Amphitheatre

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Amphitheatre

An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports, concerts, rallies, or theatrical performances. There are two similar, but distinct types of amphitheatres: Ancient amphitheatres, built by the ancient Romans

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
, were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used for spectator sports; these compare more closely to modern open-air stadia

Stadia

Stadium or stadion has the plural stadia in both Latin and Greek. Stadia refers to a unit of length, the Ancient_Greek_units_of_measurement#Length....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Amphitheatre'

Start a new discussion about 'Amphitheatre'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Ancient Rome

Stadia

Stadium or stadion has the plural stadia in both Latin and Greek. Stadia refers to a unit of length, the Ancient_Greek_units_of_measurement#Length....
. Modern amphitheatres, are more typically used for theatrical or concert performances and typically feature a more theatrical-style

Theater (structure)

A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or Play are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be given....
stage with audience only on one side, usually at an arc of less than a semicircle; these compare more closely to the theatres of ancient Greece

Theatre of Ancient Greece

The theatre of ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a Theatre culture that flourished in Classical Greece between c. 550 and c. 220 BCE....
, and have been more commonly built throughout history as performance spaces. Amphitheatres are typically man-made, though there are also geological formations used in the same manner which are known as natural amphitheatres. Special events and games were held in amphitheatres, such as the gladiator

Gladiator

A Gladiator was a slave, criminal or professional fighter in ancient Rome. Gladiators fought other gladiators, wild animals and condemned criminals, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of Spectator sport in cities and towns of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, from the 3rd century BCE to the 5th century CE....
games.

The term derives from the ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
amphi-, meaning "around", or "on both sides" and théatron, meaning "place for viewing".

Roman amphitheatres

There are many famous examples from the Roman Classical period

Classical antiquity

Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome....
. Being particularly associated with ancient Rome, amphitheatres were used for various types of public spectacles. In the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, amphitheatres were round or oval in shape (created originally from two wooden theatres joined together, hence the name "amphi"-theatre), forming a complete circle or ellipse, and were used for spectator sports, games and displays.

This is in contrast to a Greek or Roman classical theatre, which was semicircular and used for theatrical performances (but also for gladiators in areas where amphitheatres were not available). An amphitheatre also differed from a Roman circus

Circus (building)

The Roman Circus was a large open-air venue used for public events in the ancient Roman Empire. Along with Roman theatre s and amphitheatres, Circuses were one of the main entertainment sites of the time....
or Greek hippodrome

Hippodrome

A Hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. Some present-day horse racing tracks are also called hippodromes, for example the Central Moscow Hippodrome....
, both of which were used for chariot racing

Chariot racing

Chariot racing was one of the most popular Ancient Greece, Roman Empire and Byzantine empire sports. Chariot racing was often dangerous to both driver and horse?they frequently suffered serious injury and even death?but generated strong spectator enthusiasm....
and horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrianism sport that has been practiced over the centuries; the chariot racing of Ancient Rome are an early example, as is the contest of the steeds of the god Odin and the giant Hrungnir in Norse mythology....
and were shaped more like a very long, narrow horse shoe. The best-known amphitheatre in the world is the Colosseum

Colosseum

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire....
in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
, which is more correctly termed the Flavian amphitheatre (Amphitheatrum Flavii), after the Flavian dynasty

Flavian dynasty

The Flavian dynasty was a Ancient Rome imperial dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian , and his two sons Titus and Domitian ....
who had it built. An amphitheatre in a community became a prized symbol of Roman citizenship

Roman citizenship

Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged social status afforded to certain individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance.It is hard to offer meaningful generalities across the entire Roman period, as the nature and availability of citizenship was affected by legislation, for example, the Lex Iulia....
in the outlying areas of Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
. The remains of some 230 amphitheatres have been located in widely scattered areas of the Roman Empire. (See:List of Roman amphitheatres

List of Roman amphitheatres

The remains of at least 230 amphitheatres have been found widely scattered areas of the Roman Empire. These are usually oval, and are not to be confused with the more common "ordinary" Roman theatre , which are semicircular structures....
)

Contemporary amphitheatres

A contemporary amphitheatre is a curved, acoustically vibrant performance space, particularly one located outdoors. Contemporary amphitheatres often include standing structures, called bandshells

Bandshell

A bandshell is a large, outdoor performing venue typically used by concert band and orchestras. The roof and the back half of the shell protect musicians from the elements and reflect sound through the open side and out towards the audience....
, 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. Most are semicircular in shape, and so should not properly be called amphitheatres. Notable modern amphitheatres include the Gibson Amphitheatre

Gibson Amphitheatre

The Gibson Guitar Corporation Amphitheatre is a theatre located in Universal City, California, USA. It was originally built in 1972 as an outdoor venue, but was remodeled and converted into an indoor theatre in 1982....
and the Hollywood Bowl

Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
; the largest amphitheatre in North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
is the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, California

Devore, California

Devore is sometimes considered a small unincorporated area community located where Interstate 15 meets Interstate 215 in San Bernardino County, California, California, it is a area in the city of San Bernardino, California....
, with a seating capacity

Seating capacity

Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, either in terms of the space available, or in terms of limitations set by law....
of 65,000.

Natural amphitheatres

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

Amphitheatre (Drakensberg)

The Amphitheatre is one of the geographical features of the Northern Drakensberg, South Africa, and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive cliff faces on earth....
in Drakensberg

Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu language, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti ....
, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
, Slane Castle

Slane Castle

Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane village, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland....
in Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, Echo amphitheatre

Echo amphitheatre

Echo amphitheatre is a natural amphitheatre located in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States, about 17 miles west of Abiqui?, New Mexico and about 10 miles up the road from Ghost Ranch....
, Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a rock structure in Red Rocks Park near Morrison, Colorado, Colorado , where concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre....
and The Gorge Amphitheatre

The Gorge Amphitheatre

The Gorge Amphitheatre is a 20,000 seat concert venue located above the Columbia River Columbia River Gorge in George, Washington. Administered by LiveNation, it is considered one of the premier and most scenic concert locations in North America and the world....
, all of which are in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

Note

External links

(Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities)
with Platner article

Amphitheatre

Roman amphitheatres

Contemporary amphitheatres

Natural amphitheatres

Note

See also

External links