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 It is a marvellous architectural complex that doesn't
find examples in Roman art. Its real name is Flavian Amphitheater. It
was built in 72 A.D. by an unknown architect. The Coliseum rises among
the Palatine hill, the Celian hill and the Oppian hill. Its construction
was begun by emperor Vespasian and was completed by his son Titus in 80
A.D. At first, in the amphitheater, gladiatorial shows, consisting in
fights to the death between men and beasts, took place: it is there that,
later on, the first Christians were cruelly killed by beasts. Afterwards
the Coliseum was neglected, which provoked its rapid deterioration. Pope
Benedetto XIV's edict consecrated it to the memory of the Christian
martyrs, putting an end to its slow destruction. In 1808 it was restored
by Pope Pious VII. The Coliseum consists of four floors: the first three
of them have 80 holes shaped like archs, while the fourth is taller than
the others and is characterized by a more compact building mass with
windows. The archs are separated by pillars with semi-columns of Doric,
Ionic and Corinthian order. Inside, the staircases had a capacity of
around 50.000 people, who, in case of bad weather, were sheltered by a
system of coverage consisting of striped cloth, maneuvered by one
hundred sailors. It is the greatest amphitheater of the Roman world. |
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