SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS POSSESSES ELEPHANTS.

307

IX.

of mind, and cut the elephant's proboscis till he obliged him to forego CHAP. his prey. He retired, with a hideous roaring, to the rest of his companions. Cæsar's Com. " Africa," XVIII.

Claudius invaded Britain, like a great Eastern monarch, with armed A.D. 43. elephants, and fifty thousand troops.-Milton's History of Britain. Rapin. Camden.

When Didius Julianus was informed that Septimius Severus had A.D. 193. commenced his march, nothing was to be seen at Rome but horses, troops, and elephants, training for service*.-Bernard.

In the battle between Alexander Severus and Artaxerxes, the Per- A.D. 230. sians had seven hundred elephants, of which two hundred were killed, and three hundred taken; the Emperor took with him eighteen to Rome.-Speech of Alexander Severus to the senate.

Lampridius, Vol. I. p. 450.

Bernard, from

The Emperor Jovian, near the castle of Suma, was attacked by the A.D. 364. Persian cavalry, accompanied by a great number of elephants. The shock was great, but the Romans, taking advantage of a rising ground, threw darts, and wounded the elephants, which fled, and broke the line of cavalry, when the soldiers killed many of them, and of the Persians. The Romans marched forward four days, continually harassed by the enemy. At length they crossed the Tigris, upon floats of skins fastened together.-Zosimus, p. 89.

* All the elephants of course fell into the hands of Severus, on the overthrow of Julian.

CHAPTER X.

Of Roman Amphitheatres, remains of which exist in Britain
·France- Spain- Sicily -

Italy

and other Countries.

Greece -Syria

X.

CHAP. METELLUS brought to Rome, from the Sicilian war, one hundred and twenty elephants, which he had taken from Jugurtha. These were the first that were introduced into the Circus, in the year 251 before Christ*. From this period, the passion for public exhibitions, and combats of wild beasts, spread not only in Italy, but throughout the Roman empire, in all the provinces. Such was the general rage, that scarcely a fixed military station was without its circus or amphitheatre of turf or timber.

The size and form of the Circus, with the lists and goals, being found inconvenient, Cæsar introduced the elliptic shape; and henceforth these buildings were named "theatrum venatorium," or theatre for hunting;

* The first permanent Circus (called Maximus) was built by Tarquinius Pris cus between the Aventine and the Palatine hills: it was enlarged by Julius Cæsar, Claudius, and Nero, when it contained two hundred and sixty thousand spectators: it was further increased by Hadrian, Constantine, and his son Constans. Many others were built of different sizes. The most perfect remains are those of the small circus, built by Caracalla, capable of holding eighteen thousand people.— See Rees's Cyc. "Circus."

AMPHITHEATRES.

but, from their superior accommodations, they were likewise used for the combats of gladiators. They however, continued to be called Circus as often as Amphitheatre, and the other names.

Some were little more than natural valleys, with benches cut in the declivity of surrounding hills: others were elliptical excavations, with benches of turf, like that near Sandwich, in Kent; some were partly excavated, and partly constructed with masonry, like the amphitheatre at Caerleon in Britain. There were also amphitheatres constructed to hold water, for the combats of aquatic and amphibious animals.

Those built with timber were raised and taken down as occasion required. Vespasian's amphitheatre is said, by Cassiodorus, to have cost as much to build as a capital city: and Martial relates, that, from every part of the empire, the Roman world crowded to the capital to be present at these grand games. Many vestiges of amphitheatres still remain, and have been discovered in the following countries:

In Italy. At Rome, Capua, Fidene*, Placentia, Verona, Aousta †, Alba, Otriculi, Gariglio, Puzzuoli, Pæstum, Cassino, Mola, Canusium, Lavinia +.

France. At Arles, Orange §, Autun, Treves ||, Paris**, Nismes, Bourdeau.

Spain. At Italica, (Seville).

