The Colosseum

From the Forum we proceed to the Colosseum and near the Arch of Septimus Severus on the left is the Mamertine prison, the old Roman state prison where St. Peter and St. Paul were kept prisoner, and where one of St. Peter's chains was found and where St. Paul wrote his last epistles. Over the prison now stands the small church of St. Joseph and close by are the remains of Julius Caesar's Forum, the part of the new city center which he started building. Across the avenue of the Imperial Fora are the ruins of the section built by Nerva and by Augustus (there are three columns left of the Mars Temple) and the ruins of the enormous market place built by Trajan in 110 A.D. When you have the imposing structure of the Colosseum in front of you, on your right you see the remains of the Basilica started by Maxentius, and completed by Constantine in the fourth century A.D. On a wall are four marble maps which illustrate the growth of the Roman Empire, from the beginning, in the 8th century B.C. to Emperor Trajan's death in 117 A.D., when the Empire reached its largest extension. Approaching the Colosseum, on the right, you admire the majestic beauty of the Arch of Constantine, inaugurated in 315 A.D. It celebrates the final victory of Emperor Constantine and it marks the beginning of Rome as a Christian State. On the left of the Colosseum is the area, partly occupied by public gardens, laid out over the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea. This part of Rome, before the famous fire, was densely populated and was a large, poor district. On July 18th, 64 A.D. the fire started and Rome burned for six days, leaving thousands homeless. We are not sure that Nero had anything do with it, but, in any case, he profited from the circumstance, and had his fabulous Golden House built. The building, alone, covered a square mile in the heart of Rome. Besides the imperial residence there were parks, gardens and baths, supplied by sulphur springs, which were 12 miles away and also supplied by water from the Mediterranean. There was a temple to Fortuna, built of translucent stone and a big, artificial lake for naval battles, to amuse the Emperor. A colossal gildedbronze statue of Nero, one hundred and twenty feet high, stood near the lake. In 68 A.D. Nero was in Greece, showing his abilities as an actor, when the legions in Spain revolted and proclaimed their commander, Galba, emperor. He accepted and marched towards Rome, where the Senate decreed Nero's death. When Nero came back to Rome he found no friends and he ordered his slave to kill him, on June 9th 68 A.D. His house was demolished, the golden colossus was decapitated, and Apollo's head replaced that of Nero and over the site of the artificial lake the Colosseum was built, so named from the gilded colossus.

The Colosseum was begun by Vespasian in 72 A.D. and completed by Titus in 80 A.D. In the year 70 A.D. Titus conquered Jerusalem and brought 100.000 captives to Rome; 40,000 of them built the Colosseum in only eight years. The huge amphitheater could hold about 60,000 spectators, and it was intended mainly for the gladiatorial fights and hunting of wild animals. Captive warriors, when not sold as slaves, or employed by the State in public works, could be given the alternative of performing as gladiators in the arenas of the Empire. After a number of victories, they eventually gained freedom.

For the fights of the gladiators the arena was covered with sand (Latin arena sand). For the hunting of wild animals they used to set up a scene with bushes, trees and hills etc. The wooden floor was supported by the structures, visible when you are inside the Colosseum, and underneath the floor were the dungeons and the beastpens. In the beginning, boat fights were also attempted, but they found it too difficult to flood the arena with water and then dry it up; thus a basin was built elsewhere for them. The Colosseum was used mainly during the warm season and to protect the spectators from the heat a canvas roof (the velarium), open in the center, was spread over the amphitheater. The Romans watched the cruel performances in the Colosseum until 608 A.D. The Colosseum was made into a fortress during mediaeval times. During the Renaissance it was torn down and much of the stone was used to build palaces and churches. The plundering continued for centuries; and not until the 19th century did the popes start repairing what was still left. We can see very clearly the re bricked parts.

Apart from the usual arena spectacles, the Colosseum is a perfect example of excellent engineering and fine architecture. Also the Colosseum is based on the principle of the arch, as all Roman architecture is II consists of a system of elliptical rings and arches; like the Pantheon it was archieved by a complicated system of relieving arches. To get the whole structure into balance, they had to calculate the strength of each arch in relation to the entire building.

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