This is why you’re in Rome, isn’t it? The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheatre
(Anfiteatro Flavio), as it is properly known, flaunted the
power and might of the Roman empire, and to this day remains an icon of the
Eternal City’s former glory.
Due to our unhurried start and our previous stops along the way, it was late morning by the time we arrived. Consequently, we waited patiently in line for forty-five or fifty minutes as the line slowly snaked its way to the ticket windows. At long last we purchase our tickets and walked up into the arena. As we got our look around, I took in the scene from various angles, trying to imagine how it looked before its structural demise: full of raucous spectators, its white marble facade glimmering in the sun, the arena floor covered in sand to soak up the blood of the combatants.
The Colosseum remains an engineering marvel. An estimated 50,000 spectators could enter or leave within a matter of minutes through eighty numbered entrances and expansive corridors. The steps seem to be sloped slightly "downhill" so that, as we descended them later, it felt as if it was difficult to stop. No wonder so many people could exit so quickly.
An engineering
marvel.
No one knows how many people were involved in the amphitheatre’s construction, but experts estimate at least 20,000 to 30,000 slaves, skilled, and semi-skilled workers either labored at the site or worked in the quarries to cut the stone. Impressively, evidence suggests that stones were pre-cut, carved, and finished at stone yards, then brought to the site ready for installation, as with modern construction projects.
As grand as the Colosseum still looks today, it was even more dazzling in its day. Its exterior once held brackets which supported banners and paraffin torches. Hundreds of marble or metal statues, paying homage to divinities, heroes, and emperors, adorned the archways of the second and third tiers. Unfortunately, none of these statues survived.
The Colosseum as night
descends.
The Colosseum was not without its creature comforts. An immense cloth awning known as the velarium, attached to large poles atop the amphitheatre and anchored to the ground with heavy guy ropes, shielded spectators from the sun. The awning probably used a mast and furling method similar to that used on tall ships of the day. It was, in fact, manipulated by a large team of sailors.
Tickets were free; each spectator was assigned a seat, or locus, in a specific tier and section. Strict rules were applied according to social
status. Emperors, senators, and dignitaries occupied the choicest seats.
Wealthy private citizens occupied the next level, followed by the middle class,
foreigners and slaves, and women. Archways, stairwells, and tiers were designed
specifically so that those of differing social rank were segregated, and no
intermingling among classes took place, even as those in attendance arrived and
departed.
After eight years of construction, the Colosseum’s opening in 80 A.D. was greeted with much fanfare. Hundred-day games were held by Titus to mark the inauguration, during which an estimated 9,000 animals were slaughtered. That’s an average of ninety per day, for those of you keeping score. And I thought the guys who used to have to clean up after a Grateful Dead show had it bad. The corpses of slain gladiators and animals were removed at the east end of the ampitheater, through what’s called the Gate of Death. From there, they were unceremoniously dumped into a common pit.
A labyrinth of cells, ramps, and elevators lay beneath the arena floor.
What took place here were some of the most elaborate special effects productions ever conceived. Substructures beneath the arena floor contained a labyrinth of cells, ramps, and dozens of pulley-operated elevators manned by slaves. The elevators lifted gladiators, wild animals, or both to the arena floor to meet their fate. Up to 1,000 gladiators or hundreds of animals could be brought to the arena floor concurrently. For reasons unknown to us, the catwalk that now spans the arena floor was closed to the public; I would have liked a closer look at the substructure.
Some contend that the Colosseum was at times flooded in order to hold mock naval battles, although historians still debate this point. A poet named Martial wrote that the amphitheater could change from dry land to sea quickly, and it’s know that the Romans had the engineering wherewithal to redirect water from nearby channels to flood the arena. But when Domician added the substructures after he came to power in 81 A.D., this would have been impossible. Nonetheless, it can’t be ruled out that these sea battles could have occurred during the first two years.
Emperors
themselves frequently participated in the action. The Emperor Commodus was
involved in more than 300 gladiatorial games between 180 and 192 A.D. He was
assassinated in the stadium.
Fire, lightning, earthquakes, and plundering have taken their toll.
What led to the Colosseum’s current state of ruin? Since its construction and heyday, the amphitheatre has been damaged by fire, lightning strikes, and numerous earthquakes. Initially, damage was repaired by the emperors, but after the final gladiatorial events (404 A.D.) and staged animal hunts (523 A.D.), there was little reason to repair the damage, and emperors needed cash to fund their wars. The southern side was severely damaged by an earthquake in 847 A.D., and another major collapse occurred in 1231. In what may be one of the earliest documented cases of salvage and recycling, the Colosseum’s marble facade and other materials were plundered and used in other construction projects. The steps of St. Peter's Basilica, for example, are made of stones taken from the Colosseum.
The Colosseum remains a stunning architectural achievement and one of the most recognizable structures ever built. Some of the most brutal games ever conceived took place here. As we descended the steps and walked out of the amphitheatre, I couldn’t help but think about all the blood that was spilt, the agony inflicted, the glory won (and lost), all in the name of entertainment.