thought it necessary to go to Capua and Pozzuoli again to examine the
remains of these amphitheatres, and I did so in November, 1875; it was
my intention at the same time to have gone to Pompeii, to examine the
amphitheatre there also, but the weather was so bad at that time I found
it quite impracticable to do so; I therefore did so in May, 1876, and
I find that the amphitheatre at Pompeii is of the time of Sylla the
Dictator, and that the arrangements are not the same as those of the
Roman amphitheatre; there are no substructions under the arena, and it
appears there never could have been any, as in the centre there is the
top of an original well, and the floor seems always to have been of earth
only; there are no preparations for _Naumachia_, and the dens for the
wild beasts are on the same level as the arena, and behind the _podium_.
In the principal entrances there are sockets for a wooden balustrade,
to separate the people from the wild beasts. The corridor round at the
back of these dens has the original walls of brickwork, of good hard
bricks, but rather thick, somewhat similar to those of the Pantheon at
Rome, but much thicker than those of the time of Nero; the brick vaults
of this corridor, or passage under the lower gallery, are modern or
mediæval repairs. Many of the seats have been preserved or restored, they
are of stone of volcanic character, the stone of the country, in fact,
but they are of a convenient height, and comfortable to sit upon, though
closely packed; the seat is raised two or three inches above the place
for the feet of those in the next seat above. The construction of the
outer wall is of blocks of lava, about the shape of English bricks, but
rather larger, and with _opus reticulatum_, the pattern of large size,
enclosed in a sort of framework of these quasi-bricks, very similar to
the Muro Torto at Rome. The fresco of the first century found on a wall
here, and now preserved in the Museum at Naples[243], is a caricature
of the building; and the _vomitoria_, which form a conspicuous object
in the front of the picture, are greatly exaggerated, made much more
lofty and more long and narrow than they really are. They are said to
be the ladies’ entrance to their gallery, which was the upper gallery
at the back; but as the slope was very gradual, and the building not
nearly so high as the Colosseum, they would be able to see perfectly
well, and their entrance and exit being entirely on the exterior of
the building, while that of the men was from the interior, was a very
convenient arrangement. It seems probable that Scaurus, the step-on of
Sylla, had seen this building in progress, and as the Romans always had
the idea of making Rome the most magnificent city in the world, he built
the far more magnificent amphitheatre in Rome; but as the upper part was
built of wood, though magnificently decorated with columns of marble,
of glass, and of gilt wood, as we have said, it seems to have offended
the Republican notions of the Romans, and this upper part was entirely
destroyed, or this may have happened from an accidental fire; but as the
substructures were of tufa they were everlasting, as Pliny says, and
they still remain as the principal foundations of the Colosseum, with
brick walls and galleries erected upon them in the time of Nero, and the
whole enclosed by the magnificent stone front and double corridors of the
Flavian Emperors.
ALPHABETICAL INDEX.
THE COLOSSEUM.
Actors, space required for, under the stage, 47.
Alexander Severus, Piscina of, 5;
walls of, 6.
Amphitheatres a Roman invention (?), 4;
—of Nero not in Campus Martius, 56, 58;
—represented on coins, 21;
—described as perfect by Ammianus Marcellinus, A.D. 357, 26;
—restored by Lampadius, A.D. 445, 27;
—again by Venantius Basilius, A.D. 508, _ib._;
—used for shows of wild beasts by Theodoric, A.D. 519, _ib._;
—again used in 523, the last occasion mentioned, _ib._;
—again damaged by earthquake, A.D. 1703, 30;
—consecrated as a church, A.D. 1724, _ib._;
—north-western side nearly perfect, _ib._;
—Arch of lower storey restored by Gordianus, A.D. 220-238, 31.
— at Arles, 46.
— at Bordeaux, 46.
— at Capua, 40, 41.
— at Nismes, 46.
— at Pompeii, 63.
— at Pozzuoli, 42, 65.
— of Scaurus, on this spot, 56.
— at Verona, 43, 65.
Animals brought from vivaria in cages, called _pegmata_, 15.
Apollodorus told Hadrian he _ought to have_ provided space for the
machinery, 34.
Apuleius mentions _pegmata_ in amphitheatre, 49.
