A G: Italy Day 4 - Rome Day 4 Part 2 by Aaron, Colosseum, Trajan's Column, Piazza Venezia, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica

Sunday, June 10, 2018

Italy Day 4 - Rome Day 4 Part 2 by Aaron, Colosseum, Trajan's Column, Piazza Venezia, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica

Colosseum, Trajan's Column, Piazza Venezia & Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Basilica

~ Aaron

Colosseum

The Colosseum is arguably the most famous landmark of Rome. It has an interesting history. It works in a very intricate way. All the events going on in the Colosseum were very exciting. The Colosseum was an excellent place to visit.

The Colosseum was started by the emperor Vespasian, but was only finished by his son Titus. It was destroyed many times over the years, but parts of it are still intact. Even now, a third of the Colosseum is still intact! During medieval times, the Colosseum was slowly destroyed for building material, until Pope Benedict XIV claimed the ground was sacred. Now, it is one of the most popular attractions in all of Rome.

There are many inner workings inside the Colosseum. Back when it was used, the floor was covered with sand so the spectators couldn’t see inside and to soak up the blood. The inside of the Colosseum contained many platforms, ramps, etc. These created special effects that the crowd loved. When the Colosseum was remade with stone, some effects could no longer work (such as the one allowing small-scale naval battles to take place).

Many of the events in the Colosseum were grandiose. Most events are about the same. In the morning, there were animal hunts. In the afternoon, criminals were executed in many different ways. Starting from late afternoon, the gladiatorial combat started. The gladiators were separately trained in a different area, then sent to combat when they were ready. In total, about 1 million animals died in the Colosseum and 400,000 people died in the Colosseum (from gladiator fights, wild animal hunts, and criminal executions).

The Colosseum was an awesome place to visit. The history was full of blood. Inside the Colosseum are special mechanisms designed to make things appear to move or appear like magic. The emperor often sponsored the games inside of the Colosseum, showing the wealth of the empire. The Colosseum is a great place to spend time in.