The Colosseum (in Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium Romae) is an amphitheater from the time of the Roman Empire, built in the first century AD. C. and located in the center of the city of Rome.
It was originally called Flavian Amphitheater (Amphitheatrum Flavium), in honor of the Flavian dynasty of emperors who built it, and was renamed Colosseum by a large statue that was nearby, the Colossus of Nero, which has not reached us. For its conservation and history, the Colosseum is one of the most famous monuments of classical antiquity. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1980 by Unesco and one of the New Seven Wonders of the Modern World on July 7, 2007.
The materials used in the construction of this are blocks of travertine, concrete, wood, brick, stone (tufa), marble and stucco. In antiquity it had a capacity for 50,000 spectators, with eighty rows of stands. [1] [2] [3] Those who were near the arena were the Emperor and the senators, and as they ascended they placed the lower strata of society. Gladiator fights and public shows took place in the Colosseum. It was built just east of the Roman Forum, and the works began around 70 AD. C. and 72 d. C., under the Emperor Vespasian. The amphitheater, which was the largest ever built in the Roman Empire, was completed in 80 AD. C. by the Emperor Titus, and was modified during the reign of Domitian. [4] Its inauguration lasted 100 days, involving all the Roman people and dying in its celebration dozens of gladiators and beasts who gave their lives for pleasure and the spectacle of the town. [4]
The Coliseum was used for almost 500 years, celebrating the last games of history in the 6th century, much later than the traditional date of the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.
The Byzantines also used it during the 6th century. In addition to gladiator fights, many other public spectacles took place here, such as naumaquias, animal hunts, executions, recreations of famous battles and plays based on classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for these purposes in the High Middle Ages.
Later, it served as a refuge, factory, seat of a religious order, strength and quarry. From its ruins, abundant material was extracted for the construction of other buildings, until it was converted into a Christian sanctuary, in honor of the captives martyred during the early years of Christianity. This measure helped to stop their plunder and to keep it.
Although the structure is seriously damaged due to earthquakes and stonemasons, the Coliseum has always been seen as an icon of Imperial Rome and is one of the best preserved examples of Roman architecture. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions of modern Rome and is still closely linked to the Catholic Church, so the pope heads the way to the amphitheater every Holy Friday. [5] [6]
History
Description Edit
The Flavian Amphitheater is a huge oval building 189 meters long by 156 wide and 57 meters high, with an elliptical perimeter of 524 meters.
It is often said that this building has been a model for modern sports venues, since it has a very ingenious design and effective solutions to current problems.
The sand and the hypogeum Edit
The hypogeum outdoors.
The pitch itself was an oval of 75 by 44 meters, and was actually a platform built of wood and covered with sand. The entire subsoil was a complex of tunnels and dungeons (the hypogeum) in which the gladiators, the condemned and the animals were housed. The ground had several trapdoors and forklifts that communicated with the basement and could be used during the show.
The plan of the sand had a complete drainage system, connected to four imposing sewers.
It has been suggested that they obey the need to evacuate water after naval shows. However, it seems that already Domiciano, abandoning the idea of the naumaquia, paved the sewers and placed the forklifts in the sand for the gladiatorial combats.
The wooden deck is no longer preserved, so that the entire underground labyrinth remains outdoors today.
The structure Edit
Section by the cave.
The Roman Coliseum was perhaps the greatest work of Roman architecture, and it used the most varied construction techniques.
The pilasters and the arches are travertine placed without mortar. In the lower parts and in the basements the tufa was used in the same way.
Many of these ashlars were stapled with metal staples.
The vaults holding the cave were made by pouring cement mortar directly on wooden forms, an innovation that lightened the factory.
The fact that the building was located on a lagoon forced to excavate up to 14 meters of unusable silts and make a foundation of almost 13 meters of opus cementicium (courses of lime mortar and alternate stones).
The facade Edit
The original facade. From bottom to top, the columns are Ionic, Corinthian and composite.
The facade is articulated in four orders, whose heights do not correspond to the interior floors. The three lower orders are formed by 80 arches on pilasters and semi-columns attached to a purely decorative entablature. The fourth is formed by a blind wall, with attached pilasters and windows in one of every two bays.
Regarding the aesthetic aspects, we see the combination of arch and lintel and the overlap of Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian orders. The last floor has an undefined style that was cataloged in the sixteenth century as a composite. It was common to superimpose different styles on successive floors, but it was not usual to make buildings with four overlapping orders. The communications between each floor were made through stairs and concentric galleries.
