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