What is a velarium?
A velarium, also called a velum, was a large retractable awning stretched over the seating of a Roman amphitheatre or theatre to shade the spectators from the sun. The Latin velum means sail, curtain or cloth, and velarium derives from it. Retractable awnings of this kind were relatively common across the Roman Empire; the best-known example is the velarium of the Colosseum in Rome. In Dutch the usual term is ‘velum’.
How it worked
Timber masts stood in sockets and on brackets at the top of the outer wall. Ropes and pulleys pulled the fabric from the masts out over part of the seating, leaving the centre open for light and air. Many details of the system remain uncertain. It is generally believed that sailors from the imperial fleet at Misenum, with their experience of sails and rigging, rigged and operated the Colosseum’s velarium.
The awning was not put up for every event. At Pompeii, painted notices for games promise ‘vela erunt’: there will be awnings. A fresco of the riot in the Pompeii amphitheatre also shows an awning over the seating.
Where to see the traces
- Colosseum, Rome: brackets and mast sockets in the top storey of the facade.
- Arena of Nîmes: surviving mast fittings.
- Pula amphitheatre: remains of mast supports as well.
At the Colosseum, look for the projecting corbels in the top storey of the outer wall: the masts stood on these.
Later meaning
Until the early twentieth century, velarium was also used for a horizontal fabric stretched beneath a skylight or across a street or square, often decorated for a special occasion. A modern shade sail over a terrace follows the same idea: tensioned fabric that gives shade while letting air through.
Not to be confused with
Vellum, with a double l, is fine parchment made from calfskin and has nothing to do with shading.
Related terms
- Amphitheatre
- Roman architecture
- Awning
- Canopy
- Roof light
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