The Roman Colosseum (MLA Research Report)
Whitney Liu
Mr. de Groof Grade 10 Composition 2013/01/10 IEP 12 Whitney
“ While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; When falls the Colosseum,
Rome shall fall; And when Rome falls-the World.” Said Lord Byron (Evidence 1).
The Roman Colosseum is a massive symbol of Rome. It’s also known as the Flavian
Amphitheatre that famous around the world. Although it’s now a monumental ruin, it’s still the most impressive building in Rome. The special architectural design of
Colosseum has greatly influenced the world of the present, so has the entertainment of it.
In 68 B.C, emperor Nero commited suicide. Then, eighteen months of civil war had begun. In the end, the Flavian Dynasty appeared. The emperor of the Flavian Dynasty,
Vespasian, rebuilt Rome. To show his own capacity and to wipe away people’s memory of Nero, he rebuilt the Temple of Jupiter and also constructed a new Temple of Peace. Then, the Roman Colosseum became an exhibit of the new Flavian dynasty of Vespasian and his sons, Titus and Domitian. But, Vespasian was dead while his amphitheater, the Roman Colosseum was still building. So, his oldest son Titus carried on with construction of the Colosseum and opened it to the public in 80 A.D.
9000 animals and hundreds of gladiators joined the games in a hundred days. After
Titus’s death, Vespasian’s youngest son, Domitian began to build the subterranean caves and finished the decorative work of it (Roman Colosseum History).
The Colosseum is an elliptical building with a length of 189m, height 48m and width 156m. It contained 45,000 sitting places and 5,000 standing places. It could contain 50000 people the most (Ancient Roman Colosseum in Rome). Also, these people were separated by social classes. There were three levels in total. The level that was closest to the arena were emperors, nobles, and senators. Most of the people sat in the second level. They were farmers, artisans, and populaces. These people were all came from middle classes. The last level was the top of the Colosseum and it’s
2 IEP 12 Whitney hard to see from there. It was for the slaves and women because they didn’t have any rights at that time (The-Colosseum).
The ancient Roman Colosseum was the first free-standing amphitheater. The amphitheater was ruled by the Greeks. It was usually built into hillsides. Also, they used the natural slope of the banks to have seats so that everyone can see the arena no matter how high or how low you sat.
3 IEP 12 Whitney
There are three floors of arcades that built in travertine stone and eighty arches on each floor. There is also a fourth story with windows above it. The arches are 4.20 m wide and 7.05 m high on the ground floor, while on the upper floors they are only
6.45 m high. There are four arches that are for main entrances and these entrances might have decorated with a little porch and a statue. The major axis entrances gave direct access to the arena. The NW gate, also called the Porta Triumphalis was the entrance for gladiators during the pompa gladiatoria, the parade that held outside and led to the amphitheatre. The SE gate, was also called Porta Libitinaria, as dead gladiators were carried through it.
Concrete was the most important thing for building the Colosseum. It was made by mixing a strong volcanic material with rubble, sand and a mixture of limestone. It could support the vaulted arches.
The floor of the arena was made with wood. There was a wall called Podium which had marble decorations around it. It was about 10 feet high. They had all the services for the shows under the arena. For example, cages for the animals and the beasts.
When they were in the Colosseum, a fence would be put in the position all around the podium. The fence had also wooden rollers on the top to prevent the beasts from climbing over.
The hypogeum, an ingenious system of tunnels for slaves, gladiators, and wild animals. There were many underground tunnels connected by the stadium to stables.
The emperors also had their own tunnels to enter the stadium (Roman Colosseum
Architecture).
The Romans had the right to join banquets that offered by the rich and also enjoy the shows in the circus or the amphitheater. These games were sponsored by the emperors or the nobles. The most common and famous things in the Flavian
4 IEP 12 Whitney
Amphitheatre are gladiator fights. The citizens in Rome love bloodshed and gladiator combat. They liked to watch fights between animals or people. These games were easy and entertaining for them. The most important of all, they also satisfied people there a lot.
The first gladiator fight first appeared in 264 BC. The sons of emperor Junius
Brutus gave honor to their father by showing three pairs of gladiator fights during his funeral. After that, this kind of ritual became more and more popular. Also, emperors started to hold these games to signify their power (Roman Colosseum And The
Gladiators).
“The gladiators competed against one another for the sake of public entertainment at festival games. Although some gladiators fought wild animals the combats usually featured a pair of male human contenders. They fought in diverse styles depending on their background and how much training they had endured. Originally as captured soldiers they were made to fight with their own weapons. The odds of a professional gladiator surviving a match were one in ten.” (Roman Colosseum And The
Gladiators).
The most famous combats were between powerful gladiators. During that time,
Christians refused to do things for the emperor and worship his faith. So, they were punished and thrown into the arena to fight with wild beasts. Also, if one people of a family was accused, the whole family would be in danger no matter what age people were.
“The Emperor Constantine tried to put an end to the gladiatorial fights, but the
Romans didn’t want to give up these shows. At the beginning of the 5th century, a monk called Telemachus came and tried to put himself in front of the gladiators to protest the fights. The crowds yell insults and stoned Telemachus to death for
5 IEP 12 Whitney protesting the games. That day the games were brought to an end.” (The Colosseum)
The Roman Colosseum is now very popular and also a major place for tourists to travel. I had been there when I was eleven years old. When I saw it, I was so surprised that I had never seen such a spectacular building. It has influenced nowadays stadiums. Some modern football stadiums look just like it. Entertainment the Romans had before has been into sports and spectacles nowadays. In addition, people also commemorate the Roman Colosseum by making movies. The movies show the custom of Rome and also help to spread out their culture.
Reference Page
1. "Roman Architecture - The Colosseum." Roman Architecture - The Colosseum. N.p., 1915. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.
2. "Roman Colosseum And The Gladiators." Essortment. Essortment, 2011. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
3. "Roman Colosseum Architecture." Roman Colosseum RSS. N.p., 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
4. "L O C V S." The-Colosseum.net:The Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
5. "Colosseum." , Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
6 IEP 12 Whitney
6. "Roman Colosseum." Rome.info , Coliseum of Rome. N.p., 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
7. Hopkins, Keith. "The Colosseum: Emblem of Rome." BBC News. BBC, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
8. "- The Roman Coliseum -." Roman Colosseum or Coliseum: Rome Italy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
7