Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/866

 846' RO!^IA. inconvenient, from its great length, and the metae and spinae were in the way ; whilst the latter, besides its moral unsuitableness for such a spectacle, became by defrrees so crowded with monuments as to leave but little space for the evolutions of the combatants. The first temporary amphitheatre was the wonderful one built of wood by Caesar's par- tisan, C. Scribonius Curio. It consisted of two separate theatres, which, after dramatic entertain- ments had been piven in them, were turned round, with their audiences, by means of hin!;;es or pivots, and formed an amphitheatre (Plin. xxxvi. 24. s. 8). Caesar himself afterwards erected a wooden amphi- ROMA. theatre (Dion Cass, xliii. 22); hut that of Statilius Taurus was the first built of stone, and continued to be the only one down to the time of Ve.spasian. We iiave mentioned that it was in the Campus Martius. It was dedicated in the fourth consulship of Augustus, B. c. 30. (Dion Cass. li. 23 ; Suet. Aug. 29.) The amphitheatre erected by Nero in the Campus Jhirtius was a temporary one of wood. (Suet. Nero, 12.) The amphitheatre of Taurus, which does not appear to have been very magnificent (Dion Cass. lis. 10), was probably destroyed in the fire of Nero; at all events we hear no more of it after that event. The Amphitheateum Flaviu.-*!, COLOSSEUM. erected by Vespasian, appears to have been originally I 2. 5), and was capable of containing 87,000 per- designed by Augustus. (Suet. Vesp. 9.) It stood | sons. (^Notitia, Reg. iii.) A complete description on the site previously occupied by the lake of Nero, I of this magnificent building will be found in the between the Velia and the Esquiline. (Mart. Sped. Dictionary of Antiquities, and need not be re- GROUXD PLAN OF THE COLOSSEUM. peated here, ft was not completely erected, till the reign of Dumitian ; though Titus dedicated it in the year 80. (Suet. Tit. 7 ; Aur. Vict. Cacs. 9. 7.) In the reign of Macrinus it was so much damaged by a fire, occasioned by lightning, that it was necetoary to exhibit the gladiatm-es and vena- tJAnes for several years in the Stadium. (Dion Cass. Ixsviii. 25.) The restoration was undertaken by I-llagabalus, and completed by Alexander Severus. (Lampr. Hel. 17, Alex. 24.) It suffered a similar calamity under Decius (Ilieron. Chron. p. 475); but the damage was again made good, and vena- tiones, or combats with wild beasts, were exhibited in it as late as the 6th century. In the middle ages it was converted into a fortress ; and at a later period a great part of it was destroyed by the