The Amphitheatre in Pompeii
Analysis
This is the amphitheatre that has been uncovered in Pompeii. This amphitheatre was used as a form of entertainment for Roman people. A popular form of entertainment that happened at the amphitheatre was watching gladiators fight one another or gladiators fighting wild animals. The fighting gladiators/animals would enter through tunnels that surrounded the edge of the area. There were many rows of seats around the amphitheatre for the people of Pompeii to sit and enjoy the entertainment provided. The wall painting depicts the events of a riot that happened in 59AD, twenty years before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The painting shows fights happening in and around the amphitheatre. Due to the riots in 59AD the amphitheatre was closed for ten years as a form of punishment for the rioting[1]. There is also an awning that shelters the crowd of people in the seats from the weather.
Developed Conclusions
Though this is not the only amphitheatre from ancient Rome, it unique because it is the oldest stone built amphitheatre in the Roman world[2]. Other amphitheatres have been destroyed due to them being either wholly or partially made from wood. The next stone amphitheatre is the Collosseum in Rome, which was built 100 years after the construction of this Pompeian amphitheatre around 70BC. It is also unique because it has been well preserved by the volcanic ash that it was buried in following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. This amphitheatre could seat 20 000 people, which was the population of Pompeii at the time of the eruption in 79AD, this shows that the amphitheatre was an important and popular part of Roman social life. This is further enforced by the wall painting that was found in the excavations in Pompeii. The awning in the painting that gave shelter to the audience that came out to watch the gladiators and animals fight show that the amphitheatre would have been a popular place for the Romans as the shelter suggests that the amphitheatre was used all year round, despite the conditions of the weather in the colder seasons that would have bought rain and wind and also provided shelter from the intense heat of the sun in summer. The painting of the amphitheatre also helps to show the importance of the entertainment the gladiator and animal fights in Roman life, as the riots resulted in a ten-year closure of the amphitheatre in Pompeii. This shows that the entertainment that the amphitheatre provided was a reward for the people of Rome and was also used a form of punishment in the event of protests or riots. The information that we can draw from this amphitheatre is immense; this is because of the preservation of the arena for over 1700 years while it was buried under volcanic ash and pumice. This protected the amphitheatre from deterioration due to harsh weather conditions and also from the change of style in social culture during the years. During the time of the Roman Empire it would have been seen as a normal occurrence to go to the amphitheatre to watch gladiators fight to the death, however over time, what is considered the social norm, would have changed and the amphitheatre could have been knocked down or replaced with something else that could have been a form of entertainment for the people who lived during the 1700 years that Pompeii was buried.
[1] The Complete Pompeii – Joanne Berry
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/pompeii_art_gallery_02.shtml
This is the amphitheatre that has been uncovered in Pompeii. This amphitheatre was used as a form of entertainment for Roman people. A popular form of entertainment that happened at the amphitheatre was watching gladiators fight one another or gladiators fighting wild animals. The fighting gladiators/animals would enter through tunnels that surrounded the edge of the area. There were many rows of seats around the amphitheatre for the people of Pompeii to sit and enjoy the entertainment provided. The wall painting depicts the events of a riot that happened in 59AD, twenty years before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. The painting shows fights happening in and around the amphitheatre. Due to the riots in 59AD the amphitheatre was closed for ten years as a form of punishment for the rioting[1]. There is also an awning that shelters the crowd of people in the seats from the weather.
Developed Conclusions
Though this is not the only amphitheatre from ancient Rome, it unique because it is the oldest stone built amphitheatre in the Roman world[2]. Other amphitheatres have been destroyed due to them being either wholly or partially made from wood. The next stone amphitheatre is the Collosseum in Rome, which was built 100 years after the construction of this Pompeian amphitheatre around 70BC. It is also unique because it has been well preserved by the volcanic ash that it was buried in following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. This amphitheatre could seat 20 000 people, which was the population of Pompeii at the time of the eruption in 79AD, this shows that the amphitheatre was an important and popular part of Roman social life. This is further enforced by the wall painting that was found in the excavations in Pompeii. The awning in the painting that gave shelter to the audience that came out to watch the gladiators and animals fight show that the amphitheatre would have been a popular place for the Romans as the shelter suggests that the amphitheatre was used all year round, despite the conditions of the weather in the colder seasons that would have bought rain and wind and also provided shelter from the intense heat of the sun in summer. The painting of the amphitheatre also helps to show the importance of the entertainment the gladiator and animal fights in Roman life, as the riots resulted in a ten-year closure of the amphitheatre in Pompeii. This shows that the entertainment that the amphitheatre provided was a reward for the people of Rome and was also used a form of punishment in the event of protests or riots. The information that we can draw from this amphitheatre is immense; this is because of the preservation of the arena for over 1700 years while it was buried under volcanic ash and pumice. This protected the amphitheatre from deterioration due to harsh weather conditions and also from the change of style in social culture during the years. During the time of the Roman Empire it would have been seen as a normal occurrence to go to the amphitheatre to watch gladiators fight to the death, however over time, what is considered the social norm, would have changed and the amphitheatre could have been knocked down or replaced with something else that could have been a form of entertainment for the people who lived during the 1700 years that Pompeii was buried.
[1] The Complete Pompeii – Joanne Berry
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/pompeii_art_gallery_02.shtml