The most important pubblic building, where people could know the exotic and terrifying aspect of wild beasts.

The Colosseum is an architectural wonder of the ancient world and universal symbol of Rome, built by the Romans the Flavians who built it. It can held up until 75.000 people, and it’s the most important monument of old Rome. In 1980 it was insert in the list of World Heritage and in 2007 it was insered in New Seven wonders of the world. It was built in 8 years from 72 BC to 80 BC and decorated in the later years. The lavish celebrations for its inauguration included games and combats that went on for 100 days, during which thousands of wild animals were killed.

After the conquest of the distant provinces of Asia and Africa was it possible for the people of the Latin world to discover the strange, exotic and terryfying aspect of wild beasts. The audience, intrigued by their ferocity, dimensions and agility, grew more and more fascinated by this exciting form of entertainment, especially if the animals were confronted by courageous men. The first games were held in circuses, where masses of spectators, crowed in bleachers, risked their lives because of the total lack of protection of any kind. The distance between the combatbround and the seats on the tiers also made it difficult to actually see anything. The circus was in fact designed for horse and chariot races and athletic contests, not for close range combat in circumscribed areas.

The central location of the Colosseum was extremely functional at the time, and was made possible by the disastrous fire of 64 AD, during the rule of Nero. The city had grown out of portion in a disorderly manner; its aspect was primitive and buildings still mostly of wood. The fire spread uncontrollably for more than seven days destroying most of the more ancient part. After the fire, large spaces became available right in the heart of Rome, allowing the town planners to finally redesign the city center according to modern criteria.

 

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME COLOSSEUM: The place near the large statue called from roman “colossus”

It’s impossible to determine the exact origin of the term “Colosseum” and the precise moment when it took the place of the ancient name “Flavian Amphitheatre”. The first documents in our possession referring to the monument in both ways or simply by its maqniloquent nickname, date back to the 8th century. Beside the Venerable Bede’s prophecy, other writings of the time attest the use of the term, possibly by then already in common use. Scholars base their theories on the etymology of “Colossus” or of the Greek “Xolossos”, a likely reference to the colossal size of the building or to the proximity of a gigantic statue (about 50 metre tall) of Nero that survived the destruction of the “Domus Aurea” and was trasformed into the Sun god before its final destruction during the invasions.

THE STRUCTURE: An evolution of Greek theatre

The only architectural model from the past that Roman engineers could use as reference was the Greek Theatre, in which the verticalization of the structure, necessary to group the largest possible number of people near the stage, was obtained by exploiting the natural slope of the hill it was built against. The constant evolution of building techniques and of technology, allow to Roman engineers to connect the supporting sections of two theatres along the stage side and create a freestanding building that met the pratical necessity of grouping a large audience around an arena of limited portions.

The plan of the Colosseum is a slightly elongated oval; the ratio between the short and long axis is 1.22 normally used by Roman architects to provide amphitheatres spectators with the best visibility. An area paved in travertine 17.60 metres wide surrounds the Colosseum. Its outer perimeter is marked by 160 cippi, carved out of single blocks of travertine of which only 5 still stand on the east side. They may have been the anchors for the rigging apparatus of the awning that protected the audience from the sun.

The interior of the Colosseum consists of 6 concentric and tiered walls that rise on a concrete oval surronding the area of the arena. This framework of the entire structure can be compared to the reinforced concrete skeleton of modern buildings. It consists of arched walls made of block of travertine placed one above the other without mortar. The marble pilaters and travertine arches have rather noticeable irregular holes situated at the junction between the blocks. They were made in the middle ages to extract the bronze clamps that were fixed vertically to the blocks beneath them with massive amounts of lead, poured into cups carved in the stone.

The technique of insert these square bronze clamps between the blocks, was the most advanced earthquake-proof system developed by the Romans, since the lead served to absorb tremors.

 

THE LUDI: From cruel rite to athletic contest

The origin of the games or celebrations was generally religious, propitiatory or commemorative, so that eventually their meaning and performance also underwent fundamental variations.

The Ludi were divided into four types, “Theatre”, “circus”, “athletics” and “hunts”. The latter were staged in amphitheatres and included gladiator shows, know as “munera”, and wild animal hunts, the “venatuibes”. They were the most requested and appreciated by the Romans after the chariot and horse races at the circus. The passion for the gladiator combat has very ancient origins, which some scholars trace back to the funeral ritual of sacrificing slaves or prisoners of war on the tombs of the illustrious decreased. This custom is confirmed by the description of similar ceremonies in the Homeric epic, as well as by Greek and Etruscan earthenware. Over the centuries this practice, among the cruelest in antiquity, was gradually trasformed into a spectacular athletic contest, and in the Colosseum gave rise to the interest and enthusiasm of citizens of every class and cultural level.

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