The Roman Colosseum (MLA Research Report)
Whitney Liu
Mr. de Groof
Grade 10 Composition
2013/01/10
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“While stands the Colosseum, Rome shall stand; When falls the Colosseum, Rome
shall fall; And when Rome falls-the World.” Said Lord Byron (Evidence 1). The
Roman Colosseum is a massive symbol of Rome. It’s also known as the Flavian
Amphitheatre that famous around the world. Although it’s now a monumental ruin,
it’s still the most impressive building in Rome. The special architectural design of
Colosseum has greatly influenced the world of the present, so has the entertainment of
it.
In 68 B.C, emperor Nero commited suicide. Then, eighteen months of civil war had
begun. In the end, the Flavian Dynasty appeared. The emperor of the Flavian Dynasty,
Vespasian, rebuilt Rome. To show his own capacity and to wipe away people’s
memory of Nero, he rebuilt the Temple of Jupiter and also constructed a new Temple
of Peace. Then, the Roman Colosseum became an exhibit of the new Flavian dynasty
of Vespasian and his sons, Titus and Domitian. But, Vespasian was dead while his
amphitheater, the Roman Colosseum was still building. So, his oldest son Titus
carried on with construction of the Colosseum and opened it to the public in 80 A.D.
9000 animals and hundreds of gladiators joined the games in a hundred days. After
Titus’s death, Vespasian’s youngest son, Domitian began to build the subterranean
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caves and finished the decorative work of it (Roman Colosseum History).
The Colosseum is an elliptical building with a length of 189m, height 48m and
width 156m. It contained 45,000 sitting places and 5,000 standing places. It could
contain 50000 people the most (Ancient Roman Colosseum in Rome). Also, these
people were separated by social classes. There were three levels in total. The level
that was closest to the arena were emperors, nobles, and senators. Most of the people
sat in the second level. They were farmers, artisans, and populaces. These people
were all came from middle classes. The last level was the top of the Colosseum and
it’s hard to see from there. It was for the slaves and women because they didn’t have
any
rights
at
that
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time
(The-Colosseum).
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The ancient Roman Colosseum was the first free-standing amphitheater. The
amphitheater was ruled by the Greeks. It was usually built into hillsides. Also, they
used the natural slope of the banks to have seats so that everyone can see the arena no
matter how high or how low you sat.
There are three floors of arcades that built in travertine stone and eighty arches on
each floor. There is also a fourth story with windows above it. The arches are 4.20 m
wide and 7.05 m high on the ground floor, while on the upper floors they are only
6.45 m high. There are four arches that are for main entrances and these entrances
might have decorated with a little porch and a statue. The major axis entrances gave
direct access to the arena. The NW gate, also called the Porta Triumphalis was the
entrance for gladiators during the pompa gladiatoria, the parade that held outside and
led to the amphitheatre. The SE gate, was also called Porta Libitinaria, as dead
gladiators were carried through it.
Concrete was the most important thing for building the Colosseum. It was made by
mixing a strong volcanic material with rubble, sand and a mixture of limestone. It
could support the vaulted arches.
The floor of the arena was made with wood. There was a wall called Podium which
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had marble decorations around it. It was about 10 feet high. They had all the services
for the shows under the arena. For example, cages for the animals and the beasts.
When they were in the Colosseum, a fence would be put in the position all around the
podium. The fence had also wooden rollers on the top to prevent the beasts from
climbing over.
The hypogeum, an ingenious system of tunnels for slaves, gladiators, and wild
animals. There were many underground tunnels connected by the stadium to stables.
The emperors also had their own tunnels to enter the stadium (Roman Colosseum
Architecture).
The Romans had the right to join banquets that offered by the rich and also enjoy
the shows in the circus or the amphitheater. These games were sponsored by the
emperors or the nobles. The most common and famous things in the Flavian
Amphitheatre are gladiator fights. The citizens in Rome love bloodshed and gladiator
combat. They liked to watch fights between animals or people. These games were
easy and entertaining for them. The most important of all, they also satisfied people
there a lot.
The first gladiator fight first appeared in 264 BC. The sons of emperor Junius
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Brutus gave honor to their father by showing three pairs of gladiator fights during his
funeral. After that, this kind of ritual became more and more popular. Also, emperors
started to hold these games to signify their power (Roman Colosseum And The
Gladiators).
“The gladiators competed against one another for the sake of public entertainment
at festival games. Although some gladiators fought wild animals the combats usually
featured a pair of male human contenders. They fought in diverse styles depending on
their background and how much training they had endured. Originally as captured
soldiers they were made to fight with their own weapons. The odds of a professional
gladiator surviving a match were one in ten.” (Roman Colosseum And The
Gladiators).
The most famous combats were between powerful gladiators. During that time,
Christians refused to do things for the emperor and worship his faith. So, they were
punished and thrown into the arena to fight with wild beasts. Also, if one people of a
family was accused, the whole family would be in danger no matter what age people
were.
“The Emperor Constantine tried to put an end to the gladiatorial fights, but the
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Romans didn’t want to give up these shows. At the beginning of the 5th century, a
monk called Telemachus came and tried to put himself in front of the gladiators to
protest the fights. The crowds yell insults and stoned Telemachus to death for
protesting the games. That day the games were brought to an end.” (The Colosseum)
The Roman Colosseum is now very popular and also a major place for tourists to
travel. I had been there when I was eleven years old. When I saw it, I was so surprised
that I had never seen such a spectacular building. It has influenced nowadays
stadiums. Some modern football stadiums look just like it. Entertainment the Romans
had before has been into sports and spectacles nowadays. In addition, people also
commemorate the Roman Colosseum by making movies. The movies show the
custom of Rome and also help to spread out their culture.
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Reference Page
1. "Roman Architecture - The Colosseum." Roman Architecture - The
Colosseum. N.p., 1915. Web. 09 Jan. 2013.
2. "Roman Colosseum And The Gladiators." Essortment. Essortment,
2011. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
3. "Roman Colosseum Architecture." Roman Colosseum RSS. N.p., 03
Jan. 2012. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
4. "L O C V S." The-Colosseum.net:The Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan.
2013.
5. "Colosseum." , Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
6. "Roman Colosseum." Rome.info , Coliseum of Rome. N.p., 01 Jan.
2013. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
7. Hopkins, Keith. "The Colosseum: Emblem of Rome." BBC News.
BBC, 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
8. "- The Roman Coliseum -." Roman Colosseum or Coliseum: Rome
Italy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2013.
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