Page 131 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

ITALY 129

KEY DATES
AD72 81-96 248 1980
The Colosseum is The amphitheater Games are held to Rome's histori:
commissioned by is completed during mark the 1 ,OOOth center is added
Emperor 'v6pasian. the reign of Emperor anni~Jersary of to UNESCO's
Domitian. Rome's founding. World Her~age list. ITALY

•.Naples
TYRRHENIAN
SEA
A GLADIATOR'S LIFE
ME DITE RRA NEAN 5£A
IONIAN
Gladiator fights were not mere brawls, but professional SEA
affairs between trained men. Gladiators lived and
trained in barracks and a range of different fighting
styles was practiced, each with its own expert coach. GLADIATORIAL FIGHTS IN THE ARENA
Larger barracks had a training arena where men could The emperors of Rome held impressive shows,
get used to fighting in front of noisy spectators. A Gladiator Graffiti which often began with animals performing
Gladiators fought one-to-one,
as shown in this graffiti from the circus tricks. Then, on came the gladiators,
Colosseum. A secutorgladiator who fought each other to the death. Gladiators
carrying a short sword is pitched were usually slaves, prisoners of war, or
against a retiarius gladiator armed
with a trident and a net. condemned criminals. When one was killed,
attendants dressed as Charon, the mythical
ferryman of the dead, carried his body off on
a stretcher and sand was raked over the blood
~ Internal Corridors
These were designed to in preparation for the next bout A badly
allow the large and often wounded gladiator would surrender his fate
unruly crowd to move
freely and to be seated to the crowd. The "thumbs-up" sign from the
with in 1 0 minutes of emperor meant he could live, while "thumbs-
arriving at the Colosseum. down" meant that he would die. The victor in
a gladiator fight became an instant hero and
was sometimes rewarded with freedom.

EMPEROR VESPASIAN
Titus Flavius Vespasianus (Founder of the
Colosseum) was Roman emperor for a
Inner Walls decade from AD 69. At that time, Rome was
These were formed in complete disarray, the legacy of Emperor
of brick.
Nero's reign. Vespasian's rule is noted for the
stability and relative peace he brought to the
empire. He instigated a number of building
projects, including a temple dedicated to
Claudius on the Celian Hill; a Temple of Peace
Entry Routes near the Forum; and, most famously, the
_jllLJI.-l:::~+-t-r41\- Used to take the spectators Colosseum. At the time of his death in 79,
to their seats, these were
reached by means of the amphitheater was still incomplete, and it
staircases to the various was left to his sons and successors, Titus and
levels of the a mph ithea ter. Domitian, to finish the work.
Podium
This large terrace was where the INSIDE THE COLOSSEUM
emperor and the weal thy up per The stadium was built in the form of an ellipse,
cia sses had their seats. with tiers of seats around a vast central arena.
Corinthian columns The different social classes were segregated,
FLORA OF THE COLOSSEUM and the consul and emperor had their own
separate entrances and boxes. A complex
of rooms, passages and elevators lay in the
subterranean area (beneath the arena), and
this was where men, animals, and scenery were
of the ruins had created an
Doric wlumns impressive variety of herbs, moved around. Cages for the animals were
grasses, and wild flowers. found at the lowest level, beneath the wooden
Several botanists were inspired
Arched Entrances arena floor. When the animals were needed,
All 80 entrances were numbered. to study and catalog them and the cages were moved upward to the arena
Each spectator had a tesseta two books were published, one
(small square tile) with an entrance listing 420 different species. by means of winches and the animals were
number stamped on it Borage, a herb released. A system of ramps and trap doors
enabled them to reach the arena.