Many ancient buildings used for shows featured a velarium, a paneled awning suspended above the seating area to protect the spectators from the sun.
Once installed, this complex structure of rigging and masts, had to remain in place permanently.
Specialized personnel, most probably sailors, was in charge of operating the shades.
Ancient authors, including Pliny, Suetonius and Martial, wrote about it.
The Colosseum, and the amphitheaters in Nice and Nîmes have architectural traces that attest to its existence.
Based on textual, iconographic and archeological sources, researchers at the University of Caen have developed a scientifically unprecedented hypothetical digital reproduction that is completely operational.
The velarium
