. Architecture, classic and early Christian . ellus, appearto have been the only permanent theatres that wereerected in Imperial Eome ; and there are no remains ofany but the last of these, and this is much altered. Sothat, were it not for the remains of theatres found atPompeii, it would be almost impossible to tell how theywere arranged; but from these we can see that the stagewas raised and separated from the part appropriated tothe spectators by a semicircular area, much like thatwhich in Greek theatres Avas allotted to the chorus : inthe Eoman ones this was assigned for the use of the sen
. Architecture, classic and early Christian . ellus, appearto have been the only permanent theatres that wereerected in Imperial Eome ; and there are no remains ofany but the last of these, and this is much altered. Sothat, were it not for the remains of theatres found atPompeii, it would be almost impossible to tell how theywere arranged; but from these we can see that the stagewas raised and separated from the part appropriated tothe spectators by a semicircular area, much like thatwhich in Greek theatres Avas allotted to the chorus : inthe Eoman ones this was assigned for the use of the sena- KOMAX. 157 toi-s. The portion devoted to tlie spectators—culled theCavea—was also semicircular on plan, and consisted oftiers of steps rising one above the other, and divided atintervals by Avide passages and converging staircases com-municating with the porticoes, which ran round the wluletheatre at every story. At Orange, in the South of France, are the remains ofa very fine theatre, similar in plan to that described. The C3 Q ? -. Q » D BB M • * Pig. 131.—Plas op the Colosseum, Eome. great wall Avhich formed the back of the scene in thisbuilding is still standing, and is one of the most magnifi-cent pieces of masonry existing. Althougli the Eomaus Avere not particularly addicted 158 CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE. to dramatic representations, yet they were ijassionateTyfond of sliows and games of all kinds : hence, not only inRome itself, but in almost every Eoman settlement, fromSilchester to Verona, are found traces of their amphi-theatres, and the mother-city can claim the possession of
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