the
barrier which separated them from the spectators. This circumstance,
together with the unsuitableness of the Circus for such sports, from
its being divided into two compartments by the spina, a low wall
surmounted by pillars, obelisks, and other ornamental erections, as
well as from its disproportionate length, which rendered it ill
adapted to afford a general view to all the spectators, determined
Julius Caesar, in his dictatorship, to construct a wooden theatre in
the Campus Martius, built especially for hunting, "which was called
amphitheatre (apparently the first use of the word) because it was
encompassed by circular seats without a scene."

The first permanent amphitheatre was built partly of stone and partly
of wood, by Statilius Taurus, at the instigation of Augustus, who was
passionately fond of these sports, especially of the hunting of rare
beasts. This was burnt during the reign of Nero, and though restored,
fell short of the wishes of Vespasian, who commenced the vast
structure completed by his son Titus--called the Flavian Amphitheatre,
and subsequently the Coliseum. The expense of this building it is said
would have sufficed to erect a capital city, and, if we may credit
Dion, 9,000 wild beasts were destroyed in its dedication. Eutropius
restricts the number to 5,000. When the hunting was over the arena was
filled with water, and a sea-fight ensued.

The construction of these buildings so much resembles the construction
of theatres, that it will not be necessary to describe them at any
great length. Without, they usually presented to the view an oval
wall, composed of two or more stories of arcades, supported by piers
of different orders of architecture adorned with pilasters or attached
pillars. Within, an equal number of stories of galleries gave access
to the spectators at different elevations, and the inclined plane of
the seats was also supported upon piers and vaults, so that the
ground plan presented a number of circular rows of piers, arranged in
radii converging to the centre of the arena. A suitable number of
doors opened upon the ground floor, and passages from thence,
intersecting the circular passages between the piers, gave an easy
access to every part of the building. Sometimes a gallery encompassed
the whole, and served as a common access to all the stairs which led
to the upper stories. This was the case in the amphitheatre at Nismes.
Sometimes each staircase had its distinct commu