COLOSSEUM

Description

Essentials about the Colosseum in brief

The Colosseum is the landmark of the city of Rome and truly a superlative structure that testifies to the outstanding architectural art of the Romans. It is the most famous structure in the ancient world, the largest after the pyramids, the largest of the amphitheaters built in ancient Rome, the largest enclosed structure of Roman antiquity, and further the largest amphitheater ever built in the world. Built between 72 and 80 AD, the Colosseum served as a venue for mostly highly cruel and brutal events hosted by members of the imperial family for the entertainment and amusement of the free inhabitants of Rome and the Roman Empire, with free admission.

The history and architecture of the Colosseum

The predecessor building of the Colosseum

The first stone amphitheater of Rome was the Amphitheater of Statilius Taurus, inaugurated in 29 BC. Until its destruction by the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD, it stood on the Field of Mars and may not have differed significantly from amphitheaters outside Rome. After the fire, Emperor Nero not only built a wooden replacement on the same site, but also began to build a luxury palace of gigantic proportions on the southern slope of the Esquiline Hill, whose gardens included the later site of the Colosseum.

The construction of the Colosseum

Around 72, a few years after Nero’s fall, his successor Vespasian had a new stone amphitheater built within a few years, which was to surpass not only Nero’s previous building on the Field of Mars, but all previous arenas, in order to increase the fame of the new ruling dynasty of the Flavians. Vespasian knew very well how well glamorous games could be used as political propaganda. Whoever offered the people a spectacle was revered and could be more certain of his position of power than his rival, who lacked the resources for “panem et circenses,” bread and games. According to a reconstruction of the Colosseum’s construction inscription, its construction was financed in particular from the spoils of the Jewish War, including the gold treasure of the Jerusalem Temple looted in the year 70.

The name “Colosseum”

Incidentally, the name Colosseum is not based on the enormous size of the theater, but derives from the 35-meter-high colossal statue (“Colossus”) of Nero, a gilded bronze statue modeled after the Colossus of Rhodes, which showed the emperor in the pose of the sun god Helios on the grounds of his luxurious palace.

The levels of the Colosseum

In the unbelievably short construction time of barely ten years, an apparently very adept construction management and qualified construction technicians, supported by an army of Jewish slaves, raised the gigantic structure. The building was almost complete at the time of Vespasian’s death in 79. It consisted of three rows of arcades, one above the other, each with 80 arches. The arcades were divided by half columns: Those at ground level in Doric order, those of the second floor in Ionic order, and those of the third floor in Corinthian order. Supposedly at the request of Vespasian’s son and successor Titus, a fourth floor was added to the three round-arched floors, which was not pierced by arcades, but was solid in design and pierced only by rectangular window niches.

The outer walls of the Colosseum were made in Roman travertine, but inside the cheaper bricks and tuff were used. After its completion in 80, according to historiography, the Colosseum was opened with a hundred days of games, including gladiator fights, re-enacted naval battles and animal rushes, in which 5,000 animals were killed in the arena.

The entrances and corridors of the Colosseum

The Colosseum is not only an architectural masterpiece, but also does justice to the logistical problems of such a huge event area. 80 entrances around the arena allowed spectators to get to their seats in a direct way. Four of these entrances were reserved for the top tier. Among them were the emperor, senators, vestal virgins (female priests) and male priests. Knights and ordinary citizens used the remaining 76 of the entrances designed as arches.

The circumferential corridors and the numerous staircases, mostly made of marble, led the public up to the height of the third floor, from where they reached their places on the rows of seats. Even today, stadium construction makes use of this ingenious system, which made it possible for spectators to clear the arena in just five minutes or fill it in 15.

The sectors of the Colosseum

According to today’s calculations, the Colosseum could seat about 50,000 spectators. The podium, the first row of seats, was reserved for Roman senators. The imperial box was also located here. There were also special seats for the vestal virgins. Above this was a gallery reserved for the equites (knights). The rows above were divided into three sectors. The lowest sector served the wealthy citizens, while the top sector was reserved for the poorest inhabitants of Rome. Only women of the lowest classes were worse off. For them there were standing places on a wooden construction on the top floor.

The dimensions of the Colosseum

The Colosseum is built in the shape of an ellipse. Its width is 156 meters, length 188 meters, circumference 527 meters, height 48 meters. The floor of the arena was also elliptical with a width of 54 meters and a length of 86 meters. The round shape was intended to prevent gladiators, those condemned to death or hunted animals from taking shelter in a corner. The floor of the arena was formed by wooden planks that could be removed as needed. Underneath were the basement rooms and the 7-meter-thick foundation. On the outer edge of the upper floor, 240 vertical poles were attached to which a huge, ring-shaped canvas tarpaulin could be hoisted to shade the interior.

