The
beauty of Roman architecture meets the brutality of
the human condition. The Colosseum is the place where
ancient Romans were entertained by vicious blood sports.
On the day the arena opened 5,000 animals were killed
to the delight of the audience. The arena cold hold
50,000 people. Though we think of covered stadiums
as a modern idea, the Colosseum could be covered to
protect people inside from rain. The best sailors
were plucked from the royal navy to work the intricate
rigging that operated a series of giant awnings over
the arena. The Colosseum was a gift to the Roman people
from their rulers as a way of making ammends for the
ruthlessness of emperor Nero. He confiscated the land
the Colosseum stands on from the people in order to
construct an artifical lake for his Domus Aurea. That
lake was drained when emperor Vespasian decided to
give the land back to the people in the form of the
Colosseum It was a 115-foot-tall statue of Nero, known
as the Colossus, that lent the arena its name.
The
statue was destroyed by Pope Gregory the Great. The
Colosseum's current state of disrepair can be attributed
to both earthquakes and pillaging. Long after the
fall of Rome its marble was used to build palaces.
It was Pope Benedict XIV who stopped the looting.
In 1749 he declared the area sacred ground because
of all the Christian martyrs that had been sacrificed
there. Historians now believe the Christian sacrifices
were carried out elsewhere, but his declaration stands
and has helped preserve what's left of this mighty
building for future generations.
- The
last gladiator matches were held in 523.
- The
Colosseum has a circumference of 1,730 feet.
- The
Colosseum is 164 feet high and had 80 arched entrances.
- The
arena is 29,000 square feet.
- In
July, 2000 -- nearly 1,500 years after the last
performance at the Colosseum, The National Theater
of Greece performed Oedipus Rex in the arena.
The actors complained of bad acoustics, a small
stage, and background noise from traffic and airplanes.
