1. POMPEII AND HAVING FUN

2. What could you do? Visit the amphitheatre.
Go to the theatre for a play or musical recital
Go to the baths
Go to a dinner party in a private house
Hang out in the Forum
Go to a bar for a drink or a meal
Visit the brothels
Write something on the walls

5. Top facts It seated 20,000 the same number lived in Pompeii
Built in 80BC
In 59BC it was closed for 10 years as a result of fighting between rival fans from Pompeii and Nuceria
Stone seats and cloth awnings for the sun
Numerous gladiator artefacts have been found
Mosaics of gladiators and gladiator grafitti show how popular it was

12. Celadus the Thracian gladiator is the delight of all the girls

17. The theater of Pompeii was built during the Hellenistic period (3rd - 2nd century BC) in the usual Greek fashion. The seating area (cavea) is set into the natural slope of a ridge; the orchestra is horseshoe shaped; the theater connects to a large porticoed area in which spectators could stroll during the intervals between spectacles. Additionally, the theater is associated with a temple complex and thus reflects the sacral character of Greek theater performances. The seating capacity was 5,000 people. An awning (velarium) stretched over the whole of the cavea to protect the spectators from the sun and rain.

18. The present theatre in Pompeii has undergone various modifications, but the basic design remains the same. Many elements are due to restorations made during the Augustan period under the patronage of Marcus Holconius Rufus and his brother Marcus Holoconius Celer. They were members of a wealthy family which held the most important civic offices in Pompeii.

20. Around the time of Sulla (80 BC), a smaller concert hall (odeum) was built adjacent to the larger theater. Apparently its construction had been foreseen in the town plan of the entire area during the Samnite period. The duoviri Q. Valquo and M. Porcius were responsible for having the concert hall built. It consisted of a theater-type cavea constructed within a square perimeter wall on which the roof rested. It was meant for more intimate spectacles, such as musical auditions, poetry recitals, and mime performances, Its seating capacity was about 1,500 people.