Arch of tufa shaken by an earthquake, supported by brick wall of
Nero, 14.
Arena, for the gymnasium, 1;
—of wood covered with sand, and full of trap-doors, 7, 11;
—no open space under the, 21;
—criminals torn to pieces upon it, 52.
Arles, Amphitheatre at, 46;
no substructures visible, _ib._
Augustus intended to build an amphitheatre here, but did not, 15.
Awning of Nero mentioned by Pliny, 23;
contrivances for supporting it, _ib._;
at Pompeii, shewn in a fresco, 24;
an intermediate passage for sailors to manage awning, 47;
cords for it, strong enough to carry an elephant, called
_catadromus_, 48.
Battles of sailors with swords, not with boats, 47.
Benedict XIII. consecrated area of amphitheatre as a church, A.D.
1728, 30.
Benedict XIV. erects cross and stations in amphitheatre, A.D. 1749,
30.
Boards removed from arena placed on corbels provided for them, 34.
Bordeaux, Amphitheatre at, 47;
Remains called the _Arènes_, it had a boarded floor, _ib._
Brickwork of Nero here, 6.
Building apparently perfect in time of Bede, 27;
—made part of fortress of Frangipani, A.D. 1130, 28;
—half given to Annibaldi by Frederick II., grant rescinded by
Innocent IV. in A.D. 1244, _ib._;
—much damaged by an earthquake, A.D. 1349, _ib._;
—made common property as a stone-quarry, A.D. 1362, 29;
—several palaces made out of this quarry, _ib._
Calpurnius mentions _pegmata_ in amphitheatre, 49.
Canals brought to light in 1812 and 1875, with substructures, 10;
—great cisterns under boards, 14;
about 10 ft. deep, but not always the same width, _ib._;
—walls to support unusually thick, _ib._;
—lined with lead, one on arches, the other on beams of wood, _ib._
Capitals fallen from upper gallery, 21.
Capstans, sockets for, 7.
CAPUA, Amphitheatre almost the same size as that of Rome, 40;
—Substructures more perfect, _ib._;
—Aqueduct and drain, _ib._;
—Remains of aqueduct, 13;
—Dens under the _podium_, 40;
—Sockets for pivots for cages, _ib._;
—Arena of brick, not wood, but apertures for trap-doors, _ib._;
—Grooves for covers over them to make them water-tight, _ib._;
—Building of the time of Hadrian, _ib._;
—Inscription, 41;
—Machine for lifting vessels, as in the Colosseum, 47.
Castra Misenatium, for sailors employed in furling awning, or _vela_,
or _velaria_, 24.
Catadromus, cords for awning, 48.
Cavea, name for an amphitheatre, 3;
and for vaults under it, 51.
Chambers, narrow and lofty vaulted, on each side of central passage,
38.
Circensian games, name retained in amphitheatre, 51.
Circus Maximus, sometimes used instead of amphitheatre, 50.
Claudian mentions _pegmata_ in amphitheatre, 49.
Clivus Scauri, Arcade to this amphitheatre, 3.
Colossus visible from gulf in amphitheatre, 49.
Columns and capitals fallen from upper gallery on to arena, and into
_cavea_, 21.
Commodus, acts of, in this building, described by Dion Cassius, 22.
Comparison and construction, 40;
—one of the first principles of archæology, _ib._;
—especially useful for this amphitheatre, _ib._
Construction, here made visible by demolition of outer corridor, 30.
Corbels or brackets for placing boards of arena upon, 11, 36.
Corridors, open channels for running water, in amphitheatre, 11;
—water supplied by aqueducts, _ib._
Cradle, or dry-dock, in central passage, 18, 38.
Culprits executed by being thrown to wild beasts in this
amphitheatre, 3.
Dens under the _podium_ have arches of Neronian brickwork, 12;
—small stream of water in front of them, 17.
Drain, large, under passage, 35, and in Appendix, 56, 59;
ancient iron grating at mouth of, 36;
place for flood-gates visible, _ib._
Emperors went to see wild beasts fed, 55.
Evidence of construction, and comparison, 40.
