Roman Amphitheaters (Watts Library: Famous Structures)

Discusses the history, purpose, architecture, and construction of the Roman amphitheaters.

Grade 4-6-In Temples, Nardo discusses the Parthenon in Athens and, in Amphitheaters, the Colosseum in Rome as examples of how each type of structure was erected. Each book provides a brief cultural context; a history of the development of the building type; and a history of the particular structure, including how it was built, what it was used for, and what happened after the society that created it lost prominence. Temples also discusses how classical Greek architecture influenced modern builders. The writing is informative and engaging and not oversimplified. The illustrations are mainly clear, high-quality, full-color photographs; captions and sidebars add interesting facts not mentioned in the text. Glossary terms are both set in bold and defined in context; but some of them are too simple for the intended audience. These titles provide material not otherwise offered at this level in stand-alone volumes, and present it so that readers will understand the importance of the structures to the cultures that created them and to modern people. Useful for reports.
Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reviewed with Don Nardo's Greek Temples.

Gr. 5-7. In these books in the Famous Structures series, Nardo has written numerous fine books for older students on ancient civilizations. Here, he makes the information clear and understandable to a younger audience. Much of the vocabulary is necessarily technical (entablature, metopes, chorobates), but the explanations are succinct and reinforced by a glossary and illustrations. The books explain how amphitheaters and temples were constructed and how they probably looked at the time. Nardo does a good job of placing the structures within the context of their societies and covers what has happened to the buildings over the years, including the effect of natural events (the eruption of Mount Vesuvius) and of man-made ones, such as the explosion at the Parthenon during a war between the Greeks and the Turks in 1687. An attractive, spacious design with crisp color photographs and reproductions of artwork also helps make the information accessible. Back matter includes a time line, a glossary, references for further information, and an author's note on sources. Susan Dove Lempke
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