5 Eurocents - the Colosseum

The Colosseum is one of the largest surviving relics of the Roman civilization, and the most famous symbol of the city of Rome.
Its original name is Flavian Amphiteatre, from the family name of the two emperors Vespasian and Titus, who had it built from 72 AD; the following emperor Domitian only gave it a finishing touch before it was officially opened in year 80.
Only a few years earlier, the ground where the Colosseum stands was occupied by an artificial pond, in the vast gardens of Nero's Golden House; as most parts of the fabulous mansion, after the owner's death also the pond was filled up and reused as a building site.

Shaped as a regular oval, it measures 188 metres in length and 156 metres in width, with a perimeter of 527 metres.

The name Colosseum came into use during the early Middle Ages (the aforesaid prophecy by the Venerable Bede is one of the earliest examples), probably due to the enormous statue of emperor Nero, i.e. a colossus, that once faced the northern end of the building, standing about 32 m (106 ft) in hight. When the Golden House was destroyed, the colossus was moved here. Despite its gigantic dimensions, no trace of this famous statue has ever been retrieved.

Others maintain that the name might have come from the Collis Iseum, a nearby hill where a temple dedicated to the Egyptian god Isis once stood; this cult used to be very popular in imperial Rome. According to a furhter curious theory, the name might even be the corruption of Colys eum? ("do you worship him?"), a question that was part of a satanic rite. In fact, up to the late Renaissance age, the Colosseum used to be a chosen site for performing pagan and black magic rituals during night-time.

To the ancient Romans, this building was the equivalent of a modern stadium, and it mainly hosted three kinds of shows.

Munera: these were tournaments in which gladiators fought one another: the winner of a match fought against the winner of another match, until one among many competitors was the winner. The gladiators were so called after the gladius, the short sword used by some of them, but others wielded different weapons, such as the three-thonged harpoon or trident, and the net. Since fights often ended with the death of the loser, nowadays this kind of show would be considered too brutal, but this was also the opinion of a number of cultured romans.

Venationes (hunts): another blood-shedding type of show consisted in hunting and killing wild animals, such as elephants, crocodiles, lions, tigers, zebras, hippos, and several other species, taken to Rome in great quantity for this purpose, from the empire's territories in northern Africa and the Middle East. This show took place in an exotic setting that recreated the wildlife environment, obtained by arranging painted backgrounds all around the arena.
During the events for the opening of the Colosseum, which according to some historical sources lasted 100 days, some 5,000 wild animals were killed.
...Please, don't tell the WWF! J

Naumachiae: these were mock naval battles, though using real ships, made possible by flooding the arena with water. Besides the Colosseum, other smaller stadiums in Rome were built on purpose for this peculiar kind of entertainment, enjoyed by many emperors (in particular, by Octavianus Augustus), and by the common people alike. Therefore, naumachiae took place here rather occasionally. Instead, there is no historical evidence that the Colosseum hosted the killing of Christian believers, by making them fight against wild animals, although this became a common belief.

The public accessed the building from 80 gates; all of them were numbered, because many spectators had what today would be called a card, or pass, consisting of a badge with a symbol in relief, similar to the ones shown below, whose design differred according to the entrance and to the tiers' sector.
The Colosseum could hold up to about 70,000 spectators, most of which seated.

The seats were in wood and bricks, except the ones of the imperial box, that were in marble. The few people left without a seat could stand in the uppermost section of the building.

At the very top, a system of sails, ropes and pulleys, operated by soldiers from a particular military navy corps, could be drawn over the public, to protect the people from a long exposure to the hot summer sun.

The arena's floor was made of wooden planks, covered with sand. Below the floor was a complicated system of galleries and chambers, whose remains can be seen today, since the floor has completely disappeared. They were used as deposits for weapons, tools and scenery.

Also the wild animals were kept there in cages; at the right time, they were led onto the arena's floor either along slopes or by using a number of elevators.
The fights between gladiators ended in year 404 by decree of emperor Honorius, and the animal hunts ended about one century later. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was left abandoned.

Year after year, decade after decade, the arena became a huge swamp, filled with mud, until during the 11th century a noble family turned the building into a private stronghold.
Around 200 years later it became the property of another noble family, and finally ended up in the hands of the popes: this caused the Colosseum to fall once again into oblivion.

