Rome in December is a balmy 65 degrees. In the sun. After a cold wet British fall that even puts Portland to shame in terms of long grey days and endless drizzly nights, the idea of sun at all is sort of mind blowing. The idea of sun all day, or even standing in line in the sun, is sort of like the idea of a space elevator. AKA, that's nice, but come back to reality. All of which made standing in line, outside, in the sun, for tickets to peruse the largest bit of Roman architecture still "standing" (ish) almost unbelievable. The Colosseum is like Big Ben. These things are real, but in a far-away-I'll-never-see-them since. Having seen both within two and a half months is disconcerting. At best. For 12 Euro (18ish dollars) you can tour not only the Colosseum, but several other historical sites as well. For 18 Euro (more dollars) you can have a guide. 12 Euro was pushing it. No guide. That meant that when I finally got back into the hostel last night all I wanted to do was read about ancient Rome. So I did. And now you are the beneficiaries. Concocted from Wikipedia, signs on site and helpful things I gleaned from trying to steal into other people's tours, my little sum-up of the Colosseum, aka the largest-sports-arena-ever-known-to-man.
The Roman Colosseum, perhaps more correctly referred to as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is to this day, according to Wikipedia (well known as the font of all knowledge) the largest amphitheatre in the world. At one time the massive structure played host to crowds of between 50,000 and 80,000 per event. Originally the wooden floor of the arena/stage could be removed and the empty pit below flooded so that the emperor Titus (heir to Vespasian) could watch elaborately staged "sea battles" in addition to the gladiatorial combat and wild animal hunts. Built initially in just over ten years, the Colosseum was upgraded, repaired, remodeled, and re imagined by Roman Emperors for over 500 years before finally falling into disuse, disrepair and starting to crumble in the 7th century A.D.
Today the Colosseum is the largest single structure left from Rome in the world. It towers meters above the tourists wandering outside, and is in a perpetual state of repair. Scaffolding hugging the exterior of the building, and tan men with bright yellow hard helmets and orange vests occasionally appearing in the midsts of the crowds of onlookers and tourists who wander through by the thousands day after day. Originally over 150 feet tall, and over 600 feet in diameter, the Colosseum is to this day a sight to behold. Over a thousand years of earthquakes, political dynasty shifts and scavenging have left the building a hull of it's former self. Originally adorned in white marble, with frescos decorating hallways and statues lining the arched exterior, today brick shows through. The wooden floor of the arena is long gone, and the tunnels below it were turned into graves, and then emptied out by archaeologists seeking out history. Recycled from the heart of the Roman Empire's entertainment the Colosseum has been a church, a castle, a quarry. Held stables, and tool sheds, and monks and squatters. With Rome collapsing around it the Colosseum stands even today as a reminder of what once was. A visual note that empires do not last forever, and that when the mighty fall their bones are ground to dust at the same rate as those of beggars.
Despite popular belief, the Colosseum was not actively used to martyr Christians. There were indeed executions staged there, but surprise surprise, public executions were not what drew Romans by the thousands to sit on the marble steps, eat hot food sold by vendors who had access to ovens below, and drink wine---allotted by pre-given tokens. Romans came to watch sport. Teams of gladiators battling for favor, victory and life. Hunters (men and even sometimes women in the later years) chasing prey that ranged from rabbits to tigers through elaborate sets meant to imitate the natural habitat of the hunted. Executions served to pass the time. When sets were being removed, or lunch was being served and people might be wandering about. In other words, they wanted to keep things busy, but certainly didn't want to spoil the main attractions.
Standing in the Colosseum it's hard to imagine the might of the Roman Empire. A people who before electricity and steam engines and penicillin, could erect this structure in barely 10 years. A people whose iron fisted rule governed the extent of the known world, and whose Republic inspired the idea of people as equals for generations to come, and who even then, fell into despotism and decay. The child of an empire, raised in it's shadow and beholden to it's glory, I find the idea that empires rise, fall and then fade into antiquity one that is humbling. Rome, a modern metropolis situated in the midst of the ruins of an empire long faded, is a reminder that we can neither imagine the world behind us, or the world to come. Time is a bitter mistress and in the end none can stray from her steady gaze. Not emperors and not street urchins.
From the Colloseum, it's a short walk up the hill, through a series of arches, to where the emperor's palace once stood. Standing on the edge of the hill, with the sun settling over the western sky, it's easy to imagine that one day this bustling city will shift and change unimaginably. Harder is to have any idea of what it might someday look like.
On a lighter note, guess what I saw yesterday? Also: the icecream here is good.
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