hum111 week 3 discussion RESPONSE a.m.

Respond to this post in 150 words or more agreeing, disagreeing, or giving an opinion.

The ancient Roman Urban structures are beautifully made and fascinating. The Romans who built the structures put a lot of thought and detail into the design of the constructions. For instance, the Colosseums and Ampitheaters of Rome were built with so much complexity that one can conclude they greatly resemble modern day buildings.

One of the earliest structures that were built in Rome were it’s Ampitheaters. These buildings date back to the II Centruy B.C. The Ampitheaters were composed of two separate theaters contained in one erection. The first Ampitheaters built by rulers such as Taurus and Curio satisfied the need for space for games and sporting events to be held and theaters for shows and entertainment events. One part of the theater would host the shows and entertainment events and then the two, separate theaters would be combined to allow for enough space for the playing of games and sports. The idea to allow for two separate functions was ingenious.

The design of the first Ampitheaters is very similar to modern day entertainment facilities. For example, the Nassau Colosseum located in Uniondale, New York is designed and used just as the Ampitheaters of ancient Rome. The Nassau Colosseum hosts many sporting events in it’s building such as hockey games, basketball games and even truck races. The Nassau Colosseum can then be converted to function as a concert or symphony hall and playhouse.

Another similarity between the Ampitheaters of ancient Rome and a modern day structure such as the Nassau Colosseum is it’s seating models and how it relates to the classes of society. In the Roman Ampitheaters; the corridors, stairs and seating was designed to separate and distinguish the classes of Roman society. Emperors, royalty and the wealthy were seated in clusters away from contact with commoners. They were placed in areas that were easy to access and had the best view of games and shows. In modern day theaters, this distinction of the classes of society is still very visible. For example, those who can afford to pay extremely high admission fees and purchase expensive event tickets are seated in comfortable, convenient and sometimes separate areas. People who can buy costly “orchestra” level or premium front row seats that are located in sectioned off areas of the theater are usually financially well off individuals. Reasonably priced seats for events in modern day theaters are usually occupied by those who are part of the elite of society.

As you can see, although the Ampitheaters of ancient Rome were constructed long ago; there are many resemblances to the theaters of today. It is evident that modern architects used many aspects and principles of the construction of these ancient structures and incorporated them in the theaters we frequent today.