Posted on 10/23/2022 8:29:46 PM PDT by bitt
The Colosseum, a symbol of modern Rome, was finished in 80 AD and became the main center for entertainment in Rome. It was built of travertine marble, is elliptically shaped and c. 1,729’ in circumference on a foundation of six acres. It has four stories and is c. 157’ high. On the top story was an enormous awning, the velarium that protected the spectators from the sun and inclement weather. It required 1,000 men to open and to close this Full Colosseumingenious device. The four arches at the four axes of the building were the main entrances, but 76 other entrances provided easy access to the seats. Moderns calculate the seating capacity at 50,000. But the Chronographia of 354, written in 354, says the stadium held 87,000 spectators.
Admission to the Colosseum was generally free, but the plebs had to have a ticket, a tessare. They lined up the night before to get these coveted prizes. The pottery ticket was presented to the usher who indicated the seat. If a shard read “CVN II GRAD VI LOC IV,” it meant the ticket holder was in Section 2, Row 6, Seat 4. For the plebs the seats were wooden planks placed over the marble tiers. The senators and patricians had the choice cushioned seats at the bottom of the arena. Women and children were relegated to the highest tier far from the action.
And what action there was. Never before or since has the world seen the likes of the spectacles in the Colosseum. When the giant amphitheater was inaugurated by Emperor Titus in 80, there were one hundred days of events in the arena as a celebration. On opening day, 5,000 wild animals and 4,000 tame animals were “hunted” and killed by venatores, slaves trained to put on a good show before they slew the animals. These wild animal hunts in a contained area (Latin Arena Entryvenationes) had been going on for years before the Colosseum. They were originally held in the Circus Maximus, but often the cornered animals jumped into the stands and killed or mauled spectators.
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Are you not entertained!?
I remember whizzing on the side of the Colosseum in downtown Cincinnati. Circa 1980ish, :>)
After driving all day to get to Kennedy Airport in New York, we took a very crowded overnight flight to Rome. Our final destination was Brindisi. I didn’t sleep on the plane, and arriving at Da Vinci airport we were told we had just missed the 9:00 am to Brindisi; but not to worry, there was another leaving at 8:00 pm.
What to do with all that time? Why check the bags and go tour Rome!
So we did. Walked all over: the Vatican, the Forum, and finally sat on the sidewalk right up against the Colloseum wall. I fell asleep. My bride watched over me. When I woke I told her I had a dream I was a gladiator.
Not really, as I slept like the dead. But a cool story to tell her, no?
Wasn't there a joke that had the ending, "but he was glad-he-ate-her"?
I saw the Colosseum. Worth it.
What do you expect for free tickets? You didn't have to go fishing in Idaho to get mauled.
The Colosseum in Verona Italy is 50 years older than the one in Rome and in such good shape you can see shows there.
Here are the shows for the rest of 2022 and 2023.
https://www.arena.it/en/arena-di-verona/calendar
There was an 8 pt series on history about the colossum
Very Cool.👍
Following the making of Christianity the established and official religion of the Empire what use was made of the Collosuem ?
A million animals and over 400,000 people killed in 400 years in the Colosseum.
Informative website. Thanks for posting.
Seneca was one amazing guy to have gone to the Coloseum before it was built!
I have been there a couple of times. Hugely impressive place. I still don’t know where 87,000 went to take a leak...
The demand for animals was in the uncounted millions and was responsible for the extinction of numerous North African species.
my understanding is a lot of the stones were torn down and used for newer buildings.
LOL! Why didn’t I say that?
My wife and I went to Rome in 2001. We arrived at the airport at night, took a train to downtown Rome. All we had was the name and address of our hotel. We got a taxi whose driver said it would cost 30,000 Lira (about $15). We went on a very long ride to the hotel. When we got there he said the bill as 120,000 Lira, 30,000 for me, 30,000 for my wife and 30,000 for each suitcase. I figured it came to about $60 so I paid it. The next day we went for a walk and discovered that the hotel was only about 3 blocks from the train station.
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