum is one of the most well-known of the ancient Roman structures because so much of it still remains. The medieval historian Bedes applied the name Colosseum (Colyseus) to the
Amphitheatrum Flavium, possibly because the amphitheater -- which had taken back the pond on the land Nero had devoted to his extravagant golden palace (
domus aurea) -- stood beside a
colossal statue of Nero. This etymology is disputed.
Size of the Flavian Amphitheater
The tallest Roman structure, the colosseum could hold 87,000 spectators and several hundred fighting animals. The Romans probably held mock sea battles in the Flavian Amphitheater. There were 64 numbered doors to let spectators in and out that were called vomitoria. The colosseum was about 160 feet high and covered about six acres.
Other Noteworthy Aspects of the Colosseum
There were substructures under the fighting area that may have been animal dens or channels for water for or from the mock naval battles. It is hard to determine how the Romans produced
venationes and
naumachiae on the same day. A removable awning called
velarium provided the spectators with shade from the sun. The outside of the Flavian amphitheater has three rows of arches, each built according to a different order of architecture, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.
