庞贝城圆形剧场：发生暴乱禁赛10年

 　People in Roman times went to the Amphitheater to see plays and gladiator fights. Some amphitheaters could be filled with water so that ship battles could be fought. Sometimes circuses with acrobats and animal acts would stage shows in the Amphitheater. This large amphitheater is one of several in Pompeii.

　　This is considered to be the world's oldest known amphitheater. About the size of a modern football stadium， it had a seating capacity of 12，000 spectators. It was here in 59 A.D. that a riot broke out during a competition with a rival city. The death of many spectators caused the Roman Senate to forbid any games in the Pompeii Amphitheater for the next 10 years.

　　The huge square area， called the Palaestra， to the southwest of the Amphitheater was built in the days of Augustus Caesar. This Palaestra served as a gymnasium and a place to indoctrinate the young people in Augustan ideals. In the center was a huge swimming pool， sloping from 3 feet to 8 feet deep.

　　参考译文

　　古罗马的人们去圆形剧场观看演出和角斗士的表演。一些这样的圆形竞技场还会被注满水以便表演海上作战的船只能够航行。有时候表扬走钢丝和动物秀的马戏团也会在圆形剧场演出。图上所示就是庞贝城几座较大的剧场之一。

　　它被认为是世界上最古老的圆形竞技场。大致相当于一个现代的露天足球场那么大，能容纳12000观众的坐席。公元59年，在与另一个敌对城市的竞技比赛中，这里发生了一次暴乱。许多观众在暴乱中死亡，这使得罗马参议院禁止庞贝的竞技场举行任何比赛长达10年之久。

　　竞技场旁边巨大的广场区域，叫做"派拉斯塔"，建于奥古斯都-恺撒时期，在剧场的西南方向。派拉斯塔的作用像一个体育训练馆。建造它的目的是为了给青年人灌输奥古斯都的理念提供一个场所。它中间的区域是个大型游泳池，最浅的地方深3英尺，最深的地方深8英尺。