Download 13- Unit Thirteen

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The Colosseum (Coliseum) is one of the biggest
achievements of the Roman age.
It is an ancient building considered a national symbol of
the long history of Rome (the eternal city) and a long
surviving building of the Roman Empire.
The construction of this huge amphitheatre (a very large
oval or circular auditorium used in ancient Rome
especially for contests and spectacles) was started by
Vespasian in 72 AD, and it was finished by his son, Titus,
in 80 AD.
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Its builders were mostly Jewish slaves, who
inhabited Rome in large numbers.
This huge building was given name of Flavius
Amphitheatre; however, due to the fact that it was
placed near the huge statue of Nero (called
“Colossus”), it was called the Colosseum/Coliseum.
Because it was built by the Emperors of the
Flavian family in Rome, the Coliseum was first
named the ‘Flavian Amphitheater’.
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The gladiators’ shows of Rome were held in the Forum.
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The Forum was the cultural and political center of the city.
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Many buildings made in later 1st Century BCE and earlier didn’t
survive except for a stone built in 30 BCE.
In 71 CE, Emperor Vespasian began to build his amphitheater, the
Colosseum, to give the Roman people a huge and permanent
setting for the gladiatorial shows that would take 50.000 people.
It was built on land taken by the Emperor Nero. The first parts
were dedicated in 75 CE, and Vespasian’s successor, Titus, opened
the extended building in 80 CE.
It was constantly being built and repaired throughout its ancient
history.
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After the Norman invasion there was nothing left of the
ancient Rome except for skeletons.
Coliseum was destroyed and left deserted and
became a source of building materials for the
reconstruction of Rome.
Until Benedict the 14th decided to save the remains of
the amphitheatre and consecrated it and conducted
the Stations of the Cross inside it and placed a cross in
the middle of the arena.
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Later the cross was removed and returned to
its place in 1926.
For Christians, the Coliseum is the place, where
many Christian martyrs died in front of
bloodthirsty spectators.
It was built for performances, which were a
basic part of the ancient Roman culture.
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The Coliseum had the shape of an ellipse (oval), and the
area was 3357 square meters.
The complex structure of the building made excellent access
and maximum safety for performers and spectators.
The seating allowed 45.000 spectators with 5.000 more
standing.
Its longest diameter was 187m long, and the shortest was
155m long.
There were three lines of arches, each consisted of many
thick pillars.
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The ellipse, which consisted of 80 arcs, was the inside
circumference (enclosing boundary).
Four arcs, which were the symbol of four rays, were the
entrance to a corridor which surrounded the arena.
The weight of such a large number was maintained by
the use of enormous piers to carry the arches and
corridors of different building materials for the best
effect.
The continuous rows of seating gave everyone a chance
to see.
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In the middle of one of podium wings, called
Suggestum, was the emperor’s throne.
The rest of podium was occupied by senators and
the emperor’s family.
The next places were for the knights.
People who were married had their own seats, and
there were seats for families with slaves or people
with protectors or common people.
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The coliseum had no roof, but during a heavy rain, it
was covered by a vast canvas.
As well as the gladiatorial games, other public
spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles,
animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous
battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
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.
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The Colosseum games gave birth to the gladiator (a man
trained to fight with weapons against other men or wild
animals in an arena) profession, who were trained to fight
and kill each other in front of bloodthirsty viewers.
Lions, tigers, and even elephants, which are considered as
horrible beasts, were killing gladiators and each other
during the shows.
According to Dion Kasius, during the 100 day-celebration
of opening the building, over 9000 animals were killed.
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After a battle between animals and men the arena
was filled with water and sea battles were fought on
it.
The great emperor Konstantin and his successors
wanted to put an end to horrible fights of gladiators,
but the Romans didn’t want the games to stop.
The end was put to these bloodbaths in the 5th
century, when the monk Telemachus wanted to make
the games illegal, but he encountered resistance of
the crowd and was killed.
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Amphitheater (Greek): It is a place with seats for spectators all
around, which makes it different in design from other Roman and
Greek theaters.
Arena (Roman): It is a building with a name taken from the Latin
“Harena”, which means the sand that covered the ground of
performing area. The Colosseum was not inherited from the Greek
like other Roman things.
Many games were played and popular in arenas even before
the Colosseum was built in both Rome and Greece, which had a
sophisticated culture several hundred years before the Romans.
They were always criticized by philosophers and Christian thinkers
as cruel and immoral entertainment means.
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In its full glory, the Coliseum was the right demonstration of the
Roman might.
Even now, after many centuries that have passed, it is still the pride
of Rome.
The Colosseum’s size, date of construction (antiquity), and central
place in old culture make it an obvious choice as Rome’s symbol.
It was a symbol of the greatness and power of Rome as a great
city of the Empire, even in the 8th Century, CE.