Damaged by earthquakes, great quantities of fallen material, such as stone, marble and metal parts, were taken away to be reused for other buildings; the large holes still seen today are the ones left by stolen hinges that once held together these blocks.

Between the late 16th and the early 17th centuries, the popes' interest turned again upon the Colosseum, following the belief that this arena had been a place of martyrdom for many Christians. The site was therefore cleared from the many thieves and prostitutes, who had chosen these ruins as a shelter, and closed by means of gates. A number of Christian symbols, and a small church, were set among the ancient remains.

When the papacy fell (1870) a real restoration campaign was carried out upon the building: the whole central area had to be cleared of trees and wild vegetation that had been growing over the arena for over one thousand years, and some modern additions were removed. Following excavations unearthed the underground galleries.
Among the curious remains found on the spot are several fruit stones, thrown away by spectators after having nibbled on peaches and olives during an event, almost two thousand years ago.

		Quamdiu stabit Colyseus stabit et Roma. Quamdiu cadet Colyseus cadet et Roma. Quamdiu cadet Roma cadet et mundus. (profecy by the Venerable Bede, c. AD 700) "As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome will stand. When the Colosseum collapses, Rome will collapse. When Rome collapses, the world will collapse."

Shaped as a regular oval, it measures 188 metres in length and 156 metres in width, with a perimeter of 527 metres. The name Colosseum came into use during the early Middle Ages (the aforesaid prophecy by the Venerable Bede is one of the earliest examples), probably due to the enormous statue of emperor Nero, i.e. a colossus, that once faced the northern end of the building, standing about 32 m (106 ft) in hight. When the Golden House was destroyed, the colossus was moved here. Despite its gigantic dimensions, no trace of this famous statue has ever been retrieved.

	Munera: these were tournaments in which gladiators fought one another: the winner of a match fought against the winner of another match, until one among many competitors was the winner. The gladiators were so called after the gladius, the short sword used by some of them, but others wielded different weapons, such as the three-thonged harpoon or trident, and the net. Since fights often ended with the death of the loser, nowadays this kind of show would be considered too brutal, but this was also the opinion of a number of cultured romans.

Venationes (hunts): another blood-shedding type of show consisted in hunting and killing wild animals, such as elephants, crocodiles, lions, tigers, zebras, hippos, and several other species, taken to Rome in great quantity for this purpose, from the empire's territories in northern Africa and the Middle East. This show took place in an exotic setting that recreated the wildlife environment, obtained by arranging painted backgrounds all around the arena. During the events for the opening of the Colosseum, which according to some historical sources lasted 100 days, some 5,000 wild animals were killed. ...Please, don't tell the WWF! J

Also the wild animals were kept there in cages; at the right time, they were led onto the arena's floor either along slopes or by using a number of elevators. The fights between gladiators ended in year 404 by decree of emperor Honorius, and the animal hunts ended about one century later. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was left abandoned. Year after year, decade after decade, the arena became a huge swamp, filled with mud, until during the 11th century a noble family turned the building into a private stronghold. Around 200 years later it became the property of another noble family, and finally ended up in the hands of the popes: this caused the Colosseum to fall once again into oblivion.

	Damaged by earthquakes, great quantities of fallen material, such as stone, marble and metal parts, were taken away to be reused for other buildings; the large holes still seen today are the ones left by stolen hinges that once held together these blocks. Between the late 16th and the early 17th centuries, the popes' interest turned again upon the Colosseum, following the belief that this arena had been a place of martyrdom for many Christians. The site was therefore cleared from the many thieves and prostitutes, who had chosen these ruins as a shelter, and closed by means of gates. A number of Christian symbols, and a small church, were set among the ancient remains.

When the papacy fell (1870) a real restoration campaign was carried out upon the building: the whole central area had to be cleared of trees and wild vegetation that had been growing over the arena for over one thousand years, and some modern additions were removed. Following excavations unearthed the underground galleries. Among the curious remains found on the spot are several fruit stones, thrown away by spectators after having nibbled on peaches and olives during an event, almost two thousand years ago.