Return to Forum & Colosseum photos

Actually, there are several "forums" (fora), each representing a different time in the glorious history of republican and imperial Rome (1C BC to 3C AD). The pictures only sample the extensive ruins, and do not include the actual imperial palace, high on the hill above the fora. There is no attempt to retell the story of Rome; you are simply invited to a