velarium

thumb|An awning is visible at the top of this contemporary fresco of a riot on and around the Amphitheatre of Pompeii|Pompeii Amphitheater. Surviving graffiti in Pompeii advertise that next games will have awnings (). thumb|right| is visible in the background in Jean-Léon Gérôme's painting thumb|Model of the Colosseum with its velarium in the Museum of Roman Civilization A '''' ("curtain") was a type of awning used in Roman times. It stretched over the whole of the , the seating area in amphitheaters, to protect spectators from the sun. Retractable awnings were relatively common throughout the Roman Empire. Though the precise details are unclear, the awning was evidently usually supported by wooden masts, the sockets and brackets for which remain on the Colosseum and Arena of Nîmes, for example.

== The Colosseum == The Colosseum being the biggest amphitheater of Roman times, the that covered it was the biggest that ever was as well. It provided shade from the sun for up to one third of the arena. The also created a ventilation updraft, creating circulation and a cool breeze.