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Architecture of the ancient Roman Empire is considered one of the most
impressive of all time. The city of Rome once was home to more than one million
residents in the early centuries AD1. The Romans had a fine selection of
building monuments in the city of Rome including the forums for civic services,
temples of worship, and amphitheaters for recreation and play.
The Romans made
great use and pioneered great architecture mechanisms including arches, columns,
and even mechanical elements in pulleys and early elevators. However, when one
tends to think of great buildings, one building stands out in Rome. This
building is the Flavian Amphitheatre, or better known as the Colosseum. When
discussing such a great monument such as the Colosseum, it is very important to
realize the time, place, and culture in wish it stood to fully understand both
its form and function.
In the beginnings, Rome was both influenced by the
Etruscans of the North and Greeks of Italy and South but had its basic roots
from a long time of Samnite domination2. The Etruscans were that of an
interesting type as described by Peter Quennell: The Etruscans...combined a
passionate devotion to the ordinary pleasures of life with a haunting fear of
death.
They were cruel, too, and deeply superstitious...their victims were
ordered to fight among themselves until the last had fallen. The Etruscans would
have a strong impression in Roman lifestyles and philosophies. For example, the
purple robe worn by leaders would be later adopted by the Romans. They also were
the influence which brought gladiatorial battles of sacrifice into the Roman
culture.
This was a time of blood thirsty humans who loved the site of battle.
Even an early christian named Alypius proclaimed that he took away with him a
mad passion which prodded him not only to return (to gladatior events) with
those by whom he had first been forced in, but even ahead of them and dragging
in others.3 This was a time of paganism, which meant sacrifice and death. Early
christians were persecuted for their beliefs in the first few centuries. Clearly
in Rome, the focus was not only on religion or the emporer, but we have a focus
on leisure and activities.
It is said that of a three-hundred and sixty-five day
year that one-hundred and fifty days were celebrated as regular holidays, with
over ninety days given up to games4. This type of lifestyle would dominate the
cities and architecture of the Romans for some time to come. The people of Rome
enjoyed theatres, battles, races, baths, comical events, and of course the game
of death.
There were many forums, temples, and many amphitheaters in the history
of Rome, however only a few stand out even today. The Colosseum is the greatest
standing building of Rome, and one of the most recognized worldwide
architectural achievements to this day. The amphitheater is a type of
architecture that was without Greek precedents.
This makes sense since its
primary purpose was to hold gladitiator fights and brutal shows which were
banned in Athens at the time. Such events held in Roman amphitheaters were
horseracing, gymnastics, mock cavalry battles, footraces, prizefighting,
wrestling, fights between animals, between men, animals and men, and even
naumachiae, or mock sea battles5. One of the first amphitheaters was the
Pompeian amphitheater of Pompeii of 30 BC.
Like the Colosseum, it was oval in
plan. It was supported on great masses of solid earth pierced by a broad
corridor at each end. Stone seats were added at one time but most spectators sat
on the earth or wooden chairs. Although this amphitheater was a great
innovation, it would be eclipsed by the Flavian Amphitheater, better known as
the Colosseum.
The great building although fitting and plain in design to its
surroundings of Rome still stood out due to its sheer monstrosity and oval
shape. Although the site viewed today is still a marvel, back in the days of its
prime it was a spectacular site that would be difficult to apprehend with only
words[TVK1]. [TVK2] The city which held the great structure was full of great
examples of the use of arches, columns from every order, and of course sheer
size. When traveling the city to the Colosseum the whole area had been paved and
railed off. The approach was taken by cobbled slabs of lava, and then one
entered an area paved with travertine more than five thousand feet wide and
surrounded by huge boundary stones6.
To a spectator at the time the Colosseum
from the outside is described by the romantic poet Johann Wolggang von Goethe:
When one looks at it all else seems little; the edifice is so vast, that one
cannot hold the image of it in one's soul- in memory we think it smaller, and
then return to it again to find it every time greater than before. As one looked
at it from the city, there were many sights to behold, but the Colosseum stood
out 19 centuries ago, and still does to this date.
At the end of the Emperor
Nero and the triumph of the Flavians every effort was made to forget the times
of the Julio-Claudians (of which Julius Caesar's family) and move to newer
times. The focus of arhictecture and buildings shifted from the emperor's
creations to the public's buildings.
The next prominent emperor was Vespasian.
His first contribution to the public was an enormous forum with a temple of
Peace in it.7 His greatest feat was the beginning of the construction of the
Colosseum for games purposes around 72 AD. Titus succeeded the ever-joking
Vespasian and completed his fathers dream around 79-80 AD. The dedication of the
Colesseum was a lavish gladiator show that lasted for exactly one-hundred days
in which over nine thousand animals were killed.
8 A typical day at the Colesseum
show usually started with a bloodless comic relief battle, often times with
dwarfs, women, or cripples battling with wooden objects. A tuba would sound and
the main events would begin. The gladiator fights were the most popular and
prominent fights. These featured two highly trained men battling for courage,
strength, and dignity. They would often rather take a blow and stand strong than
wimper and run in defense.
The people were in love with gladiators much like
today's sport heroes. It is written that famous women would even leave their
husbands for famous gladiators which were known to be very scarred and ugly by
Roman standards.9 The gladiator fight was a ruthless blood-ridden spectacle
which usually ended in death by the loser who begged for mercy and was chosen to
die by the present emperor or crowd cheers of 45,000 hysterical fans. Even more
appalling than the gladiator fights may have been the famous wild beast hunts.
Some beast slayers fought lions, tigers, bears, and bulls which brought many
animals to near extinction in the surrounding areas.
However, even worse than
the wild beast hunts was the killings of rather harmless animals such as
ostriches, giraffes, deer, elephants, and even hippopotami all for the delight
of the crowd.
The Colosseum utilized machinery to even raise animals to the
battle floor from beneath where the catacombs and passages lay. The Colosseum
would be decorated with trees, hillocks, and other elements to simulate natural
surroundings.10 One such fighter was the deranged emperor Commodus who had such
a passion for unequal combat he visited the Colesseum more than a thousand times
slaughtering at one time one hundred bears, killed ostriches, and even innocent
fans if they laughed. It was clear to many that he was insane, and he was
assinated by a famous athlete. Perhaps the most interesting of all events held
was the mock sea battles.
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