3. BROJ - hrvatski rukometni klub izviđač

ARENA
Arranged by
Drago GrgiÊ, prof.
Nowadays we can very
often hear the term
“arena“ referring to sport
halls. So it is usually said, “The
construction of the arena has
begun!”, or “The arena is ready
for the competition!”, or perhaps
“The spectators in the arena are satisfied!”. What meaning did that term have in the past?
Arena, -ae, f. in Latin meant: sand, wrestling yard. More widely, that term has different meanings:
battleground, stage, scene of action, a place where battles take place, battle-field, battle area. Very
often we hear “The Arena in Pula”, but also “The amphitheatre in Pula”. The word amphitheatre,
literally meaning double theatre, got its name because originally it had been created by merging of
the two theatres that in Antique Greece consisted of semicircular concentric lines of stairways for
sitting, while in the middle there were the orchestra and the altar where sacral plays took place.
The biggest amphitheatre is the Colosseum in Rome. The Colosseum is the amphitheatre of the
Flavian dynasty, named after the huge Nero’s statue called Colossus that was situated nearby. The
construction started in 72 during the emperor Vespasian, and finished in 80 during his son Titus,
who ordered one hundred days for celebrating that event. It could welcome 50 000 spectators.
The performances consisted of gladiator battles (slaves trained for combat), wild game hunting
(animals brought to Rome from far-away regions), and ship or sea battle simulations whereby the
arena had to be filled with water.
Finally, it was the place where the first Christians were tortured. In order to take part in the
performances, one had to go through the arcades on the ground floor, and then climb the stairs
that led to the different sections of the auditorium (cavea), each one intended to be used by a
certain social class. The first one was intended for the emperor and the Vestal Virgins, followed by
other sections all the way to the last one where the plebeians used to sit (ordinary citizens).
The amphitheatre in Pula is the sixth biggest in the world. It could accept 23 000 spectators. It
was erected on the site of a smaller amphitheatre from the time of Augustus, widened during the
reign of Claudius, representing the last building from the reign of the Flavian dynasty (69-81).