A Georgia Girl in Germany

Rome’s Colosseum -- or the Flavian Amphitheater -- is the largest amphitheater of the ancient world, and is where games and entertainment for the masses were once held. Construction began in 72 A.D. and was completed in 80 A.D. It was originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators who came to watch various events. It remained in use for nearly 500 years with the last recorded games held there as late as the 6th century. As well as the traditional gladiator contests, many other public spectacles were held there, including mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, reenactments of famous battles and dramas based on Classical mythology.

These first two photos clearly show the sections of the outer wall that have been cleaned between 1993 and 2000 and the area that still looks dingy from automobile exhaust damage.

And, yes, a busy street surrounds the Colosseum. In fact, at one point during our short walk there, we had to go underground and walk through a tunnel under a street to get there safely.

Benjamin had some energy to burn off while we waited for our tour to begin, and even spent a few minutes chasing pigeons through the grass. They always got away though.

Our itinerary was full enough that we didn’t have time to visit both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, so this (below) was the closest we came to what was the center of political, judicial and commercial life in ancient Rome since it’s across the street from the Colosseum.


The Colosseum was abandoned for a while since it was seen as a symbol of the cruelty of pagans, and was then used as a quarry. In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed as official church policy the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. In doing so, he forbade its use as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects, removing the extensive vegetation that had overgrown it and threatened to damage it further.

The kids are getting to be pros at this tourist thing -- they all went ahead of me with Zachary pushing Benjamin in the stroller...and they know to wait up for me since I’m always lagging behind to take photos. Here, they are walking inside the surviving part of the outer wall’s monumental façade.

This is how Benjamin experienced the Colosseum. Yup, he slept through most of the tour!


This is the first view I had of the inside of the Colosseum. It is absolutely huge, imposing and massive! Its oval design was built with a moveable floor so it could be flooded for naval games.

The gladiators were typically prisoners of war, with the best ones competing in the Colosseum.

Since tour guides aren’t allowed to shout as they describe the Colosseum to their groups, everyone was given one-way radios to hear the guide's commentary. While it allowed us to stray or fall behind our tour group a little, it was also cumbersome for whoever was pushing Benjamin in the stroller or when I snapped off photos. I was surprised at how much Zachary and MacKenzie seemed to listen though. I think they actually learned a little from the tour.

This photo shows a section of marble seats (just barely in the sun). There are only about 30 of these seats left, but were once reserved for Rome’s senators.

If you look closely at the photo below, you can see a cross on the left. This is where the vestal virgins sat. Unfortunately for them, if they lost their virginity, they were killed.


Our tour then took us down to the arena floor level. It was an entirely different perspective to look up and out to see the massiveness of the Colosseum.

Behind the Colosseum is the Arco di Constantino -- Constantine’s Arch (below). The arch is the last monumental masterpiece of imperial commemorative art and was built by the Roman senate for Emperor Constantine after the victory on Massenzio in 312 A.D. Our tour guide also called it the “Triumph Arch” and said it’s good luck to be photographed under the arch on your wedding day -- doing so will lead to a long and happy marriage.

Below, you can see some of the underground area of the Colosseum -- the hypogeum. This labyrinth of originally-vaulted rooms underneath the arena was divided into 15 corridors and was used for the various complex operations of the amphitheater and its hydraulic infrastructure. The tunnels housed slaves, stage machinery, armories, weapons and cages for the animals. Hoists even made figures and sets appear at the center of the arena through trap doors and ramps, and the animals would enter close to the sides of the arena.

There was even a secret passage for the gladiators to use so they could arrive at the Colosseum without being seen in the street. The emperors also used a subterranean corridor -- the Passage of Commodus -- to avoid putting themselves at risk by crossing the crowded square in front of the amphitheater.

One final view from ground level inside the Colosseum. Quite simply, the Colosseum was impressive no matter where we stood!

Labels: Benjamin, Italy, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary