AMPHITHEATRE, (from ab*, around ; and Oearpov, theatre,) in Roman antiquity, a large edifice, of an elliptic form, with a series of rising seats or benches disposed around a spacious area, called the arena, in which the combats of gladiators, wild beasts, and other sports, were exhibited. It consisted exteriorly of a wall pierced in its circumference by two or more ranges of arcades, and interiorly of vaulted passages radiating from the exterior arcades towards the arena, and several transverse vaulted corridors opening a free communication to the stairs at the ends of the passages, and to every other part of the building ; the corridors and ranges of seats forming elliptical figures parallel to the boundary wall.
Sometimes, in the middle of the fabric, there was an intermediate corridor, which, like those on the ground-floor, surrounded the whole, and served as a common landing-place to all the staircases that led to the higher galleries ; as in the amphitheatre at Nismes : and sometimes each staircase had its distinct landing, without any gallery of general communi cation : as in the amphitheatre at Verona.
The four passages in the direction of the greater and lesser axes were generally made wider than the rest, and, by intersecting arched passages, laid open to the adjoining passages on either side of them. The principal entrances, through which the emperor, the senate, and other distin guished persons passed, were placed in the direction of the lesser axes. The other two led directly to the arena by large arched gateways, which were appropriated to the beasts and gladiators. Through the other passages, the different orders of people passed to the staircases, which led to the respective seats. Every arcade around the exterior was numbered, as well as the divisions, or wedge-formed parts, called runei, which separated the people into different orders.
The amphitheatre was regulated by certain laws, by which each person knew the entry through which he was to pass, to his appropriate seat. The door-ways, which opened from
the stairs and passages, were denominated mititoria. The benches, on which the people sat, were about two feet four inches broad, and one foot eight inches high. Before every range of vomitoria, a passage of communication, called a preeinctum, was formed, about four 11..et eight inches broad, and bounded on the ascending side by a wall of about three feet four inches high. Surrounding the arena was a platform called the podium, which was of greater breadth than the precinctum, and which was defended on the front by strong netting, and rails of iron armed with spikes, and also with strong rollers of timber, which turned vertically, to prevent the hunted animals from leaping over. The emperor's pavili(m, called the suoestuam, Was in the podium, at one extremity of the minor axis of the arena, highly decorated. and lined with silk. The seats of the most distinguished persons were also in the podium, and covered with cushions, while marble benches were in general covered with boards ; but as the podium was not sufficiently large to contain all the people of high rank, other contiguous places N, ere allotted for that purpose. Over the spectators, in time of rain or intense sunshine, a covering of woollen of different colours, called the velum, was occasionally stretched by means of pullies and cords, and drawn up or let down at pleasure.— On the sides of the passages, and under the stairs, on the ground-story, are many cells and rooms, which were pro bably prisons for criminals condemned to fight or to be devoured, and in which the beasts might be occasionally stabled. It was sometimes the practice to give novelty to the games, by erecting pieces of machinery on the arena, repre senting mountains, on which real trees were planted, and under than hidden caves were termed, from whence the ani mals rushed out to encounter the combatants, or to devour their victims.