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  • Day 3

    Colosseum

    May 8, 2019 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We had booked tickets for skip the line at the Colosseum for first opening at 0830 hrs so had a coffee and croissant at home and were out the door. We were not the first in line though! However, despite a lack of clear signage and the crowd scene we made our way in when the gates opened and took in the sight. It is huge and just a start to the ongoing appreciation of the engineering marvels of the Roman age, the construction techniques, the incredible grandeur of this, the palaces and baths which we were about to see in their heyday. The basic time line to remember is Rome grew as a Republic 500 BC to 0, there was peace and prosperity 0-200 AD and then decline 200-500 AD due to too big a machine and poor leadership. After the barbarians (everyone other than Romans) sacked Rome in the 550s it ushered in 1000 years of dark dreary times in Europe until the light of the Renaissance. Rome fell into ruins, was silted up and then pillaged and dismantled and incorporated into the rebuilding. Everywhere in Rome you see this, even in the smallest of buildings - the taking of Roman items and incorporation into current structures. This "lasagne" effect as it is called is seen everywhere - if something was structurally solid, reuse, repair, recycle - they were way ahead of their time and it makes for the iconic alleyways, stucco repaired, paint faded and added, plants mixed with stone. Right away you see that cobblestones are not a thing of the past. Major roads are constructed this way, filled in, hardly ever a smooth pavement. Best to wear running shoes, even sandals are not all that safe and watch where you are going! If you don't twist an ankle you will be run over. Despite the fairly constant blare of ambulances we didn't see any injuries or accidents but there is definitely a constant chaos to the intermix of Vespas, cars and pedestrians everywhere you go!

    The Colosseum is the most recognizable and iconic monument of Rome. Under Vespasian much of Nero's private property was returned to the people and the construction of a grand amphitheatre began (71-72AD) on part of the property. The amphitheatre was completed during the reign of Titus in 80AD and by 81AD a third level had been added.
    The colosseum was used for bull fights, gladiator fights, chariot races, official events and various public forms of entertainment. At its peak, the most popular event was the Ludi Circenses, the chariot races, there were also naval battles reproduced with complex stage effects. The Colosseum also hosted staged hunts, using live animals and often involved feeding convicts to the beasts. Mythological dramas were staged in the arena among scenic woods complete with forest animals. Rome had a strict class system and there were 5 levels of seating within the audience according to your social status. At capacity the arena could hold 50,000 to 80,000 spectators on the marble benches.

    Article:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum
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