In the 7th century, Beda said, “As long as the Coliseum stands, Rome
will stand as well; when the Coliseum falls, Rome will fall and when
Rome falls, the end of the world will follow.”
THOMAS WEIDMANN (Resource Book I)
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Ancient sources (for his research): mosaics, ruins of old
amphitheatre, inscriptions (graffiti) and written works, etc
Why were the games played?
What was the role of the Colosseum and the arena in the
ancient Roman society?
What do we learn about the Roman civilization by studying
about the Colosseum?
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The people were to be grateful to the Emperor for killing
all the dangerous animals, which destroyed their farms, in
the games and in the arena.
The Emperor was a hero (Hercules was a suitable symbol
for the Emperors as he had killed many monsters in his
legendary adventures). (Color Plates 16 & 17)
The Colosseum was built in the beginning to show the
Roman victory over the Jews who had rebelled against
them in Judea.
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Punishment for any crime was shown openly in the
arena to be seen by the rulers and the people.
To forgive brave and successful fighters was also
done together as a 'collective and popular
responsibility” of the rulers and the people
gathered in the arena.
Therefore, this place could give the opportunity for
active discussion between the Emperor and people,
as well as a way to separate the social position of
people that showed them to be separate from
criminals.
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The gladiators belonged to enemy fighters
captured in wars, revolt, or those charged with
serious crime.
They were also men who had no rights, and they
were slaves to the men who trained them to fight.
Some of them were professional gladiators who
were heroes, especially to women.
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Christians looked at the gladiator as an enemy
who was a devil and to defeat him would be a
victory of true faith against a pagan practice.
For a Christian to win over a gladiator was to
win a religious victory and die a martyr.
Plates 25-28 show how noble men would also
become gladiators and highlight the fact that
gladiators were both outcasts of society and
glamorous attractions in society.
Written Sources
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Graffiti (on walls)
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Writings of that time (fragment papers)
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Books from a later empire
Visual Sources
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Buildings of the same type (archaeological evidence)
Decorative art on or in buildings
Contemporary Writings
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The ‘Achievements of the Divine Augustus’, by Emperor Augustus, 14CE
(about 60 years before the Colosseum was built).
It was a political writing to be used in the grave of one of the ruling
families.
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It mentions the games and their political implications.
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The games were organized to basically please the people.
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As a complete work, it appears to be a record of the Rule of Emperor
Augustus.
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The selected educated people of that time had
different reactions to this practice.
E.g., Cicero, a famous lawyer, speaker and
politician living in the troubled times of the late
Roman Republic shows the audience’s reaction
and feelings to the animals.
It shows the courage in the games as examples
of good Roman qualities along with the power
and energy that made Rome a great city.
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The gladiators fights started as colorful shows
at Funerals, where slaves and prisoners fought
to the death in honor of the dead person.
There are also expressions of fear that the
fights could turn into cruel bloodshed.
E.g., the philosopher, Seneca, who virtually
ruled Rome five years on behalf of the young
Emperor Nero did not approve of this kind of
entertainment even before the time of the
Colosseum.
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Both Seneca and St. Augustine (a Christian writer) were critical of the effects of
these fights on the audience but neither seem to care about the feelings of the
victims who are killed in these games as punishment or the cruelty of such
punishment.
The Christian debater , Tertullian, 2nd Century CE, tried to discourage Christian
followers from attending these games by showing their pagan tones.
We see that all types of people who went to these shows including Christians
who were among the victims of the gladiators.
The main arguments against the games were based on their effects on the
people who went to watch them.
Although the games were praised as suitable punishment for crime, a noble art
of fighting skills, especially in an Empire that was most interested in expanding
their power through wars and a very strong military level, has been established.
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The modern opinion about death as a punishment is that people are
worried about the mental effect on those who give the punishment,
decide on it, agree to it, and carry it out.
All these thinkers and writers from both ages were more worried
about the cruelty and psychological damage as effects of such
practices which is a result of violence carried out by an institution or
the government.
Generally, the ancient writers were not too concerned with the
suffering of the punished. This can make us judge the customs and
rules of the Roman society by modern moral values.
Deaths in such cases were made spectacles for people to see and
enjoy through graphic details and visual in staging shows in the fights.
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In the 2nd Century, BCE, Pompeii prospered and generally shared
the Greek culture because of commerce and travel.
Most of the richer houses were decorated with mosaics and wall
paintings based on Greek culture and the town had Greek type
theatres.
In the 80 BC, there was a big change in the status of the town as it
developed in public buildings, and it became a settlement for
retired soldiers from the Roman army.
It received a new civic position and many different and new
buildings were made to give the town facilities of a Roman center.
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The amphitheater, seating about 20.000 people, was
one of the new buildings. It brought the Roman image
to the town.
This amphitheater was the oldest permanent structure
to survive the years.
In the golden days, gladiators’ events used to be held
in the open in natural arenas with the people
watching from the sides of surrounding hills or
temporary wooden seats.
Those did not survive.