amphitheatre
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amphitheatre, also spelled amphitheater, freestanding building of round or, more often, oval shape with a central area, the arena, and seats concentrically placed around it. The word is Greek, meaning “theatre with seats on all sides,” but as an architectural form the amphitheatre is of Italic or Etrusco-Campanian origin and reflects the requirements of the specific forms of entertainment that these people cherished—i.e., gladiatorial games and venationes, contests of beasts with one another or of men with beasts. Originally such games took place in the forum, and wooden stands were erected from time to time to accommodate the spectators. The ...(100 of 625 words)