Amphitheatre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Amphitheatre (disambiguation).

The Colosseum amphitheatre in Rome, built c. 70 80 AD, is considered

one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering.
An amphitheatre or amphitheater /mfitr/[1][2] is an open-air
venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term
derives from the ancient Greek (amphitheatron),[3] from
(amphi), meaning "on both sides" or "around"[4] and (thtron),
meaning "place for viewing".[5][6]

Ancient Roman amphitheatres were oval or circular in plan, with seating

tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air
stadium. In contrast both ancient Greek and ancient Roman theatres were
built in a semicircle, with tiered seating rising on one side of the
performance area. In modern usage, "amphitheatre" is sometimes used to
describe theatre-style stages with spectator seating on only one side,
theatres in the round, and stadiums. Natural formations of similar shape
are sometimes known as natural amphitheatres.

Interior of the Colosseum

Arles Amphitheatre, France: a Roman arena still used[7] for bullfighting,

plays and summer concerts.

Contents
1 Roman amphitheatres
2 Modern amphitheatres
3 Natural amphitheatres
4 See also
5 Footnotes
6 References

Roman amphitheatres
Main article: Roman amphitheatre

The Amphitheatre of El Jem, Tunisia

Interior of the Amphitheatre of El Jem

Ancient Roman amphitheatres were major public venues, circular or oval
in plan, with perimeter seating tiers. They were used for events such as
gladiator combats, chariot races, venationes (animal hunts) and
executions. About 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found across the
area of the Roman Empire. Their typical shape, functions and name
distinguish them from Roman theatres, which are more or less
semicircular in shape; from the circuses (similar to hippodromes) whose
much longer circuits were designed mainly for horse or chariot racing
events; and from the smaller stadia, which were primarily designed for
athletics and footraces.[8]

The earliest Roman amphitheatres date from the middle of the 1st century
BC, but most were built under Imperial rule, from the Augustan period (27
BC14 AD) onwards.[9] Imperial amphitheatres were built throughout the
Roman empire; the largest could accommodate 40,00060,000 spectators.
The most elaborate featured multi-storeyed, arcaded faades and were
elaborately decorated with marble, stucco and statuary.[10] After the end of
gladiatorial games in the 5th century and of staged animal hunts in the
6th, most amphitheatres fell into disrepair. Their materials were mined or
recycled. Some were razed, and others were converted into fortifications.
A few continued as convenient open meeting places; in some of these,
churches were sited.[11]

Modern amphitheatres

The Hollywood Bowl, California; a modern amphitheatre, adapted from the

bowl-shaped, natural amphitheatre from which it gets its name. The
standing structure is a bandshell

Local amphitheater at Keehner Park, West Chester, Ohio

In modern usage, an amphitheatre is a circular, semicircular or curved,
acoustically vibrant performance space, particularly one located outdoors.
Contemporary amphitheatres often include standing structures, called
bandshells, sometimes curved or bowl-shaped, both behind the stage and
behind the audience, creating an area which echoes or amplifies sound,
making the amphitheatre ideal for musical or theatrical performances.
Small-scale amphitheatres can serve to host outdoor local community
performances.
Notable modern amphitheatres include the Shoreline Amphitheatre and
the Hollywood Bowl. The term "amphitheatre" is also used for some indoor
venues such as the Gibson Amphitheatre.

Natural amphitheatres

Bryce Canyon Amphitheatre from Sunrise Point

A natural amphitheatre is a performance space located in a spot where a
steep mountain or a particular rock formation naturally amplifies or
echoes sound, making it ideal for musical and theatrical performances.
The term amphitheatre can also be used to describe naturally occurring
formations which would be ideal for this purpose, even if no theatre has
been constructed there.

Notable natural amphitheatres include the Drakensberg amphitheatre in

Drakensberg, South Africa, Slane Castle in Ireland, the Supernatural
Amphitheatre in Victoria, Australia, Ruth Amphitheatre in Alaska, Echo
amphitheatre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and The
Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State, United States.

See also
Arena
Stadium
Thingplatz
List of Roman amphitheatres
List of contemporary amphitheatres
List of indoor arenas
List of ancient Greek theatres
Roman theatre (structure)
Footnotes
1.
New Oxford American Dictionary (Third ed.). Oxford University Press.
2010.

"Definition of Amphitheatre in Oxford dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation

and origin of the word". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press.
2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.

, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, '56'An Intermediate

Greek-English Lexicon, on Peseus

, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on

Perseus
 , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on
Perseus

Hoad, T.F. (1996). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology.

Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 489. ISBN 0-19-283098-8.

Michel Tournier, Le coq de bruyre, W. D. Redfern, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ

Press, 1996, p. 69

Bomgardner, 37.

Bomgardner, 59.

Bomgardner, 62.

1. Bomgardner, 201223.
References
Bomgardner, David Lee (October 2000). The Story of the Roman
Amphitheatre. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16593-8.
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