Colosseum Priority Entrance + Roman Forum & Palatine Hill

Colosseum is undoubtedly the best known of the monuments of ancient Rome. Its real name is the Flavian Amphitheatre; in fact, the name “Colosseum” was given to it later, for what precise reason is not known. It is generally assumed that this second appellation may perhaps be derived from a colossal statue of Nero which stood near it, to be exact, at the foot of the Palatine. Moreover, the architect of this amazing building, unmatched in Roman art, is unknown.

It must, however, be admitted that, in the case of almost all the ancient works of art, we know litle more than what meets our eye today.

The Colosseum stands where the Palatine, Caelian and Oppian hills meet, on the spot where there was formerly a swampy lake, later drained.

The building dates from the imperial period, the exact date being 70 A.D., but it was not inaugurated until 80 A.D. However, its history does not end here, for it had to undergo many restorations and modifi-cations, for its completion and embellishment.

The amphitheatre (that is to say, the doubling of the Greek theatre, which was semicircular in shape and was used for the performance of tragedies), is elliptical in shape, that is to say, virtually an elongated circle. It differs from the Greek theatre, of which it is the logical development, in having a double circumference, as the semicircle is repeated, and in addition, it is free-standing (while the Greek theatre rested on the hill-side as its natural support). In fact, one encoun-ters in this building, as in others of considerable importance, the absolute predominance of the curved line, which the Romans got from the Etruscans, but which they succeeded in exploiting, in order to achieve a new, grander and more solemn sense of space.

Although the Colosseum is today partly in ruins, its four orders of columns can still be clearly seen (in the four storeys): the first three consist of arcades separated by columns in the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian style respectively; the fourth is a solid wall pierced by windows.

The top storey, higher than the others, more solid but less open, admirably crowns the whole building, as it were gathering together the spatial expansion of all its curves. In the interior, the tiers could hold some 50.000 people.

The greatest gladiatorial shows of antiquity were held in the amphiteatre. They were the favourite entertainment of the Romans, who had slaves specially trained to fight on another. But the technique and imagination of the Romans did not stop here.

In fact, the Colosseum was also used for staging naval battles in miniature. For this purpose, the arena was filled with water by carefully devised methods, and fierce battles were tought to the bitter end on this artificial lake.

The history of the Colosseum is, however, bound up with still more atracious events, for here the first Christians were martyred, and the time when the Christian religion was still prohibited by the laws of the state. Accordingly, all those sentenced to death for belonging to this religion were killed in this arena, providing the Roman public with a new sensation and new emotions.

The present ruined state of the Colosseum is due not only to natural causes, but also to the plundering by noble families and art lovers, who carried off large amounts of valuable material to adorn their villas and palaces.

In conclusion, it may be said that this amazing amphitheatre is one of the most elaborate and majestic monuments of Roman art; it is above all the measure of the genius of the might of this civilisation.