T H E R O M A N C O L O S S E U M. The most complete website in English and Italian on the Roman Colosseum: Architecture, History, Gladiator games, Tips for the. Colosseum; Location: Regio IV Templum Pacis ('Temple of Peace') Built in: 70–80 AD: Built by/for: Vespasian, Titus: Type of structure: Amphitheatre: Related. Colosseum - Wikipedia. The Colosseum or Coliseum (kol- . Built of concrete and sand. The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 7. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Although partially ruined because of damage caused by earthquakes and stone- robbers, the Colosseum is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and has also links to the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit . The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, following the reign of Nero. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum (with Caesareum an adjective pertaining to the title Caesar), but this name may have been strictly poetic. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome. In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat Colis. However, at the time that the Pseudo- Bede wrote, the masculine nouncoliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre. The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1. 00. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as Coloseumul (Romanian), le Colis. By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 6. Nero seized much of the area to add to his personal domain. He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing Aqua Claudiaaqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea. The lake was filled in and the land reused as the location for the new Flavian Amphitheatre. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were constructed nearby within the former grounds of the Domus Aurea. Vespasian's decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero's lake can be seen as a populist gesture of returning to the people an area of the city which Nero had appropriated for his own use. In contrast to many other amphitheatres, which were located on the outskirts of a city, the Colosseum was constructed in the city centre; in effect, placing it both symbolically and precisely at the heart of Rome. Construction was funded by the opulent spoils taken from the Jewish Temple after the Great Jewish Revolt in 7. AD led to the Siege of Jerusalem.
Comprehensive coverage by Andrea and Daniele Pepe and Catherine McElwee of the history and architecture of greatest amphitheatre of antiquity, built by the Flavian. Rome Colosseum Tickets, Palatino & Roman Forum - Colosseum Rome Ticket. Book online the museums of Rome and skip the line at the entrance. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, . The slaves undertook manual labor such as working in the quarries at Tivoli where the travertine was quarried, along with lifting and transporting the quarried stones 2. Tivoli to Rome. The top level was finished by his son, Titus, in 8. Commemorative coinage was issued celebrating the inauguration. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its seating capacity. It was not fully repaired until about 2. Gladiatorial fights are last mentioned around 4. An inscription records the restoration of various parts of the Colosseum under Theodosius II and Valentinian III (reigned 4. The arena continued to be used for contests well into the 6th century. Animal hunts continued until at least 5. Anicius Maximus celebrated his consulship with some venationes, criticised by King Theodoric the Great for their high cost. By the late 6th century a small chapel had been built into the structure of the amphitheater, though this apparently did not confer any particular religious significance on the building as a whole. The arena was converted into a cemetery. The numerous vaulted spaces in the arcades under the seating were converted into housing and workshops, and are recorded as still being rented out as late as the 1. Around 1. 20. 0 the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it, apparently using it as a castle. Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. A religious order moved into the northern third of the Colosseum in the mid- 1. The interior of the amphitheater was extensively stripped of stone, which was reused elsewhere, or (in the case of the marble fa. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there (see Significance in Christianity). However, there is no historical evidence to support Benedict's claim, nor is there even any evidence that anyone prior to the 1. Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that there are no historical grounds for the supposition, other than the reasonably plausible conjecture that some of the many martyrs may well have been. The arena substructure was partly excavated in 1. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration programme carried out between 1. Colosseum – the greatest roman amphitheatre, the place for gladiator games and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome, Italy. Italian lire ($1. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold in November 2. American state of Connecticut in April 2. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2. It derives its basic exterior and interior architecture from that of two Roman theatres back to back. It is elliptical in plan and is 1. Roman feet) long, and 1. Roman feet) wide, with a base area of 2. The height of the outer wall is 4. Roman feet). The perimeter originally measured 5. Roman feet). The central arena is an oval 8. The outer wall is estimated to have required over 1. The north side of the perimeter wall is still standing; the distinctive triangular brick wedges at each end are modern additions, having been constructed in the early 1. The remainder of the present- day exterior of the Colosseum is in fact the original interior wall. The arcades are framed by half- columns of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters. They originally supported a retractable awning, known as the velarium, that kept the sun and rain off spectators. This consisted of a canvas- covered, net- like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. Sailors, specially enlisted from the Roman naval headquarters at Misenum and housed in the nearby Castra Misenatium, were used to work the velarium. Its architects adopted solutions very similar to those used in modern stadiums to deal with the same problem. The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, 7. The northern main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor and his aides, whilst the other three axial entrances were most likely used by the elite. All four axial entrances were richly decorated with painted stucco reliefs, of which fragments survive. Many of the original outer entrances have disappeared with the collapse of the perimeter wall, but entrances XXIII (2. LIV (5. 4) survive. They accessed their seats via vomitoria (singular vomitorium), passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind. These quickly dispersed people into their seats and, upon conclusion of the event or in an emergency evacuation, could permit their exit within only a few minutes. The name vomitoria derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit. Interior seating. The raked areas that once held seating. According to the Codex- Calendar of 3. Colosseum could accommodate 8. They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected the rigidly stratified nature of Roman society. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, providing the best views of the arena. Flanking them at the same level was a broad platform or podium for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use. The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens (plebeians) and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups. Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domitian. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women.
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