,
CroatiaAbout
230 Roman amphitheatres have been found across the area of the
Roman Empire. Their typical shape, functions and name distinguish them from
Roman theatres, which are more or less semicircular in shape; from the
circuses (similar to
hippodromes) whose much longer circuits were designed mainly for horse or chariot racing events; and from the smaller
stadia, which were primarily designed for
athletics and footraces. Roman amphitheatres were circular or oval in plan, with a central
arena surrounded by perimeter seating tiers. The seating tiers were pierced by entrance-ways controlling access to the arena floor, and isolating it from the audience. Temporary wooden structures functioning as amphitheaters would have been erected for the funeral games held in honour of deceased Roman
magnates by their heirs, featuring fights to the death by
gladiators, usually armed prisoners of war, at the funeral pyre or tomb of the deceased. These games are described in Roman histories as '''', gifts, entertainments or duties to honour deceased individuals, Rome's gods and the Roman community. Some Roman writers interpret the earliest attempts to provide permanent amphitheaters and seating for the lower classes as populist political graft, blocked by the
Senate as morally objectionable; too-frequent, excessively "luxurious" '''' would corrode traditional Roman morals. The provision of permanent seating was thought a particularly objectionable luxury. The earliest permanent, stone and timber Roman amphitheatre with perimeter seating, the
Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus, was built in the in 29 BCE. Most were built under Imperial rule, from the
Augustan period (27 BCE–14 CE) onwards. Imperial amphitheatres were built throughout the Roman Empire, especial in provincial capitals and major colonies, as an essential aspect of
Romanitas. There was no standard size; the largest could accommodate 40,000–60,000 spectators. The most elaborate featured multi-storeyed, arcaded façades and were decorated with
marble,
stucco and statuary. The best-known and largest Roman amphitheatre is the
Colosseum in
Rome, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (''''), after the
Flavian dynasty who had it built. After the ending of gladiatorial games in the 5th century and of staged animal hunts in the 6th, most amphitheatres fell into disrepair. Their materials were mined or recycled. Some were razed, and others were converted into fortifications. A few continued as convenient open meeting places; in some of these, churches were sited. ==Modern amphitheatres==