I remember working on the Colosseum for a primary school project, and I was starstruck by its magnificent architecture or as the Italians would say, magnifico.
It had always been a pondering question for me what exactly it was. It’s an ancient Roman Amphitheatre. Wow, didn’t expect that did you? Well, neither did I! Emperor Vespasian was the one who took up the contract to build this colossal structure, formerly known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after his Flavian dynasty. There was a small statue near the theater called “Colossus of Nero”, and over time this term grew onto the public, and soon after it was called “The Colosseum” as we know it today.
This edifice was built on the site of an artificial lake. An artificial lake? Even in AD 70-72?! Wow, it seems like the Romans were way ahead of their time. They were not only advanced in that but also in the materials they used for constructing this marvel. It’s made of
travertine limestone, tuff (a volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete, which were quite rare to use in those days, and has 80 entrances out of which 76 were for the general public whilst the other 4 were for the dignitaries and gladiators. No wonder it took them almost 10 years to build it.
This heritage landmark has a seating capacity of 50-80 thousand spectators!! Imagine so many people sitting together to watch animal hunts, entertainment shows, combatant men fighting, and the scariest of them all–executions, all for free! Yes, the locals weren’t charged a penny for watching the events. Even though, most of the emperors were keen on taking part in these combatant shows, Rome’s most famous emperor- Julius Caeser never set foot into the arena as he was assassinated about 100 years before the games even started. However, sometimes it was just used as a place where the royalty came together with the common people and connected as one community, up until around AD 435, after which its use declined and ended. Now, it’s just an exquisite historical tourist site where people like me and you go for pictures of the gram!
Until next time,
Au revoir reader :))