Colisée

The Amphitheater flavien ( Amphitheatrum Flavium , known also under the name of Colisée ( Colosseum )), is largest Amphithéâtre of Rome whose construction was ordered by the emperor Vespasien.

Colisée was built on the site of the enormous palate of Néron, the Domus Aurea , and was precisely located in the depression of the Velia, between the Caelius, the Mount Oppius and the Palatin, near to the district of Subure, in the place of the lake of the palate, which was drained, and of a Arène out of wood for the Gladiateur S, which was destroyed. It is with the crossing of the Triumphal Voie and Sacrée.

It was financed thanks to the brought back money of the victorious countryside of Titus in Judaea, and in particular thanks to the plundering of the Temple of Jerusalem.

An enormous statue of Néron, the Colosse of Néron, which was moved during the construction of the Temple of Venus and Rome, was beside the Amphitheater flavien from which this one drew its famous name from Colisée (Colosseum) during the Moyen-âge, had with the remainders of the Colosse of Néron. Colisée was not thus called like after the Antiquité, and not at the time of the Roman Emperors.

Colisée could receive spectacular plays, like engagements between animals ( venationes ), the setting with died by animals and other executions as of the engagements between Gladiateur S ( will munera ), and nearly 50.000 spectators could attend these spectacles.

History of Colisée

Construction

Colisée corresponded at a gigantic stage of our time, but the preferred spectacles of the Romans were the circus games (ludi circenses), plays which were certainly invented towards the end of the Republic (I century before JC) with an aim of exciting and to feed in them the warlike spirit which made them main of the world. It is what gave rise to the profession of the gladiators, which were involved with the combat not knowing that overcome would be killed by the winner, while wild animals of all kinds increased the horror of the spectacles.

Construction began about the year 70 a. J. - C. on order of Vespasien. It devoted itself the building in 79 a. J. - C. whereas the Amphithéâtre comprised only two stages. It was finished only by his son the Roman Emperor Titus in 80 a. J. - C., which added the third and fourth stages to it. It is probably thanks to the spoils resulting from the catch of Jerusalem and its Temple into 70 after JC that its construction was launched. The Jewish prisoners were sent to his design. Vespasien sought to gain the sympathy and the support of the population of Rome following her seizure of power. It was built between Esquilin and Caelius.

The total construction of the building only lasted a little less than 10 years in spite of its imposing size and the means of the time. Titus devoted the enlarging of the building with splendid plays which lasted 100 days. Dion Cassius reports that nine thousand wild beasts (venationes) were killed during the hundred feastdays which were given for the inauguration of the amphitheater. Domitien added some keys to the building a few years later. The name of the building comes obviously from the Dynastie to which these three emperors belonged: the Flaviens. But it is called more commonly Colisée (Colosseo, in French Colosse), can be because it was very close to the colossus of Néron.

The emperors Nerva and Trajan changed and added elements to the monument at the beginning of the IIe century. At the time of the triumph of Trajan, victorious of the Daces, 10.001 gladiators fought there. There could be to 10 spectacles per day. The sand of the ground absorbed versed blood. Elevators in basement made it possible to make assemble the Gladiateur S and animals by surprise.

Antonin the Piles reconstituted Colisée later a few years as it was conceived at the origin by the Flaviens.

Antiquity

In 217 a. J. - C., the Amphithéâtre was rebuilt, surely, by Gordien and seriously damaged, no combat of Gladiateur S could not take place there until the years 222/223 a. J. - C., when the repairs ordered by Élagabal were partially achieved by Alexandre Sévère. Gordien III finished repairs of the building, which was again reconstituted by Dèce after it had been damaged by the lightning in 250 a. J. - C.

The combat of Gladiateur S were prohibited by Constantin with the IVe century, and the last combat occurred in 404 a. J. - C., the prohibition decided by Constantin was long to apply, so much the Plays belonged to the Roman life. Colisée was partially destroyed by the earthquake which touched Rome in 442 a. J. - C. or 445 a. J. - C. and was restored by the emperors Valentinien III and Théodose II, and was reconstituted in 470 a. J. - C. then by the Préfet of Rome Basilius Uenantius, future Consul, in 508 a. J. - C., and finally by Eutharich, the son-in-law and successor of Théodoric Large the, for the recorded last venationes , which had place in 523 a. J. - C.

