Probably Ancient Rome’s most famous building is the Colosseum. Entering this huge old stadium today was in some small way like entering into the life and excess of the Roman Empire.
For a building that we had seen so often in pictures there were many surprises in real life. Firstly it is huge. Historians guess that the stadium held between 60,000 and 80,000 people and the dimensions reminded us of Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.
Like modern stadiums the best seats in the Colosseum were for the politicians (the senators) and the business elite. Mid ranking people enjoyed the middle and the plebs literally got the wooden bleaches at the top. Yet to have been in this stadium it its heyday must have been quite a spectacle. Unlike today the price of seats in the Colosseum was outrageously cheap as events were normally staged for free, funded by politicians and emperors keen to satisfy the masses and in so doing further their own careers.
The sport too was a little more colourful than your average football match. Gladiators would fight not just for victory and a trophy, but literally to the death.
With the help of audio guides we learnt about the hunts and animal slaughter, which also took place. We learnt that bulls, bears and hippos and even alligators were bought into the Colosseum. At times thousands of animals were put to death for a weekends ‘entertainment’.
Finally, we were confronted by a cross, which is a reminder that the strange Jewish sect called Christians were also part of the ‘entertainment’ in this bloody theatre. Ironically it was after the decline of the mighty Empire that this once maligned minority (the Christians) took a centre stage in the history of Rome.
The Colosseum reveals some of the many layers of history in Rome’s colourful and complicated past.
2 comments:
Hi Wendy & Richard,
I hope my message appears this time as my last 2 haven't! We are loving your blog, especially as you are visiting many of the same places we did 17 years ago.
I am glad you love Florence, it was my favourite big Italian city. We visited in April which was a lot less crowded though, no crowds anywhere.
I hope you plan to visit the Vatican while in Rome?
From Rod & Jenny S.
hey Jenny and Rod - yes stay tuned for the Vatican - we have talked about you here often Jenny - saying there would be much more work for you as an archeologist than in Sydney - thanks so much for the kind note - regards to all
Richard and Wendy
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