The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre - Softcover

Bomgardner, D. L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415301858 ISBN 13: 9780415301855

Publisher: Routledge, 2002

Synopsis

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.
Generously illustrated with 141 plans and photographs, The Story of the Roman Amphitheatre offers a comprehensive picture of the origins, development, and eventual decline of the most typical and evocative of Roman monuments.
With a detailed examination of the Colosseum, as well as case studies of significant sites from Italy, Gaul, Spain and Roman North Africa, the book is a fascinating gazetteer for the general reader as well as a valuable tool for students and academics.

About this title

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

'Very readable and absorbing.' - JACT Review

Synopsis:

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 re-use in other guises form the postscript to the story. This accessible work, illustrated with 141 plans and photographs, incorporates sociological, psychological, historical and even ecological material into the study of this important architectural type.

It should be of interest to the general reader as well as being a reference work for students and scholars of Roman history and architecture.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0415301858
• ISBN 13: 9780415301855
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304