| Transcript |
| 0:00 | · | this is me on my way to a true wonder of the world |
| 0:03 | · | something that has to be seen to be believed |
| 0:06 | · | but also something that you've probably never heard of... |
| 0:10 | · | I'm currently on a train hurtling through Tunisia on my way to the city of El Jem, |
| 0:15 | · | which I've been told is home to a magnificent ancient Roman Amphitheater, |
| 0:19 | · | and, yes, I didn't know that there was another Colosseum here in Africa, |
| 0:23 | · | either, until I was planning this trip. |
| 0:25 | · | by this point, I was just excited to go and see it, |
| 0:27 | · | but I had no idea just how significant this place would end up being - |
| 0:32 | · | not just in the ancient world, |
| 0:33 | · | but also as a shooting location for movies that you probably have heard of. |
| 0:38 | · | Pulling into El Jem, anticipation was really building for me, |
| 0:41 | · | and as I stepped outside of the lovely old station building, |
| 0:45 | · | and started to walk through the city, |
| 0:47 | · | I almost reached into my pocket to check a map to see where I was supposed to go - |
| · | The Amphitheater of El Jem, Tunisia |
| 0:52 | · | until I noticed that that wouldn't actually be necessary: |
| 0:56 | · | because no matter what street you go down in this busy town, |
| 1:00 | · | you can't ignore the fact that you're being watched over by THIS. |
| 1:05 | · | built in the 3rd century, roughly 400 years after the Romans destroyed |
| 1:10 | · | Carthage and started their own Empire across Northern Africa, |
| 1:14 | · | and consisting of three stories that you can still walk through, |
| 1:18 | · | this is the amphitheater of El Jem: |
| 1:20 | · | the largest monument ever built by the Romans in Africa, |
| 1:24 | · | and it had barely opened when it found itself at the centre |
| 1:27 | · | of a drama that concerned the entire Empire. |
| 1:31 | · | today, though, the contrast between the bustling |
| 1:33 | · | markets and the stoic Colosseum in front of me is almost too surreal to believe. |
| 1:39 | · | it can really be seen from above, where aerial photography highlights |
| 1:42 | · | how this city developed around the imposing ancient structure left behind by the Romans |
| 1:47 | · | after trying to let the initial wave of sheer disbelief that I'm actually stood here pass... |
| 1:53 | · | well. I don't know what to say. how often do you see something like this? |
| 2:00 | · | not very often. |
| 2:01 | · | I spend a minute relaxing outside of it for an |
| 2:04 | · | espresso with a pretty decent view by anybody's standard |
| 2:08 | · | and after politely declining a camel ride a few |
| 2:11 | · | times and drawing a little bit of attention from local children... |
| 2:15 | · | it's the most surreal thing just turning a corner |
| 2:19 | · | in a bustling city and seeing a huge well-preserved Coliseum |
| 2:24 | · | - excuse me sir, you are a YouTuber? |
| 2:25 | · | you like YouTube? |
| 2:27 | · | what is name your channel? |
| 2:29 | · | Tom thornton |
| 2:31 | · | nice to meet you! |
| 2:32 | · | nice to meet you too! |
| 2:33 | · | have a nice day! |
| 2:36 | · | it was time for me to find out what it's like inside today. |
| 2:40 | · | the process of buying a ticket, I have to say, is much simpler than the Coliseum in Rome if you've |
| 2:45 | · | ever been there - no pre-booking, no nonsense just walk up to the counter and within a few seconds |
| 2:51 | · | I was finding out that what it's like inside today is... in a word... unbelievable. [Music] |
| 3:04 | · | yeah, I guess this is just here. |
| 3:08 | · | this place once hosted crowds of over 35,000 people but this morning it was virtually just |
| 3:15 | · | me wondering around it which was honestly pretty moving this is unreal I've been to historical |
| 3:23 | · | sites before that are maybe just as impressive as this but are much more famous and much more |
| 3:28 | · | busy when you come somewhere like this with so few people and you can have a moment to yourself |
| 3:33 | · | wandering around it actually makes such a huge difference in your ability to yeah imagine it |
| 3:39 | · | in its day imagine it in its Heyday and kind of taste the yeah the might and the imposing |
| 3:47 | · | nature of these buildings and what it must have been like to walk around them I think |
| 3:50 | · | it makes it yeah a bit more tangible when you're not rushed the construction of this |
| 3:54 | · | Amphitheater enabled the locals to go and watch some good clean fun Gladiators killing each other |
| 4:00 | · | Gladiators killing slaves people hunting exotic animals that kind of thing but the emperor at |
| 4:05 | · | the time that it was inaugurated was actually hugely unpopular he' been raising everyone's |
| 4:10 | · | taxes and the population across the Empire had had enough of him and the Rebellion to |
| 4:15 | · | overthrow him was actually started right here in an area of Roman Africa that was previously |
| 4:21 | · | only famous for its olive oil production and the whole thing actually almost worked as they made |
| 4:27 | · | it as far as crowning a new Roman Emperor right here in this Amphitheater who was even genuinely |
