The Colosseum is among structures dating back 2,000 years
Posted on 05/15/2007 8:21:21 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
The Emperor Augustus said he found Rome a city of brick - and he left it a city of marble... The Forum, the Colosseum and the palaces of the Palatine Hill still stand as proud testament to the Roman builders' genius. Yet today they are betrayed by monumental neglect. The problem of course is money. It costs millions to protect the treasures of Ancient Rome. Not to mention the funds needed to safeguard the newly discovered ruins, which in Rome they find practically every week... The Palatine is honeycombed with cavities - the result of centuries of tunnelling and digging. Instead of demolishing homes and palaces the Romans built on top of them... says the British archaeologist Andrew Wallace-Hadrill... "The great news is that the Romans built far more solidly than we do today - can we think of a modern structure that would survive 2,000 years of abandonment and neglect - but if you allow the land to slide under its feet, it will crack and eventually fall down."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
The Colosseum is among structures dating back 2,000 years
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It used to be that all the ancient world was DOOOMED from acid rain. Now it is global warming. Ten years from now it will be in danger from something else to catch headlines.
Why?...Are they being overrun by plumbers?
It’s amazing that Italian politicians don’t realize that the main reason tourists go to Italy is it’s culture and famous sites.
They should be spending millions on improving their main tourist attractions. I’m sure the tourists would be willing to spend even more for tickets and tours.
Family is headed to Rome this summer, other than the Vatican and Forum I don’t plan on looking much further.
Even the Vatican is becoming hard pressed to maintain the old churches. Not enough locals living in the central part of Rome to attend Mass there, thus no tithing to help with maintenance. Tourist dollars are not enough.
I always thought it would be a good way to maintain old buildings by repairing them and putting them to use. I haven’t been to Rome personally, but it looks to me like the Coliseum could be fixed up and put use. The other option to photograph and video tape the findings and then rebury them.
Old churches are not prime attractions—but some of the finds on the old palatine hill such as Nero’s palace could be and should be preserved.
it looks to me like the Coliseum could be fixed up and put useThat sounds like a good idea. That thing was well built, barrel vaults stacked on one another, shrinking toward the center, and other than modern plumbing and an arena floor over the old staging areas, and possibly a restoration of the big shade over the crowd, it seems doable. The paintings from prior to 1900 show trees growing on the top, and it's probable there was other growth all through it, so it would need a good look from engineers. But even so, a fully restored arena could make for even better tours.
Condo conversion, perhaps?
“...but it looks to me like the Coliseum could be fixed up and put use.
Condo conversion, perhaps?”
No! no! no! when you have something that historical and well admired you have to do something tacky and repulsive. Like say a dramatic strip club with midgets that give bread away to the poor. Where is your head? :)
I think people appreciate old buildings and stuff when they are still in use. Its like a pride thing. Also ties people more tightly with their heritage and identity.
Yeah well my country’s capital building is 2,000 years older than yours! nah nah nah nah nah!
The midgets and strip joint sounds like somethin’...
....that Caligula would have put on?
What could I have been thinking of?
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