Notice

Contrary to the gaye, there were no naval actions in Colisée after its construction. However, during the final stage of work, when the underground devices were not arranged yet, there were indeed some naval actions in the monument, filled with water for the occasion.

The Middle Ages and Rebirth

The end of the Roman Empire was marked by earthquakes (in 442 and 508) which caused serious damage in Colisée. It however continues to be used under Théodoric, chief of the barbarian kingdom romano of Goth which, into 523, authorized the representation of the venationes, traditional huntings for the wild beasts. From there, Colisée was left with the abandonment and was exploited like cemetery, then like fortress. Colisée was touched by an earthquake under the pontificate of Leon IV in 847 a. J. - C. Of new seisms struck it in 1231 and 1255. In 1312, the emperor Henri VII made of it gift with the Senate and the Roman People. Like many ancient monuments, Colisée was used then as career to build the neighbouring palates (palate of Venice or the Chancellery). The marble which almost entirely covered it was re-used for the flourishing period of the Rebirth to build other buildings.

With the XIe and XIIe century, its destruction started, and continued gradually until the XVIIIe century, then it was slightly restored with the XIXe century. There to the XVIIIe century, in remembering the Christian martyrs supposed to have perished, the pope Benoît XIV devoted the building. A large cross always appears there, at the edge of the arena. It was the end of the depredations. Gregoire XVI and Pie IX endeavoured from now on to restore it.

Today

At the time of its splendor, it was certainly to seem a spectacle astounding of the Roman size. Today still, after so much of century, Colisée always makes the pride of Rome and the amazement of the visitors.

The northern side of the external wall is still upright, it includes the vaults of numbers XXIII with LIV like all constructions between the external wall and the arena. On the other hand all the Marble, the lining of the Cavea and any form of decoration disappeared. Colisée forms today one of the principal tourist centers of attraction of Rome, invaded by the merchants of memories and postcards. It is the starting point of the majority of the excursions of the Eternal City.

Structure

The amphitheater flavien is of form elliptic. Its main axis, the North-West/south-eastern 188 meters is long, and its minor axis makes 156 meters. The unit was intended, according to rather complex calculations, to accommodate 52.000 spectators. The outside is built with large blocks of Travertin. The remainder of the interior walls was blocks of Pépérin and Béton , with and without coatings of brick. Some Tuf were also used in the lower part of the interior walls. The external wall, or the frontage, 48,50 height meters was, and is held on a Stylobate, which is increased by two stages above a pavement of Travertin. This pavement 17,50 meters broad is, and surrounded the whole building. The external wall itself is divided into four stages, whose the three inferiors are composed of the lines of opened arcades, a model of Architecture borrowed from the Théâtre of Marcellus.

First stage

The vaults of the lower arcade are of 7,05 4,20 and height meters broad. The Pilier S between them are of 2,40 meters broad and 2,70 of depth. In front of these pillars, columns of Doric order support a Entablement 2,35 height meters, but characteristic distinct of this kind. There were eighty vaults in the lower arcade, among which four main entrances of the Amphithéâtre, at the four cardinal points, which was not numbered. The soixante-seize remaining vaults were numbered.

Second stage

Projections above the columns of the first stage were used as pedestal with the imbedded columns of the second arcade. This arcade has same dimensions as that of the first stage, except that the vaults are only 6,45 meters height. The halves of columns are of Ionic order, and support in their turn a 2,10 meters height entablature, but not the ionic model perfect.

Third stage

Above this was a second Grenier, 1,95 height meters, on which the columns of the third rested. The third stage is of Corinthian Ordre, and its vaults 6,40 meters height are. A third Entablature and a Grenier overhung these arcades. In each the second and third arcade a Statue was held.

Fourth stage

The higher division of the wall rested on the 4th floor, it was decorated of Pilastre S Corinthian flat instead of the half-columns of the lower arcades. Above the Pilastre S was held a Entablement.

