The Amphitheaters In The Late Roman Empire
Long ago in the Roman Empire the amphitheater was one of the main places of gathering for the citizens of the empire. The structure was used for such activities as animal killings, gladiatorial games, mock naval battles, and executions. The most well-known amphitheater is of course the Colosseum or the “Flavian Amphitheater.” Amphitheaters used to be found and used throughout the Roman Empire, but fell out of use over time. What happened to these once lively gathering places?
The Romans may have started to construct amphitheaters around the late BC period of the Republic. Early on there were wooden amphitheaters made to be used temporarily for gladiatorial games. Later on stone would be used to construct amphitheaters. Some early stone amphitheaters …show more content…
The late Roman Empire began to experience a lot of problems, including the economy. Amphitheaters would begin to fall out of use as a result of the shifting priorities of the Roman people in the wake of the mounting issues.
• Christianity – As one could imagine, followers of Christ would have quite a problem with a building that was used to torture and kill people for public spectacle. Due to the growing influence of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire there was more debate on the usefulness and ethics of having such structures in the first place. Christians argued both that they were immoral and a waste of money.
It was the changes going on in Roman society that caused the decline of the amphitheaters. Animal killings still occurred until the sixth century but they became rarer and more expensive. The last recorded amphitheater to be built was in 523 AD in Pavia under Theoderic and after the animal killings ended they would be used for public executions. Later on even the public executions would stop and many of the amphitheaters would be destroyed or deconstructed for scraps. Some Amphitheaters were turned into fortifications like Leptis Magna and Arles. Other amphitheaters were even converted into churches like in Salona and
The Romans may have started to construct amphitheaters around the late BC period of the Republic. Early on there were wooden amphitheaters made to be used temporarily for gladiatorial games. Later on stone would be used to construct amphitheaters. Some early stone amphitheaters …show more content…
The late Roman Empire began to experience a lot of problems, including the economy. Amphitheaters would begin to fall out of use as a result of the shifting priorities of the Roman people in the wake of the mounting issues.
• Christianity – As one could imagine, followers of Christ would have quite a problem with a building that was used to torture and kill people for public spectacle. Due to the growing influence of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire there was more debate on the usefulness and ethics of having such structures in the first place. Christians argued both that they were immoral and a waste of money.
It was the changes going on in Roman society that caused the decline of the amphitheaters. Animal killings still occurred until the sixth century but they became rarer and more expensive. The last recorded amphitheater to be built was in 523 AD in Pavia under Theoderic and after the animal killings ended they would be used for public executions. Later on even the public executions would stop and many of the amphitheaters would be destroyed or deconstructed for scraps. Some Amphitheaters were turned into fortifications like Leptis Magna and Arles. Other amphitheaters were even converted into churches like in Salona and