This article
provides a concise account of the history, architecture and features of one of
the most iconic buildings in the world, namely the Colosseum, which was the
largest amphitheatre in Rome.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum
is one of the best-preserved buildings in Rome that dates from Classical times.
The construction was started during the reign of Emperor Vespasian and
completed during that of his son Titus, being dedicated in 80 AD. However, severe
damage caused by a lightning strike in 217 was not repaired until 240, and
other restorations were made in later centuries following earthquakes.
The site
The site of
the Colosseum (the original name of which was the Flavian Amphitheatre), is in
a valley between three of the Roman “hills”, the area having previously been a
small lake that formed part of the grounds of Nero’s vast palace (which was
destroyed after his death). The planners of the building therefore needed to
take account of the marshy nature of the terrain, so the streams flowing
through the valley were diverted and foundations dug to a depth of 42 feet in
places. These precautions were clearly justified by the fact that the massive
structure has never suffered damage due to subsidence in the intervening 1900
years.
Architecture
The plan of
the Colosseum is quite unlike anything else seen up to that date in Greek or
Roman architecture. The architect is unknown, but he was clearly a man of
exceptional vision to have designed something so original but at the same time
sound enough to stand the test of time.
The Colosseum
is not circular but elliptical, the axes being approximately 610 feet and 515
feet. The building had to meet the prevailing standards for symmetry, based on
the proportion of 5:3, and the size of the building was determined by the
requirement for 80 entrance arches, each of which measured the standard Roman
size of 20 feet in width with 3-foot columns between them.
The height of
the Colosseum is 165 feet, which also accords with the rules of proportion.
Above the ground-floor arches are two further storeys of arches surmounted by a
fourth storey that is of solid stone. At least, that was the original design,
but the full height has only survived around slightly less than half of what
can be seen today. Only two of the storeys can now be seen around the whole
perimeter.
The
three-quarter columns separating the arches represent the Classical orders of
architecture, such that those of the ground floor are quasi-Doric (sometimes
referred to as “Tuscan”), those of the first floor are Ionic and the
second-floor columns are Corinthian, as are the pilasters on the top storey. The
arches above the ground floor were originally adorned by statues of emperors,
gods and heroes, but these have long since disappeared.
The rim at
the top of the structure was designed so that a vast awning, called a Velarium,
could be pulled across to provide shade for the spectators from the hot
Mediterranean sun.
The basement
area
Visitors who
go inside the Colosseum today will be struck by the fact that the arena has no
floor. This would have been wooden, and therefore subject to constant repair
and replacement. To this day, a partial floor is used for events and displays
within the arena.
Of great
interest are the walls (built using large flat bricks) that formed the basement
area and supported the floor. It is known that during the early years of the
Colosseum the arena could be flooded and mock sea-battles fought. However,
Emperor Domitian (reigned 81-96 AD) was more interested in staging fights of a
different kind and he had the area excavated so that a complex network of
passages, tunnels and chambers could be built, although they would have had no
natural light.
It is
possible to make out the places where hoists operated to lift wild animals from
their cages to trapdoors in the arena floor. The shafts are visible, as are the
bronze fittings to which the capstans would have been fitted. Fights between
gladiators would have had added excitement for the crowd when a trapdoor
flipped open and a lion emerged to attack an unsuspecting fighter. At various
times public executions of prisoners (including captive Christians) are known
to have taken place in the form of wild animals being released to tear the
victims to pieces.
The seating
area
The Colosseum
was designed to allow the maximum number of spectators to see the maximum
amount of action. In all, some 50,000 people could have been accommodated on
the five tiers of seating that rose above the arena, although they would have
been packed together very tightly and those people on the topmost tier would
have been a long way from the floor of the arena. Doubtless
most spectators would have found standing to be more comfortable than sitting.
The Emperor,
of course, could watch in perfect comfort from his private box, reached via his
own entrance and passageway.
Because much
of the stone that formed the seating/standing areas has disappeared over the
centuries, the secrets of how they were constructed have become more apparent.
The whole building comprised a series of arched barrel vaults running from the
external arches inwards towards the arena, each series standing on top of the
one below and ending at the appropriate point for building the spectator
terraces on top. This provided an extremely strong construction, similar to
that of the spokes of a bicycle wheel, and it allowed for the thrusting forces
of the walls to compensate each other. Only in relatively recent years has it
been necessary to provide any external buttressing for the outer walls, despite
the looting of stone and supporting ironwork down the centuries.
Preservation
The
preservation of the Colosseum has been due to a number of factors, one of them
being its recognition by the Vatican, in the 18th century, as a
place of Christian martyrdom, and thus a sacred site. There may well be some
truth to this, although the numbers of Christians who died there has probably
been greatly exaggerated, and there were other places in Rome where such
executions took place.
However, for
such a large building to have survived from ancient times to the present day,
even in its current condition, it must have been well built in the first place.
That is definitely the case, and the architectural features that can now be
seen, particularly the barrel vaulting and ribbed construction, point to why
this is so.
That being
said, it has still been necessary for the city authorities in Rome to do a lot
of work in recent years to preserve the structure. The ravages of time have
been nothing in comparison to the damage done by the fumes and vibrations of
the traffic of a modern city.
© John
Welford
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