Editing Amphitheatre (section)

{{Short description|Open air entertainment venue}}
{{other uses}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2016}}
[[File:Rome Colosseum exterior panorama.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Colosseum]], an amphitheatre in Rome (built 72–80 AD)]]
[[File:Arles - 2017-05-24 - Roman Amphitheatre - 3804.jpg|thumb|[[Arles Amphitheatre]], France: a Roman arena still used<ref>Michel Tournier, ''Le coq de bruyère'', W. D. Redfern, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1996, p. 69</ref> for [[bullfighting]], plays, and summer concerts.]]

An '''amphitheatre'''  ([[American English|U.S. English]]: '''amphitheater''') is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Britannica Concise Encyclopedia |publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica, Incorporated |year=2006 |isbn=9781593394929 |edition=1 |pages=64}}</ref> The term derives from the [[ancient Greek]] {{Lang|grc|ἀμφιθέατρον|italic=no}} (''{{Transliteration|grc|amphitheatron}}''),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0058%3Aentry%3Da%29mfiqe%2Fatron ἀμφιθέατρον], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''An Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon'', on Peseus</ref> from {{Lang|grc|ἀμφί|italic=no}} (''{{Transliteration|grc|amphi}}''), meaning "on both sides" or "around"<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Da%29mfi%2F ἀμφί], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> and {{Lang|grc|θέατρον|italic=no}} (''{{Transliteration|grc|théātron}}''), meaning "place for viewing".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A199975579579579.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dqe%2Fatron θέατρον], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref><ref>{{cite book|last = Hoad|first = T.F.|title = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology|publisher = Oxford University Press|year = 1996|pages = [https://archive.org/details/conciseoxforddic00tfho/page/14 14, 489]|isbn = 0-19-283098-8|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/conciseoxforddic00tfho/page/14}}</ref>

Ancient Greek [[Theater (structure)|theatres]] were typically built on hillsides and semi-circular in design. The first amphitheatre may have been built at Pompeii around 70 BC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grout |first=James |title=The amphitheater at Pompeii |url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/amphitheatrum.html |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Encyclopaedia Romana}}</ref> Ancient [[Roman amphitheatre]]s were oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air [[stadium]]. In contrast, both ancient Greek and ancient [[Roman theatre (structure)|Roman theatre]]s were built in a [[semicircle]], with tiered seating rising on one side of the performance area.

Modern English parlance uses "amphitheatre" for any structure with sloping seating, including [[theater (structure)|theatre-style]] stages with spectator seating on only one side, [[Theatre in the round|theatres in the round]], and [[Stadium|stadia]]. They can be indoor or outdoor.