The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-03

theater; thing which would have been
 practically impossible. owing to the
 enormous strain of so long A bearing,
 far beyond what any ropes could bear.
 It simply sloped down on the heads of
 the spectators in the cavea Uhe seated
 portion of the building) leaving the
 whole central arena unshaded. Corbels
 to support the lowest masts exist in the
 the lvel of the arena. These poles rose
 thel evei of the arena. These poles rose
 out or the arena along the line of the
 fence wall that protected the podlum
 flower row of sests). There must have
 been many intermediate points of sup port at intervals up the slope of seats.
 but no indications exist of any of these, owing to the complete removal of all the marble seats and decorations. A whole army of sailors were employed to extend and furl the awning"
 In confirmation of this view of the ar- engagement of the awnings over the seats, l may add that some years ago. while inspecting in the museum at Ma pies Fragments of wall plaster brought from Pompeii and scrubbed over with 'grafiiti." or rude sketches of every sort, observed one drawing which evidently represented several rows of seats in an amphitheater. Over the seats was dis tinctly shown an awning descending toward the arena, not in line parallel With the slope of seats, but with Its low CT edge somewhat elevated, as If to per init an unobstructed view of the arena by spectators on the upper row.
 It will be observed, however, that if there were but single awning extend- ing over all the rows of seats from top to bottom of the cavea. whose lower edge was raised enough to meet the re- qulrements Of spectators on the upper seats, 1t would furnish no shade at all to those on the lower tier, and especial ly to occupants of the podium, which was the lowest tier of all and was re- served for the greatest dignitaries of the state. It is hardly probable, there- fore, that Middleton is correct in as- suming there was only one. In fact, the citations we have given above from Latin authors all refer, not to the lawn ing but the awnings" (vela). The ex- planation is simple, when the arrange ment of the seats Is understood, and any good picture of the Colosseum as it ap- pears is examined. Chambers Ency- clopedia" says: Besides the podum, there are three tiers or stories of seats | corresponding to the external stories. | The first of these is supposed to have | contained twenty-four rows of seats | and the second sixteen. These were | separated by lofty wall from the third | story. which contained the populace." The picture will show that each of these tiers, or stories, was so far below the one next above it that low awning over the lower tier would be entirely overlooked by spectators in the upper one; each tier of seats thus having an independent awning. By this arrange ment not only would the arena be in full | view of all the spectators, but the spec tators would themselves all be visible from all parts of the arena. With a sim gle awning, however, these conditions >Oeiu iioI OS ocSuIeN, uIlleSS US lower edge were unduly elevated, especially at the two ends of the arena. We know that the performers were in fact able to see the entire audience, for victorious gladiators were expected to await its1 signals of thumbs reversed or other wise, commanding death or life to the vanquished and to be governed by the majority vote.
 If the above theory is correct as to the plans of the awnings, it is evident | that there was no occasion to "draw and withdraw them as the sky chang ed." Undoubtedly there was corps of | attendants, probably sailors, to look af- ter them; but perhaps hardly "an army" It would seem that these at- tendants served as police or military guard also, and as such took the order from the Emperor Commodus to fall | upon the audience, which is referred to l to by Lampridius