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Roman colosseum architecture
Architectural characterisctic of colosseum
Ancient Rome civilization
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The Colosseum is one of the greatest architectural accomplishments of ancient Rome. It is known as the hunting theatre. The theatre shows off Rome’s power and grandeur. The Colosseum was a symbol of Rome’s power and was created for common use; Today, it is still a symbol of power of the once great Roman empire.
The Colosseum is a Flavian Amphitheatre built in 80 CE under the emperors of the Flavian dynasty. The theatre was the biggest building of its kind standing at 45 meters high and 189 by 156 meters across. It was built with mostly limestone and the first floor had Doric columns, the second Ionic, and the third and fourth had Corinthian columns. Also, the Colosseum had eighty entrances and two were reserved for the Emperor’s. The theatre can hold from 45,000 to 50,000 people. The arena had a wooden floor covered in sand and could also be flooded to stage naval battles.
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The Colosseum was built in order to restore Rome to its original glory before the civil war happened.
The entertainment that took place in the were gladiator fights, wild animal hunts, and mock sea battles. The most popular fights were the fights to the death by the gladiators. Gladiators would use swords, lances, tridents, and nets to fight each other in battle. The next was the animal hunts in which the animal almost never won because they would usually be killed from a distance by an arrow or spear. Sometimes during the animal hunts slaves and criminals were thrown into the ring unarmed. The theatre could be flooded to stage sea battles or for amphibious animal fights. The games that took place were payed for by the Roman ruling class by
law. The Colosseum ruins still stands today as a symbol of ancient Rome’s past glory. When the Roman Empire adopted Christianity, the use of the Colosseum and games declined causing it to fall apart. Over the years the Colosseum fell apart because the Romans would take the stones from the Colosseum and fell from earthquakes and gravity. In its disuse the chambers and tunnels under the arena were buried under 40 feet of the earth. The wild animals that were killed in the Colosseum symbolized how they ruled of the wild. The executions showed how the Roman’s enforced justice. Also, the gladiator battle showed off their manliness to others. The ruins of the Colosseum remain as a reminder of ancient Rome’s power and greatness. One of the main purposes of the Colosseum was to show off their awesome power. The Flavian Amphitheatre also is a symbol of Rome’s architectural genius. Bibliography Catwright, Mark. "Colosseum." In Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified November 6, 2012. Accessed November 29, 2017. https://www.ancient.eu/Colosseum/. "Colosseum." In Ancient Greece and Rome: An Encyclopedia for Students, edited by Carroll Moulton, 158-59. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. Accessed November 29, 2017. http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2897200112/WHIC?u=lap26metag&xid=e77c7d5a. Mueller, Tom. "Smithsonian Magazine" [Secrets of the Colosseum]. smithsonian.com. Last modified January 2011. Accessed November 30, 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/secrets-of-the-colosseum-75827047/. Price, Bill. Landmarks of the World. United Kingdom: Barnes & Noble, 2007.
Consus where the opening sacrifices took place was located in the center of the Circus Maximus where the racing took place. Like racing, gladiators probably originated as funeral games, with religious significance attached to what in affect was the ritual sacrifice of the gladiators themselves. The first recorded gladiator fight was in 264BC, when 3 pairs of gladiators fought to the death during the funeral of Junius Brutus. The gladiator fights were known as munera as they were originally 'duties' paid to dead ancestors. They gradually lost their connection to funerals under the Roman Empire and became an important stage for emperors and leaders to put on spectacles for their own reasons.
The beast hunts were held in the Colosseum or the amphitheaters across the Roman Empire as the first event in the morning of The Games before the executions and gladiator games. The purpose of the beast hunts was to show the wealth of the editor, or giver of The Games, and for the Romans to show their political authority in being able to obtain animals from far distant places. Also, beast hunts symbolized the power of man's control over nature. For the Romans, greater numbers and varieties of animals demonstrated the extent of their power. For example, at the inauguration of the Colosseum, under the Emperor Titus, 9000 animals were slaughtered. The record number of animals killed was 11000 under the Emperor Trajen.
Rome’s most famous landmark, Colosseum is a large Amphitheatre that could hold up to 50,000 people seated, which is located in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was used as a royal treat, entertainment where gladiators would fight with wild beast in front of people, animal hunt, theatre performances and public executions for public entertainment and also the King himself. Most of the public event was held at Colosseum. The Roman Colosseum was built between 69 to 79 CE by the Vespasian emperor.
The citizens of Rome loved to go to these bloody warfares. In the city of Rome, these events were held in the Colosseum. An arena so large that it could hold 50,000 spectators and host fights between men and animals.
...m. This huge circular arena was the pinnacle of the Roman Gladiatorial games, and though it isn't fully intact, it is a great reminder of ancient culture. Though today these games seem inhumane and unnecessary, to their ancient culture it was a vacation from everyday stress. Even the Emperor was said to understand that though money and grain would satisfy and individual, large spectacles were necessary for the contentment of the masses' (wes civ).
