naumachia

naumachia
/naw may"kee euh/, n., pl. naumachiae /-kee ee'/, naumachias.
1. a mock sea fight, given as a spectacle among the ancient Romans.
2. a place for presenting such spectacles.
[1590-1600; < L: mock naval battle < Gk naumachía a sea fight, equiv. to naû(s) ship + mách(e) battle, fight + -ia -IA]

* * *

▪ ancient Roman theatre
Latin, derived from Greek“naval battle” plural  naumachiae  

      in ancient Rome, a mimic sea battle and the specially constructed basin in which such a battle sometimes took place. These entertainments also took place in flooded amphitheatres. The opposing sides were prisoners of war or convicts, who fought until one side was destroyed.

      The earliest naumachia recorded (46 BC) represented an engagement between the Egyptian and Tyrian fleets and was given by Julius Caesar (Caesar, Julius) on an artificial lake that was constructed by him in the Campus Martius. In 2 BC Augustus staged a naumachia between Athenians and Persians in a basin newly constructed on the right bank of the Tiber at Rome. In the naumachia arranged by Claudius on Lake Fucino in AD 52, 100 ships and 19,000 men participated.

      A later version of the naumachia was practiced in indoor theatres, such as London's Sadler's Wells, during the 19th century. A tank was constructed in the pit and stalls areas, and real boats were used for the purpose.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Naumachia — (detail): an imaginative recreation by Ulpiano Checa, first exhibited in 1894. The naumachia (in Latin naumachia, from the Ancient Greek ναυμαχία/naumachía, literally naval combat ) in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the re enactment of… …   Wikipedia

  • NAUMACHIA — Suetonio in Claud. c. 2. et in Neron. c. 27. et P. Victor. vox Graeca, non solum certamen navale significat, sed etiam locum in quo illud certamen fiebat, populô inspectante. Qui locus instar lacus erat in medio theatri, vel in campo aliquo… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Naumachĭa — (gr.), 1) Seetreffen; 2) bei den Römern zur Luft u. als Schauspiel gegebene Wassergefechte, Nachahmung von Seegefechten. Die in den Naumachien Fechtenden (Naumachiarii) waren gewöhnlich Gefangene od. verurtheilte Verbrecher, welche bis auf den… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Naumachia — Naumachia, griech., Seeschlacht; bei den Römern in der Kaiserzeit Seegefechte als Schauspiele auf natürlichen oder künstlichen Teichen, die deßwegen N. hießen; das von Gladiatoren gegebene Schauspiel einer Seeschlacht mit allen ihren Gefahren und …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • naumachia — [nô′mə kē] n. pl. naumachies [nô mā′kē ə] n. naumachias or naumachiae [nô mā′kēē΄] [L < Gr naus, ship (see NAVY) + machē, battle] 1. in ancient Rome, a mock sea battle 2. a place constructed for this: Also …   English World dictionary

  • naumachia — Nauheim bath Nauheim bath, etc. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] naumachia aumachia n. Same as {naumachy}. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • naumachia — nau·ma·chì·a s.f. TS stor. in Roma antica, spettacolo che rappresentava una battaglia navale in piccoli laghi naturali o artificiali | impianto o edificio in cui si svolgeva tale spettacolo {{line}} {{/line}} DATA: sec. XIV. ETIMO: dal lat.… …   Dizionario italiano

  • naumachia — noun (plural naumachiae or chias) Etymology: Latin, from Greek, naval battle, from naus ship + machesthai to fight more at nave Date: 1596 1. an ancient Roman spectacle representing a naval battle 2. a place for naumachiae …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • naumachia — {{hw}}{{naumachia}}{{/hw}}s. f. Spettacolo di combattimento navale, per pubblico divertimento, spec. fra gli antichi Romani …   Enciclopedia di italiano

  • naumachia — pl.f. naumachie …   Dizionario dei sinonimi e contrari

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”