A maenianum was a balcony or gallery for spectators at a public show in ancient Rome. The name was originally given by censor Gaius Maenius in 318 BC to the decorated gallery in the

Forum Romanum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient ...

, where spectators watched gladiatorial combats. The maenianum was divided into several levels: ''maenianum primum'', which was reserved for the non-senatorial noble class called the

equites The ''equites'' (; literally "horse-" or "cavalrymen", though sometimes referred to as "knights" in English) constituted the second of the property-based classes of ancient Rome, ranking below the senatorial class. A member of the equestrian o ...

. The ''maenianum secundum'', which featured the better, lower seats for the wealthy plebeians; and ''maenianum summum'' with the upper seats for the poor plebeians.

Literature

* ''Maenius''. In:

Karl Ernst Georges Karl Ernst Georges (; 26 December 1806, Gotha – 25 August 1895, Gotha) was a German classical philologist and lexicographer, known for his edition of Latin-German dictionaries. From 1826 to 1828 he studied classical philology at the Universi ...

: ''Concise Latin-German pocket dictionary''. 8th edition. Volume 2, Hannover 1918, Sp. 755
online
. * KIP , 3 , 864 , , , Walter Hatto Gross * Philip Smith: ''maenianum. '' In: William Smith: ''. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities '' John Murray, London, 1875. 723 S.
E / novel / text / secondary / SMIGRA * /)

References

{{reflist, 30em Architectural terminology Ancient Roman architecture