The arenas of Ancient Rome ...

Date of Issue : 19 December 2017

Here is a beautiful set of stamps to be issued by Israel Post on 19 December featuring Ancient Roman Arenas. These stamps have wonderful tabs with full photos of the arenas.  The stamp sheets are also decorative. It is a nice collecting item for all stamp lovers.

Three new stamps from Israeli Post feature the drama and excitement of the Roman arenas of the Roman Empire.

The Roman era was characterised by the excitement of dramas in the Roman arenas when stage plays, chariot racing and gladiators fighting with lions was offered up for the entertainment of the crowds.

The stamps  show Gladiators fighting beside a lion at Beit Guvrin arena - an important town in Roman-occupied Israel; dramatics with costumed performers at Beit She'an, an ancient city in northern Israel; and chariot racing at Caesarea hippodrome, which still has substantial Roman remains.

The illustrations on the stamps, the sheet margins and the cancellation were inspired by mosaics from the Roman Period and by 18th and 19th century works of art describing that period (books, paintings,posters).

Roman arenas in Israel

The most common arena in Israel was the semi-circular theatre in which all seats faced the front stage. Every major city in the Roman Empire built a theatre and overall more than 30 theatres of varying sizes were constructed in Eretz Israel.

The Amphitheater, in which the audience sat around a central stage, was usually built outside the city. This venue hosted bloody performances, mostly featuring battles between gladiators or men versus animals.

The Hippodrome (hippos = horse) was also built outside the city and mainly served as a venue for chariot races. The seats were placed along the long sides of the arena. One end had a curved wall and the other had a straight wall where the chariot gates were located.

Source : Israel Philatelic Federation