Dennis, George: The cities and cemeteries of Etruria: in two volumes (Band 1) (London, 1848)

CHAP. IV.]

THE AMPHITHEATRE.

97

excavated in the rock—in the cornice of the podium
which surrounds the arena—in the doors in the same,
narrower above than below, though all seem to favour an
Etruscan origin ; but its mode of construction is decidedly
un-Roman, and peculiarly Etruscan; while the irregularity
of the structure—the seats and passages being accommo-
dated to the natural surface of the rock—and above all
its singular, nay rustic, simplicity, distinguish it widely
from the amphitheatres of the Romans.7

This curious relic of antiquity is an ellipse—the arena
being, according to my measurement, one hundred and
sixty-four feet in length, and one hundred and thirty-two
in its greatest breadtb.8 The doors in the podium open into
a vaulted corridor which surrounds the arena. This cor-
ridor, with its doors, is of very rare occurrence; found
elsewhere, I believe, only at Capua and Syracuse.9 Above
the podium rise the benches ; at the interval of every four or
five is a prcecinctio, or encircling passage, for the con-
venience of spectators in reaching their seats. There
are several of these prceeinctiones, and also a broad cor-
ridor above the whole, running round the upper edge of
the structure; but such is the irregularity and want of

7 Micali (Ant. Pop. It. I. p. 145) thinks
it Etruscan; Nibby (voce Sutrium) con-
siders it of the time of Augustas; Canina
thinks it of Roman construction, for
such is the character of the architec-
tural details; but an argument drawn
from this source, as will be shown in
Chapter VII., is not conclusive. The
only other amphitheatres I know, which
are rock-hewn, are those of Syracuse and
Dorchester, theformer but very partially.

8 This agrees very closely with Nibby's
measurement of 222 palms in length
and 180 in breadth. Micali is in error
when he calls the circumference of this

VOL. I.

amphitheatre " one thousand paces," for
its diameter the longest way of the
ellipse, from gate to gate, is little more
than 250 feet, so that its circumference
cannot be 1000 feet, much less poxes.
The word "passi" may, however, be
a misprint for "palmi." (loe. cit).

9 The podium,, or parapet, now rises
only three or four feet above the
ground, but the arena has not been
cleared out to its original level. The
corridor that surrounds it is between
five and six feet high, and the same in
width. Similar doors in the podium, are
also found in a stadium at Ephesus.