The Roman Colosseum | Teen Ink

The Roman Colosseum

January 20, 2023
By Anonymous

The Roman Colosseum Introduction:
The Roman Colosseum is known mainly for its gladiator fights, but there's so much more history to undercover than many think! In this paper, I'm going to go over the monument construction history and why the project was done, stories and fun facts, and the amphitheater today.

Construction History

The monument was a part of a construction program created by emperor Vespasian to restore Rome after past events such as a civil war and the passing of the enemy of the state emperor Nero who also set ablaze the city a few years earlier  The construction of the Colosseum began in 72 CE in the reign of Vespasian on where there was once Emperor Nero's Golden House lakes and gardens, first they drained the lake and filled it with 6 meter deep concrete foundations and then put down 

 

Fun facts
In the stands, much like today, people were passing out snacks¨ and food to the spectators like fruits such as peaches, plums, and nuts. We know this because researchers who wanted to learn more about the stadium's history have gone beneath the structure of the monument and into the sewers where they have found a lot of evidence and old stuff to prove their stories of the past 
Another story from Secrets of the Colosseum by Tom Mueller of the past, for example, is a story of Gallienus emperors humor see once a jeweler sold fake glass jewels to the emperor's daughter in which he placed the jeweler in the pits leading him to think he was going to have to fight a lion but when the gates opened instead a chicken walked out leaving the crowd and the emperor to burst out in laughter then the emperor spoke and told the audience he deceived the emperors daughter and then was deceived a suitable punishment, the jeweler was allowed to return home

Emperors would through deeds to apartments or keys in wooden balls and would throw them in the crowd as prizes, many times fights would break out and cause envious mobs over these prizes,

Also From Secrets Of the Colloseum¨In the years that followed, the Colosseum became a popular destination for botanists due to the variety of plant life that had taken root among the ruins. As early as 1643, naturalists began compiling detailed catalogs of the flora, listing 337 different species¨- Tom Mueller (Secrets Of the Colosseum) paragraph 10

The Colosseum today
 The Colosseum’s Museum is located on its second level. where you can see the different excavations that took place over the years, how different emperors used the monument and the 3D model reconstruction of the monument. you can also find artifacts from different eras and any significant events that took place in the monument's history. 

The significance of the colosseum's economic value today can be seen through the historical value of the 

monument.  According to Marco Vulpiani, head of the valuation, modeling, and economic advisory department of Deloitte Central Mediterranean after putting out an online survey 87%  percent of tourists/residents there believe that the Colosseum is the most important cultural attraction in Italy, and 52 percent said it was the main reason they chose to visit Rome. Seventy percent of those surveyed said that everyone in the world should pay for the preservation of the landmark (Cascone, Sarah paragraph 9). “and It concluded the status of “Italy as a protagonist in the world,” said Fabio Pompei (Cascone, Sarah paragraph 11)

Emperor Vespasian started construction on the Colosseum in 72. A.D., as a gift to the Roman people. He did this to help rebuild Roman society after the past 4 rulers who were destructive. Vespasian wanted to fix this and promote his reign and dynasty by restoring Rome. As well as rebuilding many of the homes and buildings burned during the final days of Viterllius’s reign, Born into a family of little distinction, Vespasian distinguished himself in the army, rising throughout the ranks and furthering the empire’s success. This recognition eventually got him on the throne, although Titus passed away before the Colosseum could be completed, his youngest son and now emperor, Domitian, continued its construction in the wake of losing both his father and brother. In total, the construction took around 20 years to complete. Due to its details and scale, which was built on the remains of the corrupt Nero’s statue the ‘Colossus of Nero’, the Colosseum was instantaneously loved by the people of Rome.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope now you know much more about The roman Colosseum than you thought before About its history old and new, gladiator games, extravagant plays, emperors, and its museum today. The colosseum was reopened to the public as of recent in 2021, and now you can see the whole colosseum for what it used to be!

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Cartwright, Mark. “Colosseum.” World History Encyclopedia, worldhistory.org#Organization, 29 May 2018, worldhistory.org/Colosseum/.

Cascone, Sarah. “Priceless No More, Rome's Famed Colosseum Is Said to Be Worth $79 Billion. Here's How a Team of Super-Accountants Valued Itsa.” Artnet News, 26 July 2022, news.artnet.com/art-world/rome-colosseum-worth-economic-experts-2152132.

D'Orfeo, Vicolo. “The Colosseum: 5 Legends You Probably Didn't Know About.” Buzz4Tours, 14 Jan. 2019, buzz4tours.com/the-colosseum-5-legends/. 

Mueller, Tom. “Secrets of the Colosseum.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Jan. 2011, smithsonianmag.com/history/secrets-of-the-colosseum-75827047/. 

National Geographic Society. “The Colosseum.” National Geographic Society, 28 Sept. 2022, education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/colosseum.

Sheldon, Natasha. “Emperor Nero Was so Terrified of Killing Himself, He Begged a Servant to Commit Suicide First.” History Collection, 19 July 2021, historycollection.com/emperor-nero-was-so-terrified-of-killing-himself-he-begged-a-servant-to-commit-suicide-first/. 

the editors of Britannica. “Colosseum.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 5 Jan. 2023, britannica.com/topic/Colosseum. 



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