The New Normal - Christmas in Rome, part II, Roman Colosseum, Trevi Fountain

No trip to Rome would be complete without touring the famous Roman Colosseum (AKA The Flavian Amphitheater).  The oval-shaped structure is an architectural marvel, listed as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World", and is the largest amphitheater/theatre in the round ever built in the world.  Think about that . . . how did they do this with the limited tools they had over 2000 years ago?  

Judy outside of the Colosseum

Some facts about the Colosseum; first the "good" stuff:

• Flavian Dynasty project 
• Dates back to 72AD when Emperor Vespasian started the project
• Emperor Titus (Vespasian's son) completed the Colosseum in 80AD
• Emperor Domitian (a younger brother) made more modifications between 81 and 96AD (He was eventually assassinated; maybe someone didn't like the changes!)

• Created as a gift to the people, to bring them closer together through entertainment and also to showcase amazing Roman engineering techniques 

Keystone Arch - The ancient Romas learned the arch from the Etruscans.  Then they refined it and ended up being the first builders to tap its full potential in their majestic buildings. 

• Entrance to the games was free, but area was divided by class.  Sometimes free food was served

• Upper class seats made of marble (ouch!), lower class made of wood

The upper class marble seats

Here you can see the levels of seating

• Four floors built of concrete and sand (the floor of the arena was sand), also used 130,000 cubic yards of marble
• Entertainments included mock naval battles, animal hunts, reenactments of famous battles, dramas, and gladiator fights.  Sea battles were accomplished by removing the lower floor and flooding the lower level for miniature ship battles - very cool!

• There was a retractable awning called a valarium made of cloth to provide shade
• Could hold up to 80,000 people
• Size is 187 feet high, 615 feet long and 510 feet wide, with a circumference of 1,788 feet covering 6 acres; it's huge!
• 80 entrances (only took 15 minutes to fill and 5 minutes to evacuate)

At least MOST people could get out in 5 minutes!  :-)

• 36 trap doors to assist in special effects
• Hypogeum - a series of rooms beneath the stage for storing wild animals, scenery and other needed items for the events.  Gladiators and animals waited there to meet their fate in the arena

Richard pondering the Colosseum

• Struck by lightening in 217AD
• Huge fire
• Upper levels and wooden arena destroyed
• Repairs 250-252AD
• Gladiator events until 435BC (FYI - Gladiators had no citizenship rights and were essentially slaves.  However, they were admired and revered by the Roman people.)

Notice large marble blocks balancing on the top

• Survived two earthquakes (847 and 1231AD)
• Events were expensive, so the Colosseum ceased to be used once the Empire fell
• During Medieval times big changes were made and the Colosseum became more of a public area
• Chapel added for Christian worship
• Arena turned into a cemetery
• Area under the seats was used for housing
• Workshops and stalls were added in other areas
• Even used as a castle in 1200AD

Organizing the artifacts

• One of the best-kept ruins in Rome
• 5 million tourists every year

Two of the 5 million tourists

Now, the "bad" stuff:

• 60,000 Jewish slaves worked constantly to complete the theatre in less than 10 years
• Events in the theatre mostly quite brutal
• Executions took place there
• About 400,000 people were killed in the Colosseum
• About 1 million wild animals died there in "people vs beast" games
• The sheer quantity of animals slaughtered made the number of jaguars, lions and tigers plummet around the world
• Roman hunting "devastated the wildlife of North Africa and the entire Mediterranean region"
• Some species of animals were wiped out completely, including the North Africa elephant and the hippo from the Nile
• During the inaugural games alone (by Titus in 80AD), some 9,000 animals were slaughtered

Richard near a tall Italian Stone Pine tree, which is a symbol of Rome; Colosseum on the left

From our standpoint, the Roman Colosseum was an awesome place to visit.  The sheer size of the place is astonishing.  Considering the theatre was created without the use of modern equipment is mind-blowing.  The Romans were indeed extraordinary engineers! 

The Colosseum at night

"Love locks" across the street from the Colosseum

The Trevi Fountain

In the evening, we saw the Trevi Fountain, along with the outside of the Colosseum once more; both were very beautiful all lit up.  We finished with a delicious Italian meal, serenaded by Christmas carols.  Silent Night sung in Italian is beautiful!  

Map showing the breadth of the Roman Empire