Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Vomitoria

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

VOMITO'RIA. In theatres and amphitheatres, the vomitories, or doors of entrance from the internal lobbies, which gave immediate admission to the tiers of seats occupied by the spectators. (Macrob. Sat. vi. 4.) The illustration (Vomitoria/1.1) represents a portion of the cavea in the great theatre at Pompeii, comprising four vomitories, shown by the four small doorways at the top, two in each praecinctio; but others were disposed at relative distances round both circular belts, opening upon the head of every flight of stairs (scalae), down which the spectators descended till they came to the step or circle (gradus, sedile), where every one's seat was marked out and numbered (wood-cut s. LINEA, 7.). Each of these vomitories corresponded likewise with one or more staircases formed in the shell of the building, and communicating with the exterior (see the wood-cut and description s. AMPHITHEATRUM, p. 29.), so that the whole company could retire, almost at once, without the least crowding or inconvenience. It is calculated that the Flavian amphitheatre was capable of containing more than 90,000 spectators, and was furnished with vomitories and staircases sufficient for the whole concourse to disperse in less than five minutes.

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  Vomitoria/1.1