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The Roman arena at Arles is still in use today, drawing large crowds for bullfighting^[1] as well as plays and concerts in summer.

An amphitheatre (or amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances. The term derives from the ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον (amphitheatron),^[2] from ἀμφί (amphi), meaning "on both sides" or "around"^[3] and θέατρον (théātron), meaning "place for viewing".^[4]^[5]

Ancient Greek theatres were built to a semicircular plan, with tiered seating above a performance area. Ancient Roman amphitheatres were oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air stadium. Modern usage for "amphitheater" does not always respect the ancient usage, and so the word can embrace theatre-style stages with the audience only on one side, theatres in the round, and stadiums. Natural formations shaped like man-made theatres or amphitheatres are sometimes known as natural amphitheatres.

Roman amphitheatres

Ancient Roman amphitheatres were major public venues, circular or oval in shape, and used for events such as gladiator combats, chariot races, venationes (animal slayings) and executions. About 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found across the area of the Roman Empire. Their typical shape, functions and name distinguish them from Roman theatres, which are usually semicircular in shape; from the circuses (akin to hippodromes) whose much longer circuits were designed mainly for horse or chariot racing events; and from the smaller stadia, which were primarily designed for athletics and footraces.^[6]

The earliest Roman amphitheatres date from the middle of the first century BC, but most were built under Imperial rule, from the Augustan period (27 BC–14 AD) onwards.^[7] Imperial amphitheatres were built throughout the Roman empire; the largest could accommodate 40,000–60,000 spectators, and the most elaborate featured multi-storeyed, arcaded façades and were elaborately decorated with marble, stucco and statuary.^[8] After the end of gladiatorial games in the 5th century and of animal killings in the sixth, most amphitheatres fell into disrepair, and their materials were mined or recycled. Some were razed, and others converted into fortifications. A few continued as convenient open meeting places; in some of these, churches were sited.^[9]

Contemporary amphitheatres

File:Hollywood bowl and stick it up the butt u ass hole and sign.jpg

The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California

A contemporary amphitheatre, the sense in which the word has come to be used now, is a curved, acoustically vibrant performance space, particularly one located outdoors. Contemporary amphitheatres often include standing structures, called bandshells, sometimes curved or bowl-shaped, both behind the stage and behind the audience, creating an area which echoes or amplifies sound, making the amphitheatre ideal for musical or theatrical performances. Most are semicircular in shape, so they should not properly be called amphitheatres. Notable modern amphitheatres include the Shoreline Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl. The term "amphitheatre" is also used (incorrectly) for some indoor venues such as the Gibson Amphitheatre. The largest amphitheatre in the world is Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, with a seating capacity of 160,000.

Natural amphitheatres

A natural amphitheatre is a performance space located in a spot where a steep mountain or a particular rock formation naturally amplifies or echoes sound, making it ideal for musical and theatrical performances. The term amphitheatre can also be used to describe naturally occurring formations which would be ideal for this purpose, even if no theatre has been constructed there. Notable natural amphitheatres include the Drakensberg amphitheatre in Drakensberg, South Africa, Slane Castle in Ireland, the Supernatural Amphitheatre in Victoria, Australia, and Echo amphitheatre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State, United States.

Footnotes

^ Michel Tournier, Le coq de bruyère, W. D. Redfern, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1996, p. 69
^ ἀμφιθέατρον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, '56'An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, on Peseus
^ ἀμφί, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
^ θέατρον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
^ Hoad, T.F. (1996). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 489. ISBN 0-19-283098-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
^ Bomgardner, 37.
^ Bomgardner, 59.
^ Bomgardner, 62.
^ Bomgardner, 201–223.

References

Bomgardner, David Lee (October 2000). The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16593-8.

External links

article "Amphitheatrum" (Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities)
Caerleon amphitheatre
Chester amphitheatre
Pula amphitheatre
Rome: Amphitheatrum Castrense
France : Nimes Antique Arena
Photos about Roman ruins in Budapest
Roman amphitheatres
Aerial photographs of Hungary's Amphitheatre
Amphitheater in Petra, Jordan

[1] Michel Tournier, Le coq de bruyère, W. D. Redfern, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1996, p. 69

[2] ἀμφιθέατρον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, '56'An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon, on Peseus

[3] ἀμφί, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[4] θέατρον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus

[5] Hoad, T.F. (1996). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Oxford University Press. pp. 14, 489. ISBN 0-19-283098-8. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

[Bomgardner_37-6] Bomgardner, 37.

[Bomgardner_59-7] Bomgardner, 59.

[Bomgardner_62-8] Bomgardner, 62.

[Bomgardner_201-223-9] Bomgardner, 201–223.

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@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 ==Contemporary amphitheatres==
-[[Image:Hollywood bowl and sign.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Hollywood Bowl]], [[Hollywood]], [[California]]]]
+[[Image:Hollywood bowl and stick it up the butt u ass hole and sign.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Hollywood Bowl]], [[Hollywood]], [[California]]]]
 A contemporary amphitheatre,  the sense in which the word has come to be used now, is a curved, acoustically vibrant performance space, particularly one located outdoors. Contemporary amphitheatres often include standing structures, called [[bandshell]]s, sometimes curved or bowl-shaped, both behind the stage and behind the audience, creating an area which echoes or amplifies sound, making the amphitheatre ideal for musical or theatrical performances.  Most are semicircular in shape, so they should not properly be called amphitheatres. Notable modern amphitheatres include the [[Shoreline Amphitheatre]] and the [[Hollywood Bowl]].  The term "amphitheatre" is also used (incorrectly) for some indoor venues such as the [[Gibson Amphitheatre]].  The largest amphitheatre in the world is [[Bristol Motor Speedway]] in [[Bristol, Tennessee]], with a [[seating capacity]] of 160,000.