by ezzat amier
Located just east of the
Roman Forum, the massive stone amphitheater known as the Colosseum was
commissioned around A.D. 70-72 by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a
gift to the Roman people. In A.D. 80, Vespasian’s son Titus opened the
Colosseum–officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater–with 100 days of games,
including gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights. After four centuries of
active use, the magnificent arena fell into neglect, and up until the 18th
century it was used as a source of building materials. Though two-thirds of the
original Colosseum has been destroyed over time, the amphitheater remains a
popular tourist destination, as well as an iconic symbol of Rome and its long,
tumultuous history.
ORIGINS OF THE
COLOSSEUM
Even
after the decadent Roman emperor Nero took
his own life in A.D. 68, his misrule and excesses fueled a series of civil
wars. No fewer than four emperors took the throne in the tumultuous year after
Nero’s death; the fourth, Vespasian, would end up ruling for 10 years (A.D.
69-79). The Flavian emperors, as Vespasian and his sons Titus (79-81) and Domitian
(81-96) were known, attempted to tone down the excesses of the Roman court,
restore Senate authority and promote public welfare. Around 70-72, Vespasian
returned to the Roman people the lush land near the center of the city, where
Nero had built an enormous palace for himself after a great fire ripped through
Rome in A.D. 64. On the site of that Golden Palace, he decreed, would be built
a new amphitheater where the public could enjoy gladiatorial combats and other
forms of entertainment.
Did
You Know?
Archaeologists believe that the Colosseum
contained both drinking fountains and latrines.
After
nearly a decade of construction–a relatively quick time period for a project of
such a grand scale–Titus officially dedicated the Colosseum in A.D. 80 with a festival
including 100 days of games. A well-loved ruler, Titus had earned his people’s
devotion with his handling of recovery efforts after the infamous eruption of
Vesuvius in A.D. 79, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.
The final stages of construction of the Colosseum were completed under the
reign of Titus’ brother and successor, Domitian.
THE COLOSSEUM: A
GRAND AMPHITHEATER
Measuring
some 620 by 513 feet (190 by 155 meters), the Colosseum was the largest
amphitheater in the Roman world. Unlike many earlier amphitheaters, which had
been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support, the Colosseum was a
freestanding structure made of stone and concrete. The distinctive exterior had
three stories of arched entrances–a total of around 80–supported by
semi-circular columns. Each story contained columns of a different order (or
style): At the bottom were columns of the relatively simple Doric order,
followed by Ionic and topped by the ornate Corinthian order. Located just near
the main entrance to the Colosseum was the Arch of Constantine, built in A.D.
315 in honor of Constantine I’s victory over Maxentius at Pons Milvius.
Inside,
the Colosseum had seating for more than 50,000 spectators, who may have been
arranged according to social ranking but were most likely packed into the space
like sardines in a can (judging by evidence from the seating at other Roman
amphitheaters). Awnings were unfurled from the top story in order to protect
the audience from the hot Roman sun as they watched gladiatorial combats,
hunts, wild animal fights and larger combats such as mock naval engagements
(for which the arena was flooded with water) put on at great expense. The vast
majority of the combatants who fought in front of Colosseum audiences in Ancient
Rome were
men (though there were some female gladiators). Gladiators were generally
slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners of war.
THE COLOSSEUM OVER
THE CENTURIES
The
Colosseum saw some four centuries of active use, until the struggles of the
Western Roman Empire and the gradual change in public tastes put an end to
gladiatorial combats and other large public entertainments by the 6th century
A.D. Even by that time, the arena had suffered damaged due to natural phenomena
such as lightning and earthquakes. In the centuries to come, the Colosseum was
abandoned completely, and used as a quarry for numerous building projects,
including the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. John Lateran, the Palazzo Venezia
and defense fortifications along the Tiber River. Beginning in the 18th
century, however, various popes sought to conserve the arena as a sacred
Christian site, though it is in fact uncertain whether early Christian martyrs
met their fate in the Colosseum, as has been speculated.
By
the 20th century, a combination of weather, natural disasters, neglect and
vandalism had destroyed nearly two-thirds of the original Colosseum, including
all of the arena’s marble seats and its decorative elements. Restoration
efforts began in the 1990s, and have proceeded over the years, as the Colosseum
continues to be a leading attraction for tourists from all over the world.
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