| An Introduction
To Rome's Colosseum
When Rome dominated the world, one of the most popular places
for Romans to go for entertainment was the Flavian Amphitheater.
This huge elliptical stadium could hold crowds of up to 50,000
citizens in the six acres it covered. But it went by another
name of Il Colosseo or as we call it, The Colosseum.
The famous scenes of humans and animals fighting in the Colosseum
that we see in movies are accurate to the kinds of things that
went on there in the first century. But the centuries have
erased any evidence of those games except for the passageways
and vaults underground where participants in those spectacles
entered the Colosseum or were stored until it was their time
to fight.
The Colosseum has taken a lot of damage from fires and earthquakes
since it was active in Roman times. But if you visit it, you
can still get a feel for the majesty of that original structure.
If you get all the way to the top of the arena, you will look
down 157 feet from the peak to the floor below and from that
vantage point, it is easy to imagine the great spectacles that
happened here. And even though the once perfect red brick arches
are falling apart and the animals and warriors that moved through
those gates are no longer here, the ghosts of glory days gone
by are easy to sense.
Like a modern football stadium, the seats are laid out in
layers. From any of those seats you can look out over the numerous
levels of arches that surround the spread out stadium. Take
a seat in the stands for a moment and you can just about hear
as the crowd erupts with cheers when the Emperor enters through
one of the four gates that are only for the use of him and
his party. The other 76 entrances to the stadium were there
for citizens to enter and enjoy the festivities, along with
Roman royalty.
It took 15,000 slaves and designers to build this huge structure
before it finally opened for use in 80 AD. The title, "The
Colosseum" that we know the stadium by, was taken from
a famous statue that stood on the grounds that was called "The
Colossus." At one time people thought this statue was
made in the image of Nero but in fact over the life of the
Roman Empire, it bore a likeness to each emperor during his
reign. Today you can still find the base that The Colossus
stood on not far from the site between the Colosseum and the
Temple of Roman and Venus.
The opening of the Colosseum launched a celebration that lasted
100 days as noblemen and barbarians alike visited the stadium.
It was quite common when coming for a night of entertainment
at the Colosseum to see gladiators fight until only one survived
or to witness the brutal Roman approach to lion taming and
other performances that were just as violent to our modern
minds.
Where people sat in that huge stadium depended on your social
rank. For obvious reasons, the emperor had the best seats along
with his royal entourage. The upper levels, by contrast were
reserved for women who had no part with the royal party. But
at any level, it was easy to see the shows and battles happening
in the Colosseum arena, which included exotic animals like
hippos, elephants and rhinos, along with the big cats that
were part of the games as well.
To this day it is a mystery how Roman engineers designed the
massive masts and velarium which made up the huge canopy that
was used to provide shade to many in the hall. That part of
the design was claimed by the ravages of time long ago. But
you will be able to admire the various styles of Roman columns
throughout the stadium, including the Doric styles on the lower
levels to the Ionic style on the second tier and finally the
Corinthian on the third level.
While it's understandable that tourists are amazed at even
these remains of that once mighty building, it is also greatly
admired and even copied by stadium designers of modern times.
The Colosseum set the standard as the first and the largest
and the most famous stadium of its type at the time. Before
it was built, arenas were comparatively simple structures dug
out of hillsides. You can still find remnants of those stadiums
around Rome on your visit if you are interested.
Your visit to Rome will be a fulfilling experience for sure
if you include a trip to the Colosseum.
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