THE THEATRE OF ANCIENT ROME AND THE ROMAN COLISEUM by Angela Feltner

What did Ancient Roman plays look like?  Roman plays were presented in the daytime, sometimes before, sometimes after, the noon meal.  The average comedy was about two hours long. The characters wore Greek dress, with or without masks  Paint and wigs were employed, a gray wig for an old man, black for a young man, and red for a slave.  For the greater part of Roman history the profession of acting was confined to men, the women's parts being taken by youths.  There was no limit to the number of actors.  The chorus was never as important as in Greek drama, and in time it was abandoned altogether.

The Setting of Roman Plays  The ordinary setting was a stage with a street and three or four houses in the background.  Two doors led from the wings on to the stage--one at the left of the spectators for the entrance of persons from foreign parts, that to the right for ordinary citizens.  The doors between led into the various residences of the characters in the play.

The Roman Theatre  Roman theaters were of the crudest description. They were built of wood at the foot of a grass-covered slope, with almost nothing in the way of accommodation for either actors or audience.  The stage was a narrow platform, elevated, and backed by a simple architectural design. There was no curtain, no scenery that could be changed, no sounding board to carry the voice. An altar was placed on the stage, in front of the "set" described above.  The audience, out on the sloping amphitheater, either reclined, stood, or sat on stools brought from home.  In Rome the theater was never a place for worship, as in Greece; it was always a scene of noisy confusion, pushing, and crowding.  The aristocracy would not mingle with the more or less disgusting crowd.

The Roman Spectacle  Thirteen years before the beginning of the Christian era two new, roofed-in auditoriums were constructed for the purpose of staging huge and costly spectacles.  These spectacles consisted of games, military exercises, combats between slaves, captives, condemned criminals, and not infrequently contests between beasts and men. Sometimes panthers or foxes, infuriated by burning firebrands tied to their tails, fought among themselves.  These spectacles naturally had little or nothing to do with drama. The money and enthusiasm was diverted to these noisy and brutalizing shows.  Slaves who drove the chariots in the races won fabulous sums, and often became the petted favorites of the nobles..

The Coliseum  The Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.  Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started in 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus.  The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era.

The Gladiator  The Coliseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

More about the Coliseum  The coliseum floor was made of wood and covered with sand to soak up the blood of men and animals.  The floor contained many trap doors which allowed wild animals or warriors to enter the arena.  The aqueducts could flood the coliseum floor with 8 feet of water to allow mock sea battles with crocodiles to kill the men who fell off the boats.

The Hypogeum  The arena itself was 83 meters by 48 meters. It comprised a wooden floor covered by sand covering an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). Little now remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible.  It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. It was restructured on numerous occasions; at least twelve different phases of construction can be seen.

The Hypogeum  The hypogeum was connected by underground tunnels to a number of points outside the Colosseum. Animals and performers were brought through the tunnel from nearby stables, with the gladiators' barracks at the Ludus Magnus to the east also being connected by tunnels. Separate tunnels were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins to permit them to enter and exit the Colosseum without needing to pass through the crowds.  Substantial quantities of machinery also existed in the hypogeum. Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props, as well as lifting caged animals to the surface for release. There is evidence for the existence of major hydraulic mechanisms and according to ancient accounts, it was possible to flood the arena rapidly, presumably via a connection to a nearby aqueduct

The Hypogeum  Today the wooden floor of the coliseum is rotted away to expose the Hypogeum underneath

Entering and Exiting the Coliseum  Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, The Coliseum's huge crowd capacity made it essential that the venue could be filled or evacuated quickly.  Its architects adopted solutions very similar to those used in modern stadiums to deal with the same problem.  The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, 76 of which were used by ordinary spectators.  Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. The northern main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor and his aides.

 Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row.  They accessed their seats via vomitoria, passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind.  These quickly dispersed people into their seats and, upon conclusion of the event or in an emergency evacuation, could permit their exit within only fifteen minutes.  The name vomitoria derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit.

Whatta Ya Know? Quiz (use your notes) 1. All of the roles in the Roman plays were portrayed by: a. Men b. Women c. Slaves 1. Religion in the plays of Ancient Rome was: a. more important b. as important c. not as important as it was in Greek theatre. 2. The Roman Emperor sat with the common people, his subjects. True or False 3. Which of the events were NOT popular spectacles attended at the Coliseum ?: a. chariot races b. gladiators c. wild animal hunts d. opera 4. The original name of the Coliseum was : a. Rupp Arena b. The Flavian Amphitheatre c. Flava Flave’s Amphitheatre d. Caesar’s Palace

Quiz  7.The Coliseum is located in a. Rome, Italy b. Venice, Italy c. Paris, France d. London, England  8. What did they call the slaves who were trained as warriors to combat to the death to win favor with the crowd and perhaps even their freedom? a. Charioteers b.Infantry c. Gladiators  d. Knights  9. What was the floor of the Coliseum covered with? a. marble  b. grass c. sand d. steel  10. How many people could be seated in the Coliseum? a. 50,000 b. 500,000 c. 5,000 d. 500  11. A two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. A. The Hippodrome b. The Acropolis c. The Hypogeum

Compare the Greek Theatre to that of Ancient Rome in terms of religion, design and violence. Greeks Romans