* A few miles north of Rome; this theatre fell in the reign of Tiberius. Fifty thousand persons were killed or maimed.-Tacitus, Annal. IV.

+ Rees's Cyclop.

See Bernard, Vol. I. p. 185.

§ Civitas Aurensis, called Colonia Secundanorum. The second legion were settled here. An amphitheatre is still to be seen. Rees's Cyc. "Arausio.”

|| After the victory of Constantine the Great over the Franks and the Allemanni, several of their princes were, by his order, exposed to the wild beasts in the Amphitheatre at Treves (then the capital of Gaul).-Gibbon, Ch. XIV.

** Gibbon, Ch. XIX. p. 177.

309

CHAP.
X.

310

CHAP

X.

AMPHITHEATRE AT DORCHESTER.

Britain-At Richborough, Caerleon; Silchester, Dorchester, and

other places.

Sicily.-At Catanea, Agrigentum, Syracuse.

Greece. At Argos, Corinth.

Candia.-At Gortina and Gerapitna.

At Pola in Istria. At Delos, Ephesus, Chisico, Heraclea, Jerusalem, Cæsarea. The two last were built by Herod *.

"Maiden Castle is the most entire and prodigious work in England, and, passing for a Roman stationary camp, it is surrounded by two prodigious ditches, to which all I ever saw are trifles; and at the entrance their number is increased by several others, and the way cunningly blinded by divisions. About the like distance to the north of the way is a piece of ground, called Pomeroy, (Pomorium, as I suppose), which has in it also a large square, inclosed with a high bank, but without any ditch: on the outside there is a raised area, about ten yards broad, which shews its design could not be military. On the south side, about a furlong from Dorchester, is a place called Maumbury, being about an acre, inclosed with a high bank, which is a very pretty and entire amphitheatret."

The Roman Amphitheatre, close by the Roman road, and a quarter of a mile from Dorchester, is the most perfect structure of its kind remaining in England. It was first publicly noticed by Sir Christopher Wren, and is described by Dr. Stukeley, in his Itinerarium Curiosum. It is raised upon, and was probably framed of, solid chalk, cemented by mortar of burnt chalk; and covered with turf. Its

* See Rees's Encyc. "Amphitheatre;" Le Bruyn's Travels; Dr. Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum; and Encyc. Brit.

Hutchins. Antiquities of Dorset, Vol. II.

P.

172.

AMPHITHEATRE AT SILCHESTER.

greatest height above the level of the arena was thirty feet; the external greatest diameter three hundred and forty-three feet six inches: the external shortest diameter, three hundred and thirty-nine feet six inches: the internal longest diameter two hundred and eighteen feet: the internal shortest diameter one hundred and sixty-three feet six inches. The number of spectators which it was capable of accommodating is computed to be twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty*.

"With respect to the games here practised, we may suppose them . much the same as those used at Rome and other places, with relation to hunting and fighting with wild beasts +. Among other shows and diversions of beasts, we may safely imagine that our British bull-dogs bore a part, since the Romans trained them for the Italian amphitheatres.

In these parts of Britain, Vespasian fought thirty battles with the Britons." In the quarto volume, describing the theatre, Dr. Stukeley conjectures that Vespasian had this theatre built in order to flatter and amuse the vanquished.

"At Silchester, in Hampshire, there is an amphitheatre, in bulk and shape and all points the same as that at Dorchester; but not built of such solid materials, for it is chiefly clay and gravel. Eastward, towards the road, there is a pit; there, it is sixty feet high on the outside.

The whole arena within is now covered with water about three feet deep: the bottom must be very solid to contain the water so many years: it is a most noble and beautiful concave, and has, for time im

* Rees's Encyc. "Dorchester."

† At Frampton in Dorsetshire, extensive and very elegant Mosaic pavements (published by S. Lysons, 1807), were discovered, which represent horses, deer, leopards, and other animals.

Dr. Stukeley, Vol. I. p. 165 to 175. See Ch. XIII.

311

CHAP.

X.