An icon of Rome is the
Colosseum, the largest amphitheater in Rome. Emperor
Vespasian began construction in AD 72 and it was opened in 80 by his son
Titus. It was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater but came to be called the Colosseum because of a large bronze statue (a colossus!) located nearby (which no longer exists).
|
Colosseum, Rome |
The design is very practical, with 80 arched entrances around the bottom to allow easy access to the 55,000 seats. The emperor naturally had his own entrance.
|
The entrances and first vendors of the morning |
|
A peak into the hallways |
The emperor (or wealthy citizens) would sponsor the games so the public got in free. Not free are the guys standing around outside in gladiatorial garb who will take a photo with you for money.
|
Fee for foto! |
We wound our way around to the entrance and waited on a not very long line to get inside.
|
We arrive |
|
We wait in line--not like it was in the old days |
The internal halls have archeological exhibits showing different items discovered in and around the Colosseum, including statues, mosaics, and other items.
|
Horse and rider, or what's left of them |
|
Heads of statues |
|
Mosaic |
|
Carvings |
Another display shows various coins and game pieces that were used by the crowd to entertain themselves during breaks in the action. Dice (
aleae or
tesserae) were popular though not always honest. The large crowd made good cover for people who wanted some extra entertainment between events.
|
Game pieces and dice and knucklebones from the excavations |
The real attraction, both then and now, is the interior where the games were held.
|
L sees what it was like back in the day |
|
L ready to go |
|
The Colosseum floor |
The arena held large crowds and had many different attractions. In the morning, the participants would parade in. Then hunters would go after wild animals who lurked in sets made to resemble the animals' natural habitats. At lunchtime, condemned criminals would be fed to the beasts. In the afternoon, the gladiatorial combats began. Combat was often to the death. Sometimes a badly wounded gladiator would appeal to the crowd. The emperor could give a thumbs up or a thumbs down signal depending on how merciful he felt. The floor was covered with sand so any blood could be raked over between combats. During the breaks, jugglers or magicians or acrobats would entertain.
|
The seating |
|
More seating! |
Excavations at the floor show a network of rooms where animals were caged and gladiators prepared for combat.
|
Workman's entrance! |
|
Under the floor |
|
One live animal still in the Colosseum! |
Christians were also martyred here during the games and a cross has been erected in memory of them.
|
Archway to the Christian memorial |
|
The cross |
The views from upstairs are quite nice.
|
Arch of Constantine |
|
The Roman Forum |
J and L were fascinated with wandering around the ruins and were blissfully unaware of the bloody history of the place, so they had a lot of fun. We enjoyed seeing the history and the scale of the building. It is very large and well deserving of its iconic status.
|
Us at the Colosseum |
No comments:
Post a Comment