File:The life of the Greeks and Romans (1875) (14768849985).jpg

Identifier: lifeofgreeksroma00guhl (find matches)
Title: The life of the Greeks and Romans
Year: 1875 (1870s)
Authors: Guhl, E. (Ernst), 1819-1862 Koner, W. (Wilhelm), 1817-1887, joint author Hueffer, Francis, 1843-1889, tr
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Publisher: London, Chapman and Hall
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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tre ofSyracuse, being, as we mentioned before (§ 30), a Greek structurewith Roman additions. The cavea lying on the slope is of Greekorigin. The seats are made of the rock itself. The remainingparts of the stage-wall indicate Roman origin : with the aid ofthese remnants a reconstructive design of the two stories of the S3 skene has been attempted. The colonnade of the spectators placealso is a Roman addition. Of Roman theatres we mention that built by Pompeius, b.c. 55. 426 THEATRE OF POMPEIUS. All previous theatres, although splendidly decorated,* had beenbuilt of wood, to be pulled down after the festive performanceswere over. Of the theatre of Pompeius little remains ; but afragment of the old plan of Rome enables us to distinguish itsgeneral design, and even the arrangement of the single parts(see Fig. 433). The cavea (a) contained, it is said, 40,000 seats;it shows the above-mentioned radiating direction of the walls,between which the entrance-passages of the spectators lay, and
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Fig. 433. on which the sitting-steps rested. The stage (b b) shows a skene-wall richly decorated with columns and semicircular niches. Behind the stage lies a portico (c), in order, as Vitruvius adds(chapter IX.), that, in case the play is interrupted by a shower ofrain, the people may find refuge there ; also in order to give thechoragi room for arranging the chorus. The design of thisportico indicates various embellishments : the ancients indeed boast * The theatre of Scaurus already mentioned, built 52 B.C., had 80,000 seats. Thestage-wall was three stories high and adorned with 360 marble columns partly ofcolossal size. The wall of the first story was coated with marble, that of thesecond with glass (most likely coloured glass mosaic), that of the third with platesof gilt metal. Between the columns bronze statues, to the almost incredible numberof 3,000, were placed, not to mention various other decorations. THEATRE OF MAR CELL US. of its statues and valuabletapestry, also of theg

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