9/26/2023 0 Comments Architect personality romanThere have been many explanations for gladiatorial tradition. Executions were held to entertain the poorer classes and women remaining in the stadium. In the interim between matches, the upper classes would often go out for lunch. ![]() There were also wild animal hunts, battles between charioteers, and warm up plays with midgets pretending to fight lions. Gladiators were the mainstay of Colosseum entertainment. Free food was also given out which helped to appease the unemployed. The size was impressive to behold and admission was free. The Flavian Amphitheatre was very much meant for the masses. This is a mosaic of a retiarus battling with a marmillo, another type of gladiator. There is a popular story about 100 lions being magically revealed at once. This 2-floor maze of corridors had human powered elevators that would bring wild beasts up through trap doors in the arena floor. The wooden blocks could be removed to reveal an extensive underground area lit by flares. The main floor of the Colosseum was composed of wooden blocks covered with sand. Sailors of the imperial fleet, who often did not have any other work to do, were stationed nearby so that they could move the awning to shield spectators from the sun. ![]() There were sockets for 240 wooden beams at the top of the Colosseum to support an awning. Some of the blocks of concrete weighed over 300 tons. The Colosseum was mostly composed of concrete with a travertine or marble coating on the outside. This style of sequential complexity of the columns would be emulated by many architects in the Baroque era. The first floor has Doric, or possibly Tuscan columns in between arches, the second floor has Ionic columns, and the third floor has Corinthian columns. Greek influence can be seen in the Colosseum. At the height of its use, the monument had statues in each of the archways on the second and third floors. On the bottom floor, 76 of them functioned as general entrances with the others being reserved for the emperor, the senate, and gladiators. Each of the Colosseums three stories has eighty arches. The inner part of the Colosseum measures 620 ft long and 513 ft wide. Nonetheless, the design of the exits is still very impressive as it over 50,000 spectators could swiftly access and exit the stadium. Despite having less numbers, the exits for the upper class were larger and more easily accessible the design of the Colosseum demonstrated effective crowd control of the lower classes. The seats on each level of the Colosseum also acted as architectural supports for the level above.Īnother advantage for the upper classes was being able to enter and exit the stadium faster. Seating was preassigned, as evidenced by the markings on the seating areas designating the class of people that could sit there. Slightly behind him were the vestal virgins sat, then the senate, the equestrian classes, and finally women and slaves on wooden seats. This was where the emperor and his family sat. It could hold over fifty thousand spectators, with the best view available along the minor axis. The Colosseum has an elliptical shape, enabling attendees to have a good view from virtually any location. This model of the Colosseum shows how the stairs were used as architectural supports for the level above.įrom this angle, you can see the extensive underground of the Colosseum.Īs your eye moves up the side of the Colosseum, you can see the columns progress from Doric to Ionic to Corinthian. ![]() Some of the outer arcades and most of the inner skeleton of the Colosseum remain intact today. However, after the 6th century, the Colosseum sat in disrepair, was neglected, and used as a quarry for hundreds of years. The funding for building the Colosseum came from the spoils of the Judaic wars that the Flavians fought in Palestine.īecause of earthquake and fire damage, the Colosseum underwent repair until the 6th century. Vespasians younger son, Domitian, completed construction of the monument in 81 CE. ![]() Titus, his older son, dedicated the Colosseum and presided over the opening ceremonies in 80 CE. Vespasian, who ruled from 69-79 CE, began construction of the Colosseum. It is commonly known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, named after the dynasty of emperors that presided over its construction. The Colosseum stands today as a symbol of the power, genius, and brutality of the Roman Empire. The Colosseum: Power, Brilliance, and Brutality
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