The stone employed in this edifice is the produce of the neighbourhood of Rome, and is called Travertine-stone, of which the exterior walls, the piers between the two outer corridors, the heads of the passages and corridors, and some bendstones, are constructed : all the rest is of brick. The exterior wall is cramped with ligatures of iron, without cement ; some of the internal walls have remains of plaster ornaments, and others are lined with marble. The floors of the corridors are paved with flat bricks, and covered with a hard incrustation of stucco. This building is supposed to have contained 100,000 persons; but it will be found that by allowing two ti..et two inches from seat to seat, and one foot nine inches to the breadth of each person. not more than s0,000 could be accommodated, even supposing all the upper galleries to be filled.
" The proportions of this edifice," says Tappet), " were in such perfect harmony with each other, that there was nothing gigantic in its appearance, although the greatness of its dimensions never fails to impress every mind with ideas of its sublimity." A structure of such dimensions, and of such contrivance and ingenuity as the Colosseum, eclipses the most magnificent works of the Egyptians and Greeks, and even those of modern times. The structures of Egypt, such as we may conjecture from what now remains, have little to recommend them, except their magnitude and the enormous stones employed in their construction. For beautiful simplicity, and chastity of parts, the Greeks excelled every other people ; yet the Romans, though licentious in the detail and embellishments, showed much ingenuity, not only in the arrangement of their plans, but in the construction of the elevated parts, both with regard to the solidity of the work, and the end to be answered by the design. Our finest embellishments and best proportions are of Greek origin ; but the Romans have set us the example in a beautiful diversification of plans.
The Amphitheatre at Verona consisted, formerly, of three stories of arcades, with pilasters against the piers of each story, bearing continued entablatures. The pilasters and arches are all rusticated and unwrought on the thee. The orders which decorate the solid parts of the masonry are of no legitimate species, but more nearly allied to the Tuscan than any of the other three. The second pilastrade stands upon a plinth, and the third upon a triple plinth. The pilasters of the. first and second ranges are very slender, particularly the second ; those of the third range are double the breadth of those of the second range, contrary to the laws of strength.
The arches forming the heads of the first and second arcades are extradossed, and project out beyond the rustics, which turn the horizontal courses above ; the arches forming the heads of the third arcades are also extradossed, but each has another concentric extr.:dussed arch, springing on each side
from the pilaster, with its face in the same plane with the pilasters. and its inner diameter equal to the clear distance of the pilasters. The edifice is finished with a blocking course, resting upon the upper entablature : of the outer wall only a small part remains. From some mutilated courses of rustic work. and the lower part of two plain pilasters which remain, it has been supposed that the building had also a tburth story. The height of the three existing stories is about 90 English feet. 'lids edifice was erected without cement ; the stones being nicely joined with cramps of iron, covered with lead. The greater axis of the ellipsis of the plan, according to Desgodetz, is 433 feet S inches, and the lesser 333 feet 4 inches ; the greater axis of the arena 237 feet, and that of the lesser 136 feet S inches ; the breadth, for benches and wall, being 100 feet 4 inches ; each range of arches were seventy-two in number, which opening into the first range of arcades, radiated towards the arena, in passages and staircases, crossing a corridor surrounding the whole ; the passages, proceeding forward, crossed two other surrounding corridors, between which were other stairs.
The second story has one corridor above the exterior lower one. Above are forty-six tiers of seats, rising by equal degrees from the arena to the wall upwards. The interior of this edifice is entire, having been wholly reinstated by the inhabitants, from time to time, for the purpose of exhibiting plays, and other diversions.
The greatest diameter of the ellipsis of the Amphitheatre at Nismes is 430 feet, and the least 33S feet ; the whole height 70 feet 0 inches.
The elevation consisted of two stories of open arcades and an attic. Each story had sixty arcades in its circumference, of which the four placed upon the extremities of the axes form the grand entrances, and arc decorated with pediments. Against the solid parts of the masonry are Tuscan pilasters, resting on pedestals, and supporting an entablature which breaks over them. On the top are short, hollowed stone corbels, in which, it is supposed, poles were placed, for bear ing an awning over the spectators. Many of the rows of seats are entire.
The remains of the Amphitheatre at Pola, in Istria, consist of an elliptic wall, pierced around its circumference with 72 arches ; containing two stories on one side, and one on the other. being built on the side of a hill. Above the upper arcade is an attic, pierced by 72 square-headed windows, which surround the whole : through this arc grooves for the poles that supported the velum. The greatest diameter of the ellipsis is 410, and the least 337 feet.
The Romans constructed Amphitheatres in England ; one at Dorchester, and one at llchester.