Essentials of a Roman City #1- The Amphitheatre

So what is THE most recognised monument in Rome? The Colosseum most naturally- an iconic structure that immediately evokes images of Rome and the ‘Dolce Vita’ in our minds. But did you know that the actual name of the Colosseum is actually ‘The Flavian Amphitheatre’? Flavian for the dynasty to which the emperor Vespasian who commissioned the monument belonged. (The Colosseum is supposedly derived from an immense statue akin to the Colossus of Rhodes that an earlier emperor – Nero had commissioned at the same site).

The Colosseum was the largest Roman amphitheatre that was ever built. The Colosseum was capable of seating 50,000 spectators and was used for all kinds of public events- gladiatorial fights, animal fights, public executions  and the like. The Roman people did not have television and other means of entertainment- so the only other option were public spectacles. Emperors, generals, senators and every other public figure always vied to curry favour with the public by offering free public games (which incidentally meant holidays- oh yay!). Also a useful vent to channel the emotions of over a million people (yes, you read that right!) living in very cramped conditions in Rome.

The Iconic Flavian Amphitheatre- Colosseum

I won’t go into the details of the structure of the Colosseum in this post. But what I will focus on are how amphitheatres are found across a number of Roman cities and how they were quite an integral part of any Roman town or city that wanted to show that it had arrived.

Inside the Colosseum- Also visible is the Hypogeum (Underground Part)

The basic designs of amphitheatres were mostly circular (though elliptical-ish at times) with tiered seating at different levels for people from different strata of society (essentially the higher up you were, the less value you had in the society- pretty much like modern days!). The Vomitoria located beneath the tiered seating helped people quickly exit into / enter from the passageways outside.

Passageway at Nimes Amphitheatre

Roman Amphitheatre at Nimes

The Amphitheatre at Nimes pictured above is still in use today for people to watch bull-fights (really? Do we have any right to call the Romans barbaric?)

Remnants of Tiered Seating at Nimes

So the next time you head to a Roman town, don’t forget to check out the amphitheatre!

And of course do bear in mind that the structures in their hey days would have been decked with marble, gilding, paint and other fancy materials which would have given them a much more vibrant look.