The Flavian Amphiteater
I refuse to have a bucket list. If I actually complete it, does that mean I die? What if I forget something? What if I die before everything gets crossed off? Does that mean I have failed life? Plus, I enjoy ruts. I like routine. I like predictability. If I have a bucket list, that means I need to interrupt life as I prefer it.I do, however, have a list of things I would like to see someday, and I crossed 3 of them off this month.
I also enjoy knowing things (usually, of course, from the safety of my home), and one of my new facts is that the Coliseum is only a nickname. The true title is the Flavian Amphitheater, built by Vespasian and completed by Titus, both of the Flavian family. In order to build it, Nero's artificial lake was drained and other buildings torn down, except for the approximately 30 meter (100 foot) tall statue of Nero next to it. This statue was known as the Colossus of Nero and gives the Flavian Amphitheater its nickname.
Now, the Flavian amphitheater and it's nickname remains, but the statue has disappeared. I like Vespasian better anyway.
Enough dry (but interesting) facts, on to the pictures.
I got to walk on an actual Roman Road. (I think this was on my third tier list)
It is truly colossal. (Sorry about the rain drops, I cleaned my lens off a few days later)
Do we build on this scale any more? Even my B & B in Florence had 15 foot -- oops, 5 meter -- ceilings. I think these arches are higher than some buildings.
This shows the cells where the gladiators, beasts, defeated enemies, Christians, and other victims were kept until it was showtime. The floor in the background shows the level of the spectacles.
Somebody's sharp eye found this cross. It marked the Emperor's entrance -- obviously a 4th century addition. Before that, Christians had a different entrance.
For my friends who are engineers: Brick construction, covered with concrete (Another fact to store away: The Romans invented the words cement and concrete and were the first to use them on big (I mean colossal) projects. But even they were using ancient technology.) The façade was white marble, but that disappeared along with other useful building materials.
And a later addition: For a small fee, you can get your picture taken with them.
I got to see it with my own eyes. I got to touch ancient stone. I got to walk ancient stairs (and developed a new appreciation for standard measurements!). I got to Be There.
And I am thankful that the existing bathrooms were not original.
posted by Marion @ 8:44 AM
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