| 4:33 | · | recognized by the Senate over in Rome who also wanted to see the back of the last guy after the |
| 4:39 | · | ceremony here in this very building he served as Roman Emperor for about 3 weeks before ending it |
| 4:45 | · | all and letting someone else have a go at being Emperor for a bit but the Bloodshed here wasn't |
| 4:50 | · | just limited to gladiatorial contest and nearly not failed rebellions when you walk around it |
| 4:56 | · | it does seem surprisingly well preserved even that it's almost 2,000 years old but |
| · | The history of El Jem Amphitheater |
| 5:02 | · | what really caught my attention was learning that we actually came tantalizingly close to |
| 5:07 | · | having an even more intact version of this place surviving into the modern era it was built so late |
| 5:13 | · | so close to the decline of Roman Prosperity that it spent far more time being misused as |
| 5:19 | · | a fortress in various conflicts than it ever spent with Roman Nobles walking down these |
| 5:24 | · | corridors on their way to see a show less than 200 years after it opened barbarians were well |
| 5:30 | · | and truly at the gates and the local population used it to shelter against the invading vandals |
| 5:36 | · | Funnily enough, vandals under the modern definition of the word still seem to be |
| 5:39 | · | a problem around here but that's another matter the land that we now call Tunisia passed between |
| 5:45 | · | no fewer than 10 other Empires and dynasties on its path from being controlled by the vandals |
| 5:50 | · | to the Arabs to the Ottomans that's a lot of invasions and a lot of last stands happening |
| 5:56 | · | here in this building which definitely Bears the marks of to prove it the side that you can see is |
| 6:02 | · | most damaged was even eventually deliberately destroyed by one 17th century ottoman ruler to |
| 6:08 | · | prevent any potential opponents of his from ever using it as a stronghold again so this |
| 6:14 | · | thing has really had a battle on its hands to remain standing pretty much the only thing |
| 6:19 | · | that it's ever had going for it is the fact that the hot dry air here is much more conducive to |
| 6:24 | · | preserving the stones that are left in place than the environment in some other Mediterranean count |
| 6:30 | · | but even that enabled a couple more centuries of it being seen as a very convenient Quarry from |
| 6:35 | · | which all of these nicely cut Stones could be looted for use in other construction projects |
| 6:41 | · | until it finally even suffered more damage at the hands of the Brits and the Germans during |
| 6:45 | · | the Tunisian campaign of World War II truly the more you read about this place the more it pops |
| 6:51 | · | up at dark times in history it's another story that makes you grateful to have hit the jackpot |
| · | Thysdrus Amphitheater in the modern era |
| 6:56 | · | by living in this tiny slice of time that we exist in right now where it's actually being |
| 7:02 | · | actively appreciated and looked after as the beautiful Relic that it is where its status as |
| 7:07 | · | a world heritage site and my entry fee of just a few dollars is hopefully all contributing to the |
| 7:13 | · | ongoing restoration and conservation projects here and where our decisions regarding the future of |
| 7:18 | · | places like this are more Guided by the principle of keeping them alive for future generations to |
| 7:23 | · | come and appreciate than by trying to blow them up in fact these days it's more likely that your C |
| 7:29 | · | catch a classical music performance in here or see it pop up as a shooting location in Monty Python's |
| 7:35 | · | Life of Brian than it is that you'll actually be fed to the lies in here yourself and that's |
| 7:41 | · | not a bad era to live in if you ask me as the day went on and the sun began to get hotter and |
| 7:45 | · | hotter I spent some more time sat up in the stands listening to the court to prayer from a nearby |
| 7:51 | · | [Music] |
| 7:55 | · | mosque thinking about the weight of everything that's happened here and the scars that This |
| 8:02 | · | Magnificent structure still carries from at all if you want my travel recommendations it's honestly |
| 8:08 | · | worth coming to Tunisia just to see this slightly smaller than the Coliseum in Rome but 1 million |
| 8:14 | · | times less crowded allowing you to properly take your time to breathe it in in peace and |
| 8:19 | · | quiet and I honestly count moments like these among the once in a lifetime things that I've |
| 8:24 | · | been lucky enough to experience and the same contrast hit me again on the way out me walking |
| 8:29 | · | through the city all excited that I've just seen the great African Coliseum and everyone around me |
| 8:35 | · | who actually lives here just going about their daily life probably sick and tired of the fact |
| 8:41 | · | that they have to drive all the way around the great Annoying roundabout to get to work |
| 8:46 | · | If you'd like to see more from my adventure across Tunisia and learn how you can plan your |
| 8:49 | · | own trip there, please feel free to subscribe to the channel and watch this video next. |