When discussing the historical and cultural aspects it is important to take into consideration the culture, religion, political, social, economic and artistic aspects of the time period.The construction of the Colosseum occurred during the Flavian Dynasty, between 69 CE to 96 CE. The construction of this massive amphitheater began in 70 CE under the reign of emperor Vespasian and ended sometime around 80 CE under the reign of his son Titus (Vespasian, 2013). During this time period Vespasian was greatly known for his reorganization of the army and the expansion of the membership of the senate, which ultimately dealt with the political, economic and military aspect of the Roman history and culture.
"Roman Colosseum - Rome, Italy - Great Buildings Architecture." Architecture Design Architectural Images Drawings History and More - ArchitectureWeek Great Buildings. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.
seating and the easiest access to the Colosseum. Even though many people think that the
There were four different genres of such entertainment in the games held in amphitheatres (Amphi-theatres are outdoor arenas. "theatres in the round": Amphi- meaning "round" in Greek.) : Gladiatorial combat, the theatrical execution of foreigners, beast shows, as well as chariot racing. Watching someone or a beast kill another was applauded for the method, skill, or artistry used in the slaughter. The games themselves provided ways for Rome to demonstrate the power of their empire, as huge investments of wealth, time, and emotion was put into the games. Death became a spectator sport with the viewers and the viewed both contributing to a wild and gory performance. Already by the late Republic magistrates were spending huge amounts of money on these games. The Latin word for gladiatorial games is Munus which means obligatory offering. This reflects the origin of these games as funerary offerings to the dead. While magistrates in the Republic may well have put on games to gain popular favour, this was in their private capacity and not as magistrates. Only gradually did the gladiatorial shows come to be assimilated with the games put on by magistrates.
In the Colosseum, many events were held for the Romans to watch. Watching was free so that everyone could come. The events held almost always involved death and destruction. There were the gladiators, the feeding of people to lions, animals fighting animals, animal hunts, animal circus acts, and mock sea battles, where the Colosseum was flooded with water. The animals used in these events were kept below the Colosseum and an estimated 5,000 animals were killed the day the Colosseum opened. The animals were kept under the Colosseum.
During the middle and late third century, the Roman republic era gave rise to the arena games and became a great phenomenon for the Romans. An amphitheater, also known as a coliseum, housed these dangerous games that potentially harmed the audience as well as those who participated in them. Gladiatorial combat originated as part of funerals for deceased influential Romans. These large gladiatorial games were held by emperors during funerals of important roman officials, but were also included during other occasions. Over time the connection among the gladiator games and funerals decreased, and the upper class put on the games mainly to raise their social standing and gain favor with the public.
There were different types of gladiators and it was one of the biggest sources of entertainment for the Romans. Gladiators was first for private funerals and it was to show how important and the high status of the dead person. The gladiatorial competitions were for the higher-class people and the people that participated were slaves, criminals and some even volunteer to be a gladiator. Gladiators were mainly slaves and criminals and they were groomed to fight other gladiators and a lot of them die for pure entrainment for the Romans. Pretty much everyone loved to watch the gladiators fight and they got to decided if the gladiator dies or lives for another day. Gladiators had their different types and how it was assigned was through their build and how they could fight with that equipment. Even though the gladiators had equipment to fight back it was mainly about the techniques that they use and most of them had their chest exposed and other easily targeted areas of the body and the point of that was to make their deaths involve a lot of blood and to make the death quick and straight to the
The Colosseum is an important part of ancient Roman history. The amphitheater is a symbol of Roman culture. The Colosseum displayed the violence of Roman culture. This incredibly unique amphitheater dominated the city of Rome. It was one of the most innovative and complex structures during that time period. The vastness of this impressive building displayed the wealth and power of the Roman Empire to other empires and enemies of the Romans. The Colosseum was created for public entertainment purposes. Gladiator fights with prisoners of war and slaves, wild animal hunts, professional fights, and public executions all took place at the Colosseum. Sea battles, rarely performed at the Colosseum, involved flooding the arena with water and releasing sharks for gladiators to fight. The excitement and thrill of each event kept spectators coming back.
The Colosseum is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre and one of Rome’s most famous buildings and also one of the best places to be entertained as there are many public entertainments such as combats and violent fights against mens and wild animals. The name “Colosseum” came from a statue that was located alongside the Amphitheatre called ‘The Colossus of Nero’ , the original name for the Colosseum is Flavian Amphitheatre this was because it was built during the Flavian Dynasty.
The Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is perhaps the most famous ancient landmark in the world. The Colosseum was the host to thousands of gladiatorial shows, mock naval battles, executions, and animal hunts. Today, the Colosseum still stands in the center of Rome, Italy, however, not quite as it used to be. Still, today, the Roman Colosseum is a large tourist attraction, thousands of tourists from all over the world still come to view this marveled arena. The Roman Colosseum has a rich history, and remains a prized possession of the Roman citizens.