Virgil

In Archaic and Classical times the dromos was often situated in the heart of the sanctuary, near the altar and temple of the deity in whose honour the games were held (as at Olympia, Isthmia and Halieis). In some cases the temple steps themselves served as a grandstand: at the Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma the dromos (c. 300 BC) ran parallel to the temple’s south side. At Nemea the late 4th-century BC vault is over 36 m long. In Hellenistic and Roman times, stadia were sometimes constructed in conjunction with theatres, as perhaps on the Pnyx in Athens as early as 330 BC, and at Aizanoi (AD 76вЂ"138), Sardis, Tralles, Rhodes and Pergamon (197вЂ"159 BC). Stadia for Greek-style athletics contests continued to be built during the Roman Imperial period. For example the Stadium of Domitian in Rome was erected in AD 92вЂ"6 and restored in AD 228 by the emperor Severus Alexander. The famous Panathenaic stadium at Athens was constructed between AD 140 and 144 by Herodes Atticus, who also renovated the stadium at Delphi. The Panathenaic stadium was especially lavish, being built of Pentelic marble and seating c. 50,000 spectators.

After this date stadia were no longer used for athletics contests, although in late Roman times the Panathenaic stadium in Athens continued in use for wild beast shows and gladiatorial combats.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

P. M. Mylonas: Peri stadion [On stadia] (Athens, 1952)

W. Zschietzschmann: Das Stadion (1960), i of Wettkampf und Ð"ÑšbungsstÐ"¤tten in Griechenland (Stuttgart, 1960вЂ"61)

P. Aupert: Le Stade (1979), ii of Fouilles de Delphes (Paris, 1902вЂ")

D. G. Romano: The Stadia of the Peloponnesos (Ph.D. diss., Philadelphia, U. PA, 1981)

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