Public Entertainment Buildings: An Investigation of the Spatial Distribution of Theatres, Amphitheatres, and Circuses in the Area of the Western Roman Empire

Abstract: This thesis has investigated the spatial distribution of entertainment buildings in the area of the Western Roman Empire. This was done by first collecting data on all known entertainment buildings and plotting it in ArcGIS. The spatial distribution was then described and a number of different approaches was used to analyze the data. Factors that were analyzed includes: where the different types of entertainment buildings were popular was established, how the number of entertainment buildings compare to the level of urbanization in different areas, the differences in the size of the buildings in different areas, when the buildings were constructed, and if the construction of entertainment buildings were connected to the change in civic status of towns. I find that there are large inter-regional differences in both the number of buildings for public spectacles and the popularity of different building types.