The Colosseum

Gentle Readers,

This blog post was written by the estimable Jake Compagna and Sam Shippee. 

Introduction:

Rome is remembered mainly for the fantastic monuments and structures it has left behind, ones that continuously defied the expectations set by those who came before them, and last to this very day because of their immaculate designs. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why The Colosseum is considered one of the highest among these achievements. Not only is it beautiful in its architecture, but through the awesome skill of its builders and ingenuity of the emperors, the Romans were able to conceive one of the greatest sources of continuous entertainment the world has ever seen. To be more specific on this entertainment, there were many forms that took place within the walls of the Colosseum. Among the most regular were animal hunts and daily executions, some which would be done in gruesome artistic displays based around mythological scenes. In short, a form of ritualized death for the purpose of leisure was a favorite Roman pass time—lovely, right?

The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheater, Lit Romantically.

Beyond these events though, most would relate the Colosseum with the heavily romanticized idea of the gladiators, a staple of the Colosseum and other Roman amphitheatres. These figures belonged to a lower class in Roman society, and served as the main attractions in the pinnacle of these events based around entertainment through violence, fighting in what were essentially mock combat displays for the pleasure of the emperor and all who had come to watch. Despite the fact that these events did not occur as often as most imagine, it is still clear that the Romans found great import in these games, and obviously their success was the reason that any of the Colosseum’s features have become tropes in popular culture today. This raises the question of why this was so, which can easily be explained if one merely glances over the links of the Colosseum’s history to Rome’s association with conquering, boundless grandeur, and the even more philosophical and social notions the emperors addressed in constructing it.

Timeline:

The Colosseum was originally named the Flavian Amphitheater for the emperors that built/improved it, Emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Construction of the Colosseum started around 70 AD by Vespasian and was finished by his son Titus roughly 10 years later. The building itself was built mostly from travertine, concrete, and marble and is the largest amphitheater ever created. Animals hunts and gladiator fights were the main events at the Colosseum and would take place in the sand covered center of the arena.

Cross-section of Seating.

Architectural Features.

The inaugural games were held within the first year of being completed and over 9,000 animals were killed during the first animal hunt. After the reign of Titus, his son, Domitian, further improved upon the Colosseum by adding extra seating and underground tunnels known as the hypogeum, which were used to house the animals and slaves that would be participating in the games. These tunnels were connected underground to buildings that would be used to train the gladiators how to fight, considering most of them started out as slaves from foreign lands.

From this point on, the Colosseum suffered a few damaging events. The upper wooden levels were destroyed by lightning in the early second century AD. And after those were repaired, a major earthquake caused further damage in 443. Gladiatorial fights ended around 435, while animal hunts lasted for about another century. Later in the medieval era, the inner bronze and outer marble were harvested for military usage while an earthquake destroyed much of the outer wall. This leaves us with our image of the Colosseum today, with all of its outer pockmarks and facade of travertine.

Bird's Eye View of the Coloseeum, Damaged by Earthquakes.

Summary:

Overall, the Colosseum as a whole was essential to Rome’s wellbeing in both a philosophical and cultural sense. From the gladiator fights to the elaborate lethal charades, all events within the Colosseum played a major role both in the stability of the empire in dealing with those deemed problems to society, and providing the people of the city entertainment with which to fill their day. On a deeper level,  most events held within the walls of the Colosseum were based heavily around the concept of death, more specifically, finding beauty and catharsis in the spray of blood and execution of both Rome’s criminals and exotic beasts. It was through this release of stress and the displays of bloodsport that the Romans were able to channel frustration, see justice done, and all at once be provided a commodity by the emperor to keep them satisfied. Therefore, the Colosseum itself serves twofold, not only aiding in enacting the laws of the empire, but also providing any emperor currently in power an easy way to curry favor with his people.