The cellars of the Colosseum

The space below the arena floor was originally not built on. After removal of the wooden planks, it could be flooded, for example for the naval battles that Titus demonstrably had staged for the inauguration of the Colosseum. It is assumed that the arena was already subdivided into different basement rooms under Titus’ brother and successor Domitian. This created the so-called hypogeum, a system of rooms, corridors and supply shafts. Here were dungeons for those condemned to death, the underground entrance from the neighboring gladiator barracks, cages for wild animals, and the facilities of the highly complicated stage machinery such as trapdoors, ramps, and elevators. With the help of a complex system of winches and pulleys, elaborate decorations and stage sets could be transported into the arena. Within a few minutes, for example, a complete forest or a desert landscape could rise from the ground to the surprise of the spectators.

The gladiator fights and animal hunts in the Colosseum

As an arena, the Colosseum was in use for almost 450 years, interrupted only in the years from 217 to 238, when it had to be renovated after a fire caused by lightning. The Colosseum was the venue of usually highly cruel games, hosted by members of the imperial family, to which every free resident of Rome had free access. Gladiator fights and animal fights were common, with fights between particularly exotic animals being the most popular.

It is disputed whether the execution of convicts was also carried out in the Colosseum. The widespread assumption that, in the course of persecutions of Christians, numerous martyrs met their deaths in this way in the Colosseum is not supported by ancient sources. Some historians estimate that some 300,000 to 500,000 people died in the Colosseum over the centuries, and many millions more long after them. However, many scholars consider these numbers to be much too high, since gladiator fights were less often fatal than is often assumed.

Even after the Christianization of the Roman Empire, gladiatorial games continued to be held in Rome, which had lost its role as the main residence but was still visited by emperors, and were now often financed by wealthy senators. For Rome continued to be the seat of the Senate, and aristocrats were expected to provide entertainment for the people. Already under Emperor Honorius, gambling activities had been restricted at the beginning of the 5th century. Animal hustling, on the other hand, remained permitted and continued after the end of the Western Roman Empire under the rule of the Ostrogoths. The last chase in the Colosseum reported by the sources took place in 523 under the reign of Theoderic the Great.

The decay of the Colosseum

Christianity rejected the games, but this did not tip the balance. It was only because of Rome’s rapid population decline during the 5th and 6th centuries that the expense was finally no longer worthwhile. At the time of the last animal chase, the Colosseum had already been damaged by earthquakes, but Odoacer and the Ostrogoths had still had extensive repairs carried out. At the latest after the severe destruction that Rome had suffered during the wars of reconquest of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian, the Colosseum fell into disrepair. Since from then on no ruler resided in the city for good and also the Senate soon ceased to exist, it was also not renovated again.

The destruction of the Colosseum

From the later 6th century, the remaining inhabitants of the decaying city used the arcades and corridors of the Colosseum to set up living quarters in it. Severe damage was caused by two earthquakes in 847 and 1349, and in the 12th century the arena was partially incorporated into the city fortress of the noble Frangipani family. However, throughout the Middle Ages until the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Colosseum was repeatedly used by the ruling families of Rome and the popes as a quarry for their buildings. Thus, only the northern half of the outer ring of the monumental, four-story façade was preserved.

The gradual destruction was only stopped after Pope Benedict XIV declared the Colosseum a consecrated site for martyrs in the 18th century, established a Way of the Cross with chapels in it, and ordered the preservation of the Colosseum by edict of 1744. The background to this was the assumption, which is disputed today, that countless Christians died for their faith in the Colosseum.

The Colosseum as a place of interest

In the meantime, moreover, the monument had long since become a point of interest for northern European educational travelers, who saw in it a sublime example of the decline of former greatness. In the Middle Ages, knowledge of the building had been so limited that it was often believed to have been an over-domed temple to the sun god; but in the Renaissance, the true purpose of the building was recognized, and since then, the ancient Romans have been admired for their building skills. In the 19th century, work finally began to secure the dilapidated structure and to conduct archaeological research. Investigations in the basement under the arena have only recently clarified the functioning of the ancient stage technology.

The Colosseum as a monument against the death penalty

And last but not least, it should be mentioned that the Colosseum, due to its extremely bloody past, has served as a monument against the death penalty since 1999. Whenever a death sentence is suspended or a state in the world abolishes the death penalty, the Colosseum is illuminated in bright colors for 48 hours. The action is supported by the Italian government and various human rights groups.