amphitheatre of Pompeii
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The Amphitheatre of Pompeii is one of the oldest surviving
Roman amphitheatre Roman amphitheatres are theatres – large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised seating – built by the ancient Romans. They were used for events such as gladiator combats, '' venationes'' (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Ro ...
s. It is located in the ancient Roman city of
Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
, and was buried by the eruption of
Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9 ...
in 79 AD, that also buried the city of Pompeii and the neighbouring town of
Herculaneum Herculaneum (; Neapolitan and it, Ercolano) was an ancient town, located in the modern-day ''comune'' of Ercolano, Campania, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Like the nea ...
. Six bodies were found during the excavations.


Design and construction

Built around 70 BC, the
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
is one of the earliest Roman amphitheatres built of stone; previously, they had been built out of wood. Contemporarily, it was known as a ''spectacula'' rather than an ''amphitheatrum'', since the latter term was not yet in use at the time. It was built with the private funds of Gaius Quinctius Valgus and Marcus Porcius (a relative of Julius Caesar's rival). The space was constructed shortly after Pompeii's induction as a Roman colony, and an inscription on the amphitheatre honoring the donors, Gaius Quinctius Valgus and Marcus Porcius, cites one of their motives, being, "to demonstrate the honour of the colony," perhaps indicating the amphitheatre's role in establishing Roman influence in Pompeii. The design is seen by some modern crowd control specialists as near-optimal. The design of the lower entrances for higher-class citizens, who would been seated closest to the pit, have been noted for their facility in curating unique viewership experiences—viewers would be struck by both the beams of light flooding the dark tunnel and the roar of the crowd as they entered the amphitheatre, creating a highly stimulating and dramatic experience. Its washroom, located in the neighbouring
palaestra A palaestra ( or ; also (chiefly British) palestra; grc-gre, παλαίστρα) was any site of an ancient Greek wrestling school. Events requiring little space, such as boxing and wrestling, took place there. Palaestrae functioned both indep ...
has also been cited as an inspiration for better bathroom design in modern stadiums. The amphitheatre measures 135m long and 104m wide. The arena (pit) is measured to be 6m below ground level. and measures 66.7m long and 35.1m wide. The only internal features of the amphitheatre at Pompeii were a corridor that cut into the base of cavea. This corridor ran the circumference of the amphitheatre and is used to access the arena.


Gladiatorial contests

The preservation of Pompeii and its amphitheatre have given insights into the
gladiatorial A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
culture of Rome. Painted posters on the walls of the amphitheatre have been uncovered depicting gladiators accompanied by slogans and nicknames, evoking shades of the modern posters, billboards, and banners depicting today's sports stars and celebrities. For example, one poster declares a gladiator to be the "Heart throb of the girls." One of the most notable events in the amphitheatre's history occurred around 59 AD, when a deadly brawl occurred between Pompeiians and residents of
Nuceria Nocera Inferiore ( nap, Nucèrä Inferiórë or simply , , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in Campania in southern Italy. It lies west of Nocera Superiore, at the foot of Monte Albino, some 20 km east-so ...
during games in the amphitheatre, resulting in a 10-year ban on such events.


Earthquake

The amphitheater was damaged by an earthquake in 62 AD. The magistrate Cuspius Pansa and his son undertook its restoration.


Modern uses

Aside from being a historical landmark and an object of archaeological study, the amphitheatre has been used for concerts and other public events in modern times. Over a 4-day period in October 1971,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
made a
concert film A concert film, or concert movie, is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician or a stand-up comedian. Early history The ...
at the amphitheatre, titled '' Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii''.
David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
, the band's guitarist, returned to perform two concerts at the amphitheatre in July 2016 as part of his ''
Rattle That Lock Tour The Rattle That Lock Tour was a concert tour by English singer and musician David Gilmour to support his fourth solo studio album, ''Rattle That Lock''. The tour became a commercial success, grossing $47 million and selling 288,997 tickets in 16 ...
''. In September 1991,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
was granted special permission by the site's chief archaeologist to perform in the amphitheatre. In 2015 a temporary museum was installed in the centre of the amphitheater. The pyramidal structure was designed to resemble Mount Vesuvius, and housed the installation ''"Pompeii and Europe from 1748 to 194''3", which displayed casts of 20 victims of the eruption and photographs of the excavations. Gilmour's 2016 concerts saw the first public performances in the amphitheatre since
79 AD __NOTOC__ AD 79 ( LXXIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Titus and Vespasianus (or, less frequently, year 832 ''Ab ur ...
and are featured on the live album/video ''
Live at Pompeii ''Live at Pompeii'' is a live album and film by David Gilmour, the guitarist of Pink Floyd. It was recorded at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. It documents his 2015–16 world tour to promote his album, ''Rattle That Lock'' (2015). The conce ...
''. In 2018, the venue hosted a live performance to an audience by
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
group
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
.


See also

*
Theatre Area of Pompeii The theatre area of Pompeii is located in the southwest region of the city. There are three main buildings that make up this area: the Large Theatre, the Odeon (small theatre), and the Quadriporticum. These served as an entertainment and meeting ...
*
List of Roman amphitheatres The remains of at least 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found widely scattered around the area of the Roman Empire. These are large, circular or oval open-air venues with raised 360 degree seating and not to be confused with the more common t ...


References


Bibliography

* * *


Further reading

* BBC
"Pompeii Art and Architecture Gallery"
Joanne Berry (accessed 7 May 2009) * 'CSO: Security and Risk'
"Modern Crowd Control Lessons (from Ancient Pompeii)"
Scott Berinato, ''18 May 2007'' (accessed 7 May 2009) * University of Chicago

James Grout, 'Encyclopaedia Romana' (accessed 7 May 2009)


External links



{{Pompeii 70 BC Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC Pompeii (ancient city) Roman amphitheatres in Italy Ruins in Italy 1748 archaeological discoveries Sports riots