The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre

The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre PDF Author: David Bomgardner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113470738X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The Roman amphitheatre was a site both of bloody combat and marvellous spectacle, symbolic of the might of Empire; to understand the importance of the amphitheatre is to understand a key element in the social and political life of the Roman ruling classes. Generously illustrated with 141 plans and photographs, The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre offers a comprehensive picture of the origins, development, and eventual decline of the most typical and evocative of Roman monuments. With a detailed examination of the Colosseum, as well as case studies of significant sites from Italy, Gaul, Spain and Roman North Africa, the book is a fascinating gazetteer for the general reader as well as a valuable tool for students and academics.

The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre

The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre PDF Author: David Bomgardner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113470738X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The Roman amphitheatre was a site both of bloody combat and marvellous spectacle, symbolic of the might of Empire; to understand the importance of the amphitheatre is to understand a key element in the social and political life of the Roman ruling classes. Generously illustrated with 141 plans and photographs, The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre offers a comprehensive picture of the origins, development, and eventual decline of the most typical and evocative of Roman monuments. With a detailed examination of the Colosseum, as well as case studies of significant sites from Italy, Gaul, Spain and Roman North Africa, the book is a fascinating gazetteer for the general reader as well as a valuable tool for students and academics.

The Roman Amphitheatre

The Roman Amphitheatre PDF Author: Katherine E. Welch
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521809443
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 416

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Book Description
This is the first book to analyze the evolution of the Roman amphitheatre as an architectural form. Katherine Welch addresses the critical period in the history of this building type: its origins and dissemination under the Republic, from the third to first centuries BC; its monumentalization as an architectural form under Augustus; and its canonization as a building type with the Colosseum (AD 80). The study then shifts focus to the reception of the amphitheatre in the Greek East, a part of the Empire deeply fractured about the new realities of Roman rule.

The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre

The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre PDF Author: David L. Bomgardner
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781138850705
Category : Amphitheaters
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
"This thoroughly updated and enlarged edition illuminates the epic story of the birth, early development, widespread flourishing and slow decline of that most typical Roman monument, the amphitheatre. This lucid and accessible work, lavishly illustrated with plans and photographs, breaks new ground with the incorporation of sociological, psychological, historical and even ecological material into the study of the amphitheatre. A more varied and wider ranging series of case studies provides the backbone of this new edition. They are included either because of their own intrinsic importance (Corinth, Pergamon, Trier, Chester), because they have been recently reinvestigated and well reported (Fréjus, Mérida), because they have been excavated and thoroughly published (Saintes, Augst, Avenches, Virunum), or have only been discovered in the past two decades (London, Virunum, Córdoba and Cartagena). This volume is a valuable reference work for students and scholars of Roman history and architecture, and this new updated edition will bring this topic to a new generation of readers"--

The Colosseum

The Colosseum PDF Author: Keith Hopkins
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674063597
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Byron and Hitler were equally entranced by Rome’s most famous monument, the Colosseum. Mid-Victorians admired the hundreds of varieties of flowers in its crannies and occasionally shuddered at its reputation for contagion, danger, and sexual temptation. Today it is the highlight of a tour of Italy for more than three million visitors a year, a concert arena for the likes of Paul McCartney, and a national symbol of opposition to the death penalty. Its ancient history is chock full of romantic but erroneous myths. There is no evidence that any gladiator ever said “Hail Caesar, those about to die...” and we know of not one single Christian martyr who met his finish here. Yet the reality is much stranger than the legend as the authors, two prominent classical historians, explain in this absorbing account. We learn the details of how the arena was built and at what cost; we are introduced to the emperors who sometimes fought in gladiatorial games staged at the Colosseum; and we take measure of the audience who reveled in, or opposed, these games. The authors also trace the strange afterlife of the monument—as fortress, shrine of martyrs, church, and glue factory. Why are we so fascinated with this arena of death?

Arena

Arena PDF Author: John Pearson
Publisher: New York : McGraw-Hill
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
"The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo) is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world."--Wikipedia.

The Flavian Amphitheatre

The Flavian Amphitheatre PDF Author: John Henry Parker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Amphitheaters
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description


The Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum PDF Author: Charles River Charles River Editors
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781985760851
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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Book Description
*Includes pictures. *Explains how the Romans designed and built the Colosseum. *Includes ancient accounts of games held in the Colosseum. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. "Let barbarous Memphis speak no more of the wonder of its pyramids, nor Assyrian toil boast of Babylon; nor let the soft Ionians be extolled for Trivia's temple; let the altar of many horns say nothing of Delos; nor let the Carians exalt to the skies with extravagant praises the Mausoleum poised on empty air. All labors yield to Caesar's Amphitheatre. Fame shall tell of one work instead of all." - Martial When the Colosseum was built in the late 1st century A.D., the Romans, a people known for their architectural acumen, managed to amaze themselves. Martial, a Roman poet writing during the inauguration of the Colosseum, clearly believed the Colosseum was so grand a monument that it was even greater than the other Wonders of the Ancient World, which had been written about and visited endlessly by the Romans and Greeks in antiquity. Indeed, although the Wonders were wondrous to behold, the Colosseum was a spectacular achievement in architecture, something new and innovative, and therefore an amazing "Wonder" in its own way. The Colosseum was designed to be both a symbol and show of strength by the famous Flavian emperors, most notably Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. Vespasian had started the construction of the Colosseum shortly after becoming emperor in 69 A.D., but he died before he could present any spectacles in his giant amphitheatre. That honor went to his son Titus, who celebrated the inaugural opening in 80 A.D. with 100 days of games, despite the fact that the Colosseum was not completely finished. When his brother Domitian came to power in 81 A.D., he finished the amphitheatre, but not without making some changes to the overall design. By the time it was truly finished, the Colosseum stood about 150 feet tall, with the oval in the center stretching nearly two football fields long and over 500 feet across. The Colosseum is a large stadium even by today's standards, and its great size conveys the power of the empire as it dominates the landscape and towers over nearby buildings. Nearly 2,000 years later, the Colosseum still amazes millions of people who come to visit it, and when asked to visualize a monument that represents the Roman Empire, many conjure up an image of the large amphitheater. As Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard put it, the Colosseum is "the most famous, and instantly recognizable, monument to have survived from the classical world." At the same time, the Colosseum also represents the Roman games and spectacles, particularly the gladiatorial combats that so many people today find both abhorrent yet fascinating. Given its massive size and the architectural ingenuity involved, the Colosseum played host to all sorts of games, including massive hunts of exotic animals and even sea battles. The Roman Colosseum: The History of the World's Most Famous Arena comprehensively covers the history and construction of Rome's largest amphitheater. Along with a bibliography and pictures, you will learn about the Colosseum like you never have before, in no time at all.

The Flavian Amphitheatre, Commonly Called the Colosseum at Rome. Its History & Substructures Compared with Other Amphitheatres

The Flavian Amphitheatre, Commonly Called the Colosseum at Rome. Its History & Substructures Compared with Other Amphitheatres PDF Author: John Henry Parker
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3385504279
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

The Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum PDF Author: Elizabeth Mann
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781931414173
Category : Amphitheaters
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Describes the building of the Colosseum in ancient Rome, and tells how it was used.

The Roman Gladiators and the Colosseum

The Roman Gladiators and the Colosseum PDF Author: Charles River Editors
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781494221560
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
*Includes pictures. *Includes ancient accounts of gladiatorial games and other spectacles. *Explains how the Colosseum was designed and built, as well as how seating was arranged. *Describes the different classes of Roman gladiators and the armor and weaponry they used. *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading. “He vows to endure to be burned, to be bound, to be beaten, and to be killed by the sword." - The gladiator's oath, according to Petronius in the Satyricon. When the Colosseum was built in the late 1st century A.D., the Romans, a people known for their architectural acumen, managed to amaze themselves. Martial, a Roman poet writing during the inauguration of the Colosseum, clearly believed the Colosseum was so grand a monument that it was even greater than the other Wonders of the Ancient World, which had been written about and visited endlessly by the Romans and Greeks in antiquity. Indeed, although the Wonders were wondrous to behold, the Colosseum was a spectacular achievement in architecture, something new and innovative, and therefore an amazing “Wonder” in its own way. The Colosseum was designed to be both a symbol and show of strength by the famous Flavian emperors, most notably Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. Vespasian had started the construction of the Colosseum shortly after becoming emperor in 69 A.D., but he died before he could present any spectacles in his giant amphitheatre. That honor went to his son Titus, who celebrated the inaugural opening in 80 A.D. with 100 days of games, despite the fact that the Colosseum was not completely finished. When his brother Domitian came to power in 81 A.D., he finished the amphitheatre, but not without making some changes to the overall design. By the time it was truly finished, the Colosseum stood about 150 feet tall, with the oval in the center stretching nearly two football fields long and over 500 feet across. The Colosseum is a large stadium even by today's standards, and its great size conveys the power of the empire as it dominates the landscape and towers over nearby buildings. Of course, the main events in the Colosseum were gladiator fights. Gladiators are somewhat synonymous with ancient Rome, and even thousands of years after they performed on the sands, when people are asked about Roman culture, many think about and refer to the bloody spectacles of men fighting to the death in the arena. Gladiatorial combat is often regarded as barbaric, and most find it very difficult to comprehend how people could have enjoyed watching something so violent, but nevertheless, the spectacle still intrigues and fascinates people today, whether in movies like Gladiator or television shows about Spartacus. Each match usually pitted one type of gladiator against a different type of gladiator, with each having their own kind of armor, weaponry and fighting style. For example, the retiarius was a gladiator that used a net, dagger and trident as his offensive weapons, while only wearing a protective guard over his left arm for protection. The retiarius would typically fight against the secutor, a gladiator armed with a sword, large shield, helmet and protective covering on his right arm and left leg. Therefore, a retiarius sacrificed armor for quickness in battle, while the secutor did the opposite. Although people often think of gladiators fighting to the death, the outcome of gladiatorial combats was not always fatal for one of the participants. If a gladiator fought well, the sponsor of the show could spare him, particularly if the crowd desired it. The fact that the outcome of matches was never the same and the crowd could help determine the result of the match certainly added to the Roman public's pleasure, making it a lot less surprising that such an abhorrent spectacle still fascinated the modern world.