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| An outside look at the Colosseum. This massive structure covers 6 acres in total. |
As I'm sure most people know, the Colosseum was used largely for gladiator fights. It was also used for public spectacles - such as animal hunts, executions, recreations of famous battles, plays and mock sea battles - but is most closely tied to the death battles that occurred here, often from dawn until dusk. It is estimated that the Colosseum held around 50,000 (possibly more) spectators during its prime of use. Each day the stadium would fill with people, who watched as men fought each other to the death. One of the most popular "executions" involved pitting prisoners of war against wild animals, who would then literally tear them to pieces. These prisoners were generally left at a severe disadvantage, being given either a small wooden weapon or no weapon at all.
Interestingly enough, the use of wild animals in various events in the Colosseum actually lead to the extinction of some species in this area. One such example is the lion, which used to be native to Europe. Lions were often used in gladiator battles, and so many of them were killed that the Roman gladiators slaughtered every lion in this region. (Clearly the area has not been re-populated as it is generally uncommon to see a lion wandering down the streets of Rome).
These battles were judged by the crowd's response. If whatever they were doing was causing the crowd to laugh or cheer, they would continue. When the crowd became weary or was no longer interested, they changed it up. The spectators were also given the power to decide whether a man could live or die. If a gladiator fell, the other gladiator could walk up to the emperor and ask if he should live. The emperor could then decide himself, or give the crowd the chance to give a thumbs up, or thumbs down, to decide the man's fate. While this seems horrific to most of us, it is important to note the amount of power this gave to many Roman citizens who had minimal societal power at that time. It could be seen as quite the self-esteem boost to have enough power to decide whether a man lives or dies (as morbid as that power may be).
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| Inside the Colosseum. Originally there would have been a wood floor covering the catacomb-like structures beneath floor level. This wood would have been covered by about 6 inches of sand, which the gladiators fought on top of. |
We spent the other half of our day yesterday on the Palatine Hill, including a visit to the Palatine Museum. The Palatine is considered the foundation of Rome, based on stories of founders settling here. Mythology says that this hill is the location of the cave that the wolf brought Romulus and Remus after she found them. For those of you unfamiliar with this story, legend says Romulus and Remus were twin brothers who were abandoned, and then found by a she wolf who took care of them and kept them alive. A shepherd then found them and took them into his home. Later in life, the brothers disagreed on where to found their city, Romulus killed Remus, and founded his city (Rome) on the Palatine Hill. Because of this, the Palatine Hill stands as an important representation of Rome's humble beginnings, a theme which later emperors use to their political advantage to win the favor of the people.
A large part of what is left, in ruins, on the Palatine Hill is the remains of the House of Augustus. This house served as Augustus' primary residence during his time as emperor (though he didn't refer to himself that way). This palace is set atop the hill, which looks over the Roman Forum and a large part of historical Rome. Not only is the view beautiful, but would have served as a symbol of Augustus' power as emperor. He was able to see all of the inner-workings of his beautiful city from the comfort of his own backyard. It also kept him close to important government buildings and temples, so he could keep an eye on what was happening and maintain his involvement in daily Roman life.
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| View of the Roman Forum from the Palatine Hill. |
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