Excavations begun by the French, A.D. 1810, 31;
not deep enough, 33;
shew channels for water, 32;
—made in search of treasure, A.D. 1864, 1865, 33;
—A.D. 1874, 1875, 1;
results of them a great surprise, 37.
Exhibitions by Julius Cæsar in circus required a separate building, 5.
Framework, curious wooden, on floor of central passage, a cradle, or
dry-dock, 18.
Frangipani make amphitheatre part of fortress, A.D. 1130, 28.
Front of three periods, upper storey added a century later, 19.
Gallery, upper, of wood, destroyed by fire, 12;
restored in stone, completed A.D. 240, under Gordianus, _ib._
Games on arena, 55;
great importance attached to them, _ib._
Gates, usually four to each amphitheatre, 53;
names of, not easily ascertained, _ib._;
one called _sandapila_, _ib._;
others called Porta Prætoria, Porta Sacra, Porta Cochlea, 54.
Gaudentius employed upon it, not the architect of it, 20.
Gladiators often killed, 52;
—called for by the people, _ib._
Gordianus completed the building, and restored arch of lower storey,
A.D. 220-238, 31.
Grooves in walls for lifts, 7.
Gulf, or central passage, in all amphitheatres, 47.
Gymnasium on the arena, 1;
of Nero also here, 6.
Hadrian and Apollodorus, 34.
Herodian mentions 100 lions leaping on to the arena in amphitheatre,
50.
Icarus, an actor playing part of, fell dead at feet of Nero, 48.
Inscriptions record dates of later walls, 7;
—give the word THEATRUM for Amphitheatre, _ib._
Jerusalem, view of, century xvi., 29.
Joints, straight vertical, between the brick galleries and stone
corridors, 6.
Josephus mentions _pegmata_ in amphitheatre, 49.
Julius Cæsar, Amphitheatre of, 2.
Julius Capitolinus mentions 100 lions in amphitheatre, 50.
Lampadius restores amphitheatre, A.D. 445, 27.
Lampridius mentions 100 lions in amphitheatre, 50.
Lifts for men and dogs on both sides of central passage, 14;
grooves for, remain in walls, 7.
Lions, 100 killed at once in the shows, 26.
Machine for raising stones for walls, 21.
Machines required, numerous and large, 48.
Martial’s first book, _De Spectaculis_, relates to this amphitheatre,
4;
—mentions _pegmata_ in amphitheatre, 49.
Martyrdom of early Christians on sand of arena, not on soil 21 ft.
below, 36.
Mass celebrated in amphitheatre by Cardinal Vicar, A.D. 1756, 30.
Masts, or poles, and corbels for awning, 24.
Miracle plays performed in amphitheatre, A.D. 1540, 29.
Mixture of stone and brick in construction, 19.
Naumachia, the new, those of Augustus in Trastevere, 9;
—the old, in this building, 1, 8, 10;
—none in amphitheatre of Taurus, 10;
—and Stagna, names used indifferently, 12;
—the two sides were flooded, not the central passage, 14;
—vessels employed in usually _rates_, 47.
Naval fights held sometimes in Circus Maximus, 50;
—must have been in canals of Colosseum, as Heliogabalus filled them
with wine, 51;
—called Circensian games, _ib._;
—Martial distinguishes them, _ib._
Nero, substructures part of the time of, 1, 12;
—gymnasium and naumachia of, on site of this amphitheatre, 5;
—remains of aqueducts and piscina, _ib._;
—gymnasium of, on the arena, 6;
—brickwork of time of, _ib._;
—supper of, in the amphitheatre, 7;
—exterior of brick unfinished by him, and finished by Flavian
Emperors in stone, 11;
—two small chambers of brick, of his time, enclosed in travertine
walls, 15;
—awning of, mentioned by Pliny, 23;
—amphitheatre of, not in Campus Martius, 56;
—his Stagna were canals of aqueducts, 8.
Netting to protect lower gallery of gold (or gilt) wire, called
_retia_, 50.
NISMES, amphitheatre still has a wooden floor with trap-doors in it,
46;
arrangements below quite different, _ib._
Palaces, several made out of amphitheatre, 29.
Passage, great, found at S.E. end, 34.
