Roman Amphitheatre- A place for entertainment. As the amphitheatre is the oldest artefact, it shows the crowds could get on it that shows the crowds could get unruly and have fights. An impressive structure, it measures approximately 135 x 104m and could hold around 20,000 people. It is the earliest surviving permanent amphitheatre in Italy, therefore it is particularly important in providing a source of this typically type of Roman architecture. The most popular form of entertainment was the blood sports held in the amphitheatre, the largest building in Pompeii. Reliefs, inscriptions, mosaics and wall paintings provide information about the different types of blood sports performed in the amphitheatre.
Analysis: Ancient romans used the amphitheatre for entertainment, there was no such thing as the cinemas or theme parks back then. They watched sport, combat , music or drama for pleasure. Gladiators were very popular, and their fans would write graffiti on walls to boast their exploits. The graffiti gives information about what was happening at the time of the eruption and shows what was important to the people at that time.
Conclusions: The amphitheatre of Pompeii is the oldest surviving roman amphitheatre. It is located in the city of Pompeii and was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. The eruption also buried Pompeii itself and neighbouring Herculaneum. This shows people that Ancient Romans loved drama and entertainment. They would gather at the amphitheatre for fights and games. They yearned for entertainment and fun that they could even watch someone's death, someone being humiliated in front of thousands of people. The amphitheatre is a significant discovery because it is the oldest and shows that people liked entertainment and was important to the town. The graffiti also shows that there were arguments and fights in the crowds.
This is a painting from the House of Actius Anicetus depicting the riot in the amphitheatre at Pompeii in AD59.