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Gladiator facts and fictions
Roman colosseum architecture and engineering
Gladiator facts and fictions
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What actually happened at the Roman Colosseum? It was a beautiful and terrible place full of death, glory, and victory. But the Colosseum was also the center and heart of Roman culture. It was the place where gladiators could win big or lose it all evidently their lives.
What is the Roman Colosseum?
The Roman Colosseum wa a place of death and entertainment, thousands of gladiators lost their lives fighting. But they also sent slaves, prisoners, animals and even woman into battle, to fight for their lives.
The Colosseum was built around 2,000 years ago in the heart of Rome. It hosted the gruesome murderous games of gladiator fighting. The people who fought could get glory, fame and riches but if they lost they most likely wouldn’t just lose the game but also their life. Many famous battles were fought. Many animals also lost their lives, over 1,000,000 animals died fighting for their lives as well as the large amount of warriors. When the spectators came to the Colosseum the nobles always sat in the front rows while the rest are full of the common man. Sometimes the judges would add water to the arena to make the fights more sea like. The Colosseum was named by a monk who was reading a prophecy. It sad; ‘When the Colosseum falls so will Rome’ and ‘When Rome falls so will the world’.
How was the Colosseum Built?
Construction for the colosseum began in 70 A.D and ended 10 years later in 80 A.D. It’s 175 ft high with a perimeter of 1788 ft wide. It was built in the heart of ancient Rome with lots of tunnels and pulley systems to get who or what in the fighting area. It also had 80 arched entrances.
The Colosseum is so big it could easily fit a football field. It’s 513 ft wide and 620 ft long outside and 180 ft wide and ...
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...ore gladiators.Sometimes it would be animal vs. animal like bulls against bears, although it was more common for predator vs. prey.
All though Colosseum was a place for slaves or warriors to gain fame and riches it was also a place where they could lose their lives. It was as beautiful as it was a grave for lost gladiators, the sand constantly replaced over the stained red ones. At the heart of Roman culture and the center of entertainment the Roman Colosseum is the most remembered thing from Rome’s past.
Works Cited
BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
"Colosseum Video." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
"The History of the Colosseum." By Rachel Gargan. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013
"- The Roman Coliseum -." Roman Colosseum or Coliseum: Rome Italy. N.p., n.d. Web.
"Web Page Template." Web Page Template. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
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.
Ancient Rome existed from 753 BC to 476 AD. Many people were a part of making Rome what it was, including gladiators, slaves, plebeians, patricians and many more. The gladiators were mainly slaves and plebeians who were forced to entertain crowds, including the rich society, so they would not rebel against their empire (this once happened when gladiators rebelled under the leadership of a Thracian from the nomadic tribes, Spartacus). These sources generally show the life of a gladiator because it gives an insight on how they would have lived their life in ancient Roman times.
seating and the easiest access to the Colosseum. Even though many people think that the
Entertainment was not like we know today. It was fights between gladiators who fought in a huge stadium like place called the colossium. They fought with animals from Africa ranging from lions through tigers and hippos. Julius Caesar had given the poor people and the unemployed people to go to the games and forget about the economy. The Romans liked it so much that they put their favorite gladiator’s picture on baby bottles. The people in the colosseum sometimes told the gladiator to kill its enemy by making thumbs up. They would yell for the gladiator to kill. In modern times, we also have violence in entertainment. Things like boxing and wrestling have lots of fighting and killing sometimes. That is one way the modern society is like the ancient Romans. But we really don’t yell for the perso...
Roman gladiators are often recalled when thinking of the Roman civilization for several reasons, including the extreme brutality of the gladiatorial games that took place. These games took place at funerals and ceremonies, as an offering of blood.
gather around to watch death and pain in a glorious battle of life and death. Arenas full of blood thirty people ready for a gruesome fight to the dead. Arenas big enough to hold thousands of screaming fans all shouting “death!”, and with a swift blow the crowd cheering. Anything could happen a lion, bear, or tiger attack were all possible in the deadly game played by the best players alive. The only goal of a gladiator was to live one more day. Gladiators were such a big part of Rome from their history to the lifestyle they maintained, they faced gruesome battles for the pure entertainment of others, they endured suffering.
First the morals and values of the people were at a rapid decline towards the end of their empire. Crime was running ramped through streets of Rome and made it unsafe for the common folk. There were about 32,000 prostitutes that were readily available for senators, generals and basically all the big wigs of the empire. The emperors like Nero and Caligula became infamous for wasting money on lavish parties where guest ate and drank until they became ill.(http://kileenroos,com/1/Romefall.htm). The amusement was watching gladiatorial combats in the Colosseum. These events brought all classes of people; the rich and the poor sat in the same arena, which very rarely did this. This shows that the people of Rome were changing into this people that stop caring about what they once were.
During the middle and late third century 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. Many politicians held these highly known games to help them sway votes of power and popularity (Meijer 2003, 27). “The arena was the embodiment of the empire.” (Futrell 1997, 209). The contestants, or the gladiators, had more significance of the Roman Empire beyond that as their role of entertainment.
The Roman Colosseum, a colossal amphitheater, was built in the first century under Flavian's rule. Many events such as gladiator games, beast fights, naval battles, and much more took place inside the huge elliptical arena. People of all ages and classes attended these well-known spectacles. The Colosseum is a huge Roman architectural achievement and the fact that it is still standing today only amplifies the importance of this structure. Hundred of thousands of people attended the ancient games, and even more continue to visit the arena today.
All in all, in ancient Rome, death had become a form of entertainment. Gladiators came from all different types of background to perform for the Roman citizens. They go through all different types of training to prepare them for the battles ahead of them. Life may not be as bad as one would think of a gladiator. The elite gladiators received stardom fame, money and freedom as well as the ability to perform to in front of 80,000 people in honor of your city and most importantly the emperor.
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 beginning of Amphitheatres dates back thousands of years. An amphitheatre was a structure built throughout the Roman Empire. It was the focal point of entertainment, where citizens could go and watch spectacles such as gladiator games, animal hunts, and public executions. Many of them are still in use today, hosting events such as gladiator reenactments and opera shows. The Colosseum, which opened in 80 AD, is the world’s most famous amphitheatre.
The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater ever built in Rome. Many of the early amphitheaters had been dug into hillsides to provide suitable support, but unlike theses past amphitheaters the Colosseum was a detached structure that was strong enough to hold its own weight up. The theatres
The Colosseum doesn’t portray anything like a normal amphitheater. According to Lesley Dutemple “It was built nearly two thousand years ago for the purpose of hosting violent gladiator games.” These games were held during special celebrations with the start of the celebration being a parade through Rome with the gladiators followed by elephants. Once the rowdy crowds of people made their way into the Colosseum the opening act would be either the worst criminals from across the empire against food deprived and tortured beast. If it wasn’t convicts it would be newer gladiators against the savage beast, gather from across the empire. The beast where the most feared and deadliest animals from Africa to England and as far out as present day Turkey. These animals were maddened from starvation and thirst that they would hunt and kill anything that moved. If the beast did not hunt and put on a show, then the Beastmaster was brought out to the center of the arena and was publicly executed. Now the main event consisted of gladiator fights. Those chosen to become gladiators were one of three backgrounds. A gladiator could have been a free man looking for weapon training and fame within the arena. Another could have been an Ex Roman soldier. Lastly the gladiator could have been a slave from the outer reaches of the empire that was bought by the head of a gladiator school. Each gladiator could take up one of
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.