Arriving in Rome, one of our first trips was of course to the Colosseum. As we stood in front of it, we were immediately impressed by the monumentality of the building. Willingly or unwillingly, we drew a parallel with the Pula arena we had seen earlier, since their structure and arched walls are very similar to each other, but here the difference in size was immediately obvious. The Pula structure almost dwarfs the huge mass of the Colosseum, although it is also wonderful. After thoroughly exploring and admiring ourselves, we ended the day at a nearby pizzeria. We didn’t have to go far, and there, in the shadow of the ancient walls, we discussed what we had seen over a fantastic dinner.
The history of the Colosseum began during the Flavian dynasty. Emperor Vespasian began building it in 72 AD, and his son Titus finished it in 80. The official name of the building was Amphitheatrum Flavium, and it represented the pinnacle of engineering at the time. Interestingly, it was built on the site of a former artificial lake of Emperor Nero, and probably got its name from the huge golden statue, the Colossus, standing next to it.
In its heyday, the building could accommodate between 50 and 80 thousand spectators, who were helped by a complex entry system to take their seats in minutes. The opening ceremony lasted for a hundred days, during which thousands of animals and people were sacrificed for entertainment. Under the arena was an amazing system of cellars, the hypogeum, where wild animals and gladiators were kept, and then lifted into the arena by elevators. Spectacular events such as naumachia, or sea battles, were also held here, when the arena was flooded with water so that real ships could fight in it.
There were also real “superstars” among the gladiators, whose names have survived to posterity. Such was the case of Priscus and Verus, whose famous fight was the highlight of the opening games of the Colosseum. They fought so resolutely and with equal strength that in the end both received the wooden sword symbolizing liberation. Also memorable was Carpophorus, who was a famous bestiarius, or animal fighter, and is said to have defeated twenty beasts in a single day. Although many believe that Spartacus also fought here, he actually lived long before the construction of the Colosseum, but his rebellion laid the foundation for the strict system of training that later trained the warriors of the Colosseum in the gladiatorial schools.
