The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre by D. L Bomgardner
Routledge | October 2000 | ISBN: 0415165938 | 280 pages | PDF | 6 MB (including bonus PPT presentation in RAR file)
David Bomgardner traces the origins and development of that most typical and evocative of Roman monuments: the amphitheatre. The story begins with an investigation of how the amphitheatre formed a central element in the social and political life of the ruling classes of ancient Rome, with detailed reference to the Colosseum. The origins of the amphitheatre are then explored, with a close examination of some of the earliest examples, focusing on the arena at Pompeii. Case studies are also made of some of the most significant amphitheatres from across the Empire - ranging from Italy, Gaul and Spain to Roman north Africa. The development of the spectacles and their final fall before the pressures of the late empire, not least the opposition of the Christian church, are integral to this discussion. The final abandonment of the amphitheatres and their reuse in other guises form the postscript to the story.
This lucid and accessible work, illustrated with 141 plans and photographs, breaks new ground with the incorporation of sociological, psychological, historical and even ecological material into the study of this important architectural type. It will be of great interest to the general reader, as well as being a valuable reference work for students and scholars of Roman history and architecture.
The artwork on the cover of the book from a former edition is a painting called
Pollice Verso by Jean-Léon Gérôme
Review
'This book is a welcome addition to what has thus far been a gap in the research literature … D.L.Bomgardner has delivered a useful tool that is accessible to a wide audience.' - Daniel M. Millette, School of Architecture, University of British Columbia
The Roman amphitheatre was a site both of bloody combat and marvellous spectacle,
symbolic of the might of Empire; to understand the importance of the amphitheatre is
to understand a key element in the social and political life of the Roman ruling classes.
Contents
List of plates ix
List of figures xii
List of tables xiv
Preface xv
Acknowledgements xvii
List of abbreviations xviii
Chapter One
THE COLOSSEUM 1
Chapter Two
THE ORIGINS AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMPHITHEATRE 32
Chapter Three
IMPERIAL AMPHITHEATRES 61
Chapter Four
THE NORTH AFRICAN AMPHITHEATRES 121
Chapter Five
ENDINGS AND NEW BEGINNINGS 197
Appendix 228
Notes 232
Select bibliography 260
Index 265
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