Veils

Above, there were the consoles, three between each pair of Pilastre S. In these consoles, there are the masts which supported the veils ( velaria ) which protected the Cavea. Colisée was usually discovered, but in the event of bad weather or during the heat wave of summer, it was protected by an immense velarium, operation by two detached teams of sailors of the fleet of Ravenne and the Cape de Misène. These two teams also took part in the naval battles often organized in this amphitheater.

System of entry

The spectators could arrive by more than 80 entries in the Arène. Four were reserved for hosts privileged like the emperor, the senators, of public senior officials, and the priests.

The system of entry was well studied with its many staircases and passages, and the provision remained the same one today in the Stade S. In this way, it was possible to fill Colisée of spectators in only 15 minutes and to make it possible crowd to leave the Amphithéâtre in 5 minutes!

Interior corridors

With a distance of 5,80 meters in the external wall, drew up a second wall with the corresponding vaults, and with 4,50 meters inside this one, a third which divides the building into two principal sections. On the lower floor, between these three walls, there were two corridors or ambulatory arched raised, encircling the whole building.

On the second floor, two corridors were similar to those of the first stage, except that they were divided into two stages, superior and inferior.

On the third floor, there were two stages moreover. In the interior corridor of the second stage, and in both on the third, were laid out of the very clever flights of stairs, which led to the highest stage, and gave access to the upper part of the second line of seats. Corridors and vaults, with other flights of stairs, lead to all the parts of the Cavea by openings called the Vomitoria.

Arena

The Arène itself was elliptic, main axis being the 86 meters length for 54 meters broad. The Arène was surrounded by a barrier, built to protect the spectators against the attacks from the wild beasts, and behind this barrier was held a paved narrow passage of Marbre. The arena is made of a floor out of wooden covered with sand which rests on under deep ground where its placed equipment and accessories necessary to the spectacles.

Podium

Above this passage, there was the podium, a platform located approximately 4 meters above the Arène, on which the chairs of Marbre of the most distinguished spectators were placed. These chairs seem to be assigned at the companies and the civils servant, not with the individuals as such, until the period of Constantin Ier, when they were assigned with the families and seldom with the individuals. This continued until the Ve century. The names of these various owners were engraved on the seats themselves (several of these inscriptions were preserved). When a seat passed from an owner to another, the old name was erased and nine replaced it. Before podium was protected by a Balustrade in Bronze.

Steps

The Amphithéâtre was conceived in a clever way. Many a Architecte S took as a starting point the concepts used in Colisée to build theaters or Stade S. the seats were divided into various sections. The podium, first level, was reserved for the Roman senators, and one found there also the cabin of the emperor, the Pulvinar . Above the podium, the mænianum primum was, reserved with the Roman aristocrats who did not form part of the senate, the equities in particular. The third level, the mænianum secundum , was divided into three sections. One found in the lower part (the immum ), the rich person citizens, whereas the poor had the upper part (the highest ). A third section (the mænianum secundum in lignis ), added by Domitien, was made of a timber structure, was located all at the top of the building. One found there only places upright, which were intended to the basic women classifies.

The steps were covered with Marbre, and once assigned at the particular companies the name was engraved on the stone. Each individual seat could be exactly indicated by its line and its number.

Substructures

The floor of the Arène was to be out of wood, posed on high substructures. In the substructures, dens for the wild beasts were located, of the elevators, the mechanical apparatuses of various kinds, and an installation for the drainage of the water, which ran abundantly in this cavity and which was carried to far in a sewer. The substructures were improved of the Ier century with the Ve century.

Note

A similar monument was built with Paris, in the Fields-Élysées, under Louis XV, for the festivals and the pleasures public; but it had little success and was demolished as of 1784. A street of the Faubourg Saint-Honore preserved the name of it.

Internal bonds

Amphitheater
List of the Roman amphitheaters
Roman Architecture
Circus games
Gladiator

External bonds

Colisée, Rome: Virtual panoramas and photograph gallery (fr/ita/en)
Plane of Rome

Simple: Colosseum

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