Passages, small special, for messengers, intermediate between the
great ones at Pozzuoli, and in Colosseum at Rome, 47;
—central, or gulf, in all the amphitheatres, _ib._
Pavement, original here, 21 ft. below level of arena, 35.
Pegmata, cages for wild beasts, 15;
—described by Seneca, 16;
—not only cages, but wooden machines, 49.
Piers of travertine, introduced to support floors, 12;
—from top to bottom, to carry upper gallery, 39.
Piscinæ, remains of two, 11.
Pit for a man to descend to feed the animals, 17.
Plan, general, is oval, with galleries, vomitoria, &c., 18.
Pliny mentions Scaurus and his _insane_ works, 56.
Podium protected by wire netting and bars, 16.
POLA, IN ISTRIA, Amphitheatre at, 45, 46;
—built of white stone, _ib._;
—two tiers of arches remain, _ib._;
—A curious stone parapet, with indications of awning, _ib._;
—Built against rocky mountain, _ib._;
—Substructures in lower part, _ib._;
—Canal for water visible, _ib._;
—Square towers (for musicians?), 46.
POZZUOLI (Puteoli), Arena of brick full of trap-doors, 13, 42;
—Surface there flooded for _naumachia_, 13;
—An intermediate passage for messengers, 47;
—Building much smaller than those of Rome and Capua, 42;
—Substructures more perfect and more highly finished, _ib._;
—Arena of brick, with apertures for trap-doors, _ib._;
—Arrangement for fixing masts for awning, as in Rome, 43;
—Building also of time of Hadrian, _ib._;
—Vaults preserved and used, _ib._
Rhodope, mountain of, represented as a scene here, 4.
SCAURUS, Family of Æmilius, 56;
—name means club-footed, _ib._;
—one of the family built Basilica Æmilia, _ib._;
—_insane_ works of, so called from their enormous cost, _ib._;
—his theatre to hold 80,000 people could only be on site of
Colosseum, _ib._;
—no other theatre three storeys high, _ib._;
—extract from Pliny, _ib._;
—walls of, 15;
—buildings of, parts temporary, other parts eternal, according to
Pliny, on site of present amphitheatre, 3;
—Clivus of, leads to this site, _ib._
Sea-water (?) used in canals, 8.
Seneca, _pegmata_ described by, 16.
Severus, Alexander, piscina of, 5;
wall of, 6.
Sockets in the pavement for pivots of capstans, 7, 35.
Stagna, or old _naumachia_, under the arena, 1, 12;
—of Nero supplied by three aqueducts, 9;
—boarded over for gladiators and wild beasts, but boards removed
easily, 10;
—two, each 300 ft. long, and about 50 wide, 14.
Stagnum of Nero, “like a sea,” when surface was flooded, 9, 12.
— Navale of Tacitus, 9.
— of Agrippa near the Pantheon, 9.
Statilius Taurus, Amphitheatre of, 1.
Storey, upper, an addition and an afterthought, 6.
Substructures, part of the time of Nero, 1;
—evidently retained and used when upper part was built, 39;
—compared with others, 47.
Suetonius does not mention the beginning of the work, 1.
Tacitus gives an account of games here under his own direction, 55.
Taurus, Statilius, Amphitheatre of, 1.
Theatrum and Amphitheatrum, names used indifferently for this
building, 7.
Theodoric uses amphitheatre for shows of wild beasts, A.D. 519, 27.
Titus, wall of, 6;
—exhibitions of, at the dedication, 8.
Trap-doors in the arena numerous, 7.
Travertine piers cut through older wall, of tufa and brick, to carry
upper gallery, 19.
Tufa, much used to fill up between piers of travertine, 18;
—taken from second wall of Rome, _ib._
Tusculum, canals in amphitheatre, as in Rome, 14.
Upper storey, of stone, an addition to the plan, 6, 12;
damaged by lightning, A.D. 230, 26;
of wood, burnt, A.D. 217, 25;
restored by Heliogabalus, Al. Severus, and Gordianus, _ib._
Vaults under arena called _caveæ_, 51.
Venantius Basilius restores amphitheatre, A.D. 508, 27.
