The Flavian Amphitheater Awning

To protect the audience against sun or rain one could draw a linen awning that can be guessed rolled on the edge of the roof which would cover most of the seats.

The flavian amphitheater awning.

The colosseum or coliseum ˌ k ɒ l ə ˈ s iː ə m kol ə see əm also known as the flavian amphitheatre latin. On the upper storey platform sailors were employed to manage the large awning velarium which protected the spectators from rain or provided shade on hot days. The colosseum or flavian amphitheatre measured 527 m in circumference and 57 m in height and was slightly elliptic. The exterior wall of travertine stone has been estimated to 100 000 tons of travertine blocks.

Before that it was always called the flavian amphitheater. The colosseum or flavian amphitheatre by dennis jarvis cc by nc sa. The colosseum flavian amphitheater is surely the most famous monument of rome so much so that it has come to represent the city itself as well as the glories of the roman empire. The colosseum the flavian amphitheater is the largest amphitheater the romans ever constructed with a circumference of 545 m height of 50 m 189m long and 156 wide.

80 vespasian s son titus opened the colosseum officially known as the flavian amphitheater with 100 days of games including gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights. The outside of the flavian amphitheater has three rows of arches each built according to a different order of architecture tuscan the simplest doric but with an ionic base on the ground level then ionic and then the most ornate of the three greek orders the corinthian. This extraordinary triumph of architecture was the largest amphitheatre in the ancient world and despite being partly in ruins it still leaves visitors awestruck. By the time the flavian amphitheatre was completed under the reign of the emperor titus in 80 ad elaborate moveable fabric roofs were commonplace in theatres and amphitheaters all across the empire a fragment of marketing graffiti recovered from pompeii even boasts that there will be awnings vela erunt at the next games there in an attempt to drum up business.

No doubt that this monument is one of the most impressive in the antique world. An awning velum or velarium was manipulated by sailors to shelter the spectators from the sun. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 first edition with your subscription. Each of those galleries was divided into wedge shaped sections cunei by radial walks that led to the many exits vomitoria.

A removable awning called velarium provided the spectators with shade from the sun.