The volume represents an important contribution to the study of this monumental structure: the amphitheatre. Constant dialogue with researchers, scholars and experts in the field – whose importance is often stressed by B. – has allowed B. to improve this new edition, by adding to the discussion of some of the technical aspects that, according to R. Etienne, were rather lacking in the first one (R. Etienne, Latomus 61 [2002]). This edition does not modify the previous table of contents. Yet, many parts have gone through a process of revision and update, thanks to the development of scholarship in the last 20 years.
The starting point is still the Colosseum. The most relevant feature of B.'s exploration is the analysis of the architectural features of the arena and the functioning of the underground, with a new examination of the chronological phases in the light of the hypotheses made after 2000 (B. reports, e.g., L.C. Lancaster, JRA 18 [2005]; Concrete Vaulted Construction in Imperial Rome [2009]). Special emphasis continues to be placed on the circulation of the public and their distribution within the cavea. This represents a notable attempt to highlight a topic often kept in the shadows and not yet satisfactorily addressed in published research. The new edition also improves the photographic documentation of the Colosseum, already rich in the first one and consisting of original pictures by B.
After the first dense chapter, the book proceeds backwards through a detailed analysis of the history of ludi, venationes and the first stone amphitheatres. In this context, the case of Pompeii has a primary position. In particular, B. addresses the theory of an earlier phase for Pompeii's amphitheatre, recalling the hypothesis of J.-C. Golvin (Nikephoros 20 [2007]), putting forth new suggestions in line with recent investigations conducted by M. Mogetta (JRS 105 [2015]; JRA 29 [2016]). His idea is that the introduction of Roman concrete in Pompeii should be pushed back to the middle of the second century bce and that strong similarities exist between architectural elements of the Villa of the Mysteries and the amphitheatre. However, this hypothesis remains doubtful, given the impossibility of conducting a stratigraphic excavation that could finally clarify the number of construction phases of the amphitheatre. In this regard B. also suggests a new interpretation of the monument's dedicatory inscription (CIL X 852): in his eyes the term spectacula would not refer to the whole building, but to the lower part of the cavea only. Regardless of the solution, one should not forget the presence of private structures, dating back to the second century bce, just below the cavea (F. Pesando, ‘Il “secolo d'oro” di Pompei’, in M. Osanna, M. Torelli [edd.], Sicilia ellenistica, consuetudo italica [2006]).
The central question of this second chapter is related to the origin of the amphitheatre as a monument: can it be considered a Roman structure (K. Welch, The Roman Amphitheatre [2007], pp. 30–71), or should it rather be interpreted as a Campanian one? K. Welch's hypothesis has met with some criticism (C. Holleran, ‘The Development of Public Entertainment Venues in Rome and Italy’, in T. Cornell and K. Lomas [edd.], Bread and Circuses [2003]; T. Hufschmid, JRA 23 [2010], 497) due to the fact that the earliest stone amphitheatres, archaeologically known, are all in the Campania region.
The following chapter deals in detail with monuments from the imperial age: the amphitheatre in Verona, the second building in Pozzuoli and the one in Capua. According to B.'s classification, these buildings should be considered direct descendants of the Colosseum in terms of size and decoration. However, the case of Capua is a complex monument concerning its architectural interpretation, as C.F. Giuliani pointed out many years ago (‘Alcune osservazioni in margine all'anfiteatro campano’, in R. Cioffi, S. Quilici Gigli and N. Barrella [edd.], Beni culturali in Terra di Lavoro: prospettive di ricerca e metodi di valorizzazione [2011]). Even taking the Colosseum as a model for these buildings, their realisation is strongly linked to territorial characteristics, to work execution, to financial aspects that are extremely site-specific. A strong point made by B. is the one about the decorative apparatus of the amphitheatre, which in this chapter receives great attention with the support of a rich photographic apparatus. As A. Cooley (CR 52 [2002], 127) suggested, the importance of the decoration should not only be stressed but analysed further, aiming at a better understanding of the dynamics of ceremonial processions that may find its significance in the visual apparatus itself. The amphitheatre of Puteoli also receives great attention, with B. mostly focusing on construction methods and chronological phases, contrasting with previous structures built nearby. Noteworthy is the paragraph on the corporations whose existence is known to us from several inscriptions found in the amphitheatre and which have been the subject of a scrupulous investigation by S. Evangelisti (Epigrafia anfiteatrale dell'Occidente romano 8 [2011]).
The last part of the book, especially valuable, deals with the daunting task of cataloguing North Africa's amphitheatres. In this second edition the chapter begins with a historical overview from the Punic wars to the Arab conquest in the seventh century ce, followed by a detailed catalogue of African monuments. Its final part is dedicated to various considerations on chronology, architectural typology, cultural influences and regional characteristics. Also discussed in the chapter is the social provenance of workers and the typology of spectacula that took place in African amphitheatres with, according to B., a greater predilection for the venationes (B. considers the hypothesis of C. Hugoniot, ‘La disparition de la gladiature en Afrique Romaine’, in F. Delrieux and F. Kayser [edd.], Des deserts d'Afrique au pays des Allobroges [2010]). The discussion on African amphitheatres has been updated in the light of the most recent investigations, such as those carried out by G. Montali in the amphitheatre of Sabratha (L'anfiteatro di Sabratha e gli anfiteatri dell'Africa Proconsolare [2015]). Chapter 4 can be defined as a (regional) history of this type of monument.
Finally, the theme of the ‘decline’ of spectacula is exemplified by various buildings in different provinces of the Empire. The symbolic value of the games is reaffirmed in the modern world with spectacles that, both for the place in which they are held and for the activity, are a constant reminder of the past (e.g. bullfight).
In conclusion, readers should not expect a full history of amphitheatres from their origins to recent times nor an architectural history of the type of building. Although the work of B. cannot be comprehensive – due to the immense amount of material concerning amphitheatres in the Roman world, often very difficult to collect –, there is no doubt that this book offers a number of inputs that cannot be ignored by scholars working on Italian and North African amphitheatres.