VERONA, Amphitheatre at, 43, 44;
—Outer wall almost destroyed, 43;
—Arcade of two lower storeys preserved, 44;
—Comparison of the number that each amphitheatre would contain,
_ib._;
—Seats remarkably well preserved, _ib._;
—Dimensions of the three principal amphitheatres, Rome, Verona,
Capua, 45;
—and Capua, remains of aqueducts, 13.
Vertical joints, open, between brick walls of galleries, and stone
walls of corridors, 6.
Vespasian and Titus, Walls of, 6.
Vessels employed in _naumachia_ usually _rates_, 47.
View of Jerusalem, century xvi., 29.
Views on coins, and in sculpture on tomb of Aterii, 20.
Vivaria outside walls of Rome, 15;
—one at Prætorian camp, 16;
—the other at Sessorium, _ib._
Vopiscus mentions _pegmata_ and 100 lions in amphitheatre, 49.
Wall, the outer, of three periods, Vespasian, Titus, and Alexander
Severus, 6.
Walls, original, of tufa, interfered with by later work, 7;
—of tufa in substructure older than time of Nero, 13;
—of front, and of the corridors in the superstructure, are of
travertine, _ib._;
—of tufa, round edge of substructure for lifts, not for canals, 14;
—of tufa, probably of Scaurus, time of Sylla, 15;
—grooves in, for lifts and cages, 15, 35;
—of tufa, in parts supported by brick walls of Flavian Emperors, 17;
—part destroyed by being used as a stone-quarry, 18;
—north side only part perfect, _ib._;
—weeded by the French in 1812, this repeated 1870, 31;
—upper, hastily built under Gordianus, 33;
—lower, of brick, belong to repairs after earthquakes in A.D. 442,
and 508, 37.
Water, shallow open channels for, remain, 33;
—reservoirs in principal gallery, _ib._;
—two _piscinæ_ or ——, under Cœlian, _ib._
Wild beasts brought to Rome, B.C. 251, 3;
—number kept for shows, 25.
THE COLOSSEUM.
PLATE I.
SUPERSTRUCTURE.
EXTERIOR, FROM THE THERMÆ OF TITUS.
[Illustration: THE COLOSSEUM IN 1874.
EXTERIOR N.E. SIDE FROM THE THERMÆ OF TITUS]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE I.
SUPERSTRUCTURE.
EXTERIOR, FROM THE THERMÆ OF TITUS.
This view shews the only part that is at all perfect of the magnificent
work of the Flavian Emperors, consisting of the grand front and the
splendid corridors, built around the brick theatre of Nero, with the
galleries for spectators, which are surrounded by these stone corridors.
These are of the best building stone to be had in Rome,—the travertine
from the quarries near Tibur, now Tivoli.
The front had evidently been left unfinished by Nero, as we find no
traces of any brick front according to the fashion of his time, when the
brickwork was the finest that the world has ever seen.
It will be observed that the lower part of the ground-floor is concealed
in the view by the bank of earth on which the modern road is carried, and
the parapet wall of that road. It will also be observed that each storey
is different; the lower storeys have different orders of architecture,
but with scarcely any difference of plan or of construction, whereas the
upper storey is quite different from the rest. There are no arches in it,
but flat pilasters instead of columns, small square windows, and a row of
corbels projecting boldly from the wall, and a prominent cornice over it.
These corbels were for the purpose of carrying the feet of the masts that
supported the awning over the heads of the spectators in the galleries,
and these masts passed through holes left for them in the cornice, as
will be seen more plainly in Plate XII.
This upper storey is more than a century later in date than the lower
parts of the building; it replaces a wooden gallery for the common
people, which had been made upon the top of the great corridors, which
was too tempting a place for the purpose to be lost, although this wooden
gallery does not appear to have formed part of the original design,—to
judge from the representations of the building on the coins, which are
probably made from the designs of the architects before the work was
executed. There are six designs extant on the coins, and no two of them
are exactly alike, especially for this upper storey[244].
THE COLOSSEUM.
PLATE II.
SUPERSTRUCTURE.
VIEWS OF PARTS OF THE BUILDING.
[Illustration: COLOSSEUM—VIEWS OF PARTS
A. FROM UPPER GALLERY—LOOKING DOWN
B. REMAINS OF RESERVOIR IN FIRST GALLERY]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE II.
SUPERSTRUCTURE.
VIEWS OF PARTS OF THE BUILDING.
A. The upper view is taken from the top gallery looking down, and
shewing the ruins of the lower brick galleries, with the windows of the
corridors. Behind the wall in which these windows are placed is seen
part of one of the corridors without its roof or vault, but with the
steps of one of the _vomitoria_, and at the back of that the arches can
be seen of the outer corridor; for it must be remembered that there was
a _double_ corridor all round this enormous fabric. The object of this
was to facilitate ingress and egress from the rest of the building, and
the galleries were divided into many distinct parts, each with its own
passages and steps, so that there would be no more confusion or pressure
in emptying this enormous building than from the emptying of an ordinary
room that would hold fifty people. In the upper part of this view, on the
right hand, is seen in the distance the church of S. Stefano Rotondo and
the trees on the Cœlian Hill.
B. The lower view is taken from the inner side of the chief gallery on
the first floor, looking outwards, through one of the arches of the
corridor. In this particular compartment was one of the reservoirs of
water supplied by the aqueducts. The evidence for this is seen on the
right-hand side of the picture, where the lower part of a _specus_ or
channel for the water remains, with some of the peculiar cement used only
for the aqueducts, against the wall and lining the _specus_.
Half way along this brick wall is seen a part of one of the narrow piers
of travertine which go from the top to the bottom of the building, to
carry the upper gallery at that enormous height, as the engineers were
afraid to trust the soft tufa wall with the facing of brick. A little
further on the right is seen the opening between the brick wall of the
gallery and the stone wall of the corridor; the light is seen shining
through the opening, which is here about three inches wide, and there is
no bonding anywhere between the brick wall of the gallery and the stone
wall of the corridor. Towards the south end of the building on this
level, in at least two instances, the stone piers have been carried away
for building materials, and the lower part of the brick wall, through
which it had been cut, stands just as well without it as with it. The
object of this tall stone pier was to carry the upper gallery only, not
to support the old walls of the lower galleries[245].
THE COLOSSEUM.
PLATE III.
SUPERSTRUCTURE AND SUBSTRUCTURE.
[Illustration: THE COLOSSEUM IN 1812]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE III.
SUPERSTRUCTURE AND SUBSTRUCTURE.
The Interior as it appeared in 1812, when _partially_ excavated by order
of the French Government. This view, taken from an engraving of the
period, helps to explain what follows, but the excavations at that time
were only carried to the depth of ten feet, and the original pavement was
found only (in 1874) at the depth of twenty-one feet from the foot of the
_podium_, which is on the ordinary level of the soil. Consequently, we
only have here visible the surface, with the central passage and the two
canals on each side of it, and the side passage round the edge just under
the _podium_. The square openings for the lifts for men and dogs are seen
on each side of the central passage. The ruins of the brick galleries are
also seen much as they remain now.
The view is taken from above, at the north end. It is singular that the
engineers at that time did not see that they had excavated the tops of
arches of which the lower parts were still buried, yet the same thing
is clearly seen in the excellent set of drawings made for the French
Government at the time, and now preserved in the British Museum. In these
all the details are given with exact measurements, and yet they appear
not to have seen that they had excavated the tops of a series of arches
and left the rest buried.
THE COLOSSEUM.
PLATE IV.
SUBSTRUCTURES IN 1874.
INTERIOR, AT THE SOUTH-EAST END. VIEW IN THE PASSAGES.
[Illustration: THE COLOSSEUM IN 1874.
INTERIOR S.E. END.—THE PASSAGES]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE IV.
THE COLOSSEUM IN 1874.
SUBSTRUCTURE.
INTERIOR, AT THE SOUTH-EAST END. VIEW IN THE PASSAGES.
In the centre of the view, at the foot, are seen the boards for the
wheelbarrows of the workmen, leaning against the top of the arch of the
great subterranean drain to carry off the water when it was let off with
a rush after the naval fights. Under the boards are remains of an ancient
iron grating, to prevent any object being carried off into the drain
by the force of the water. On each side of these boards are traces of
the flood-gate, by which the water could be stopped, or the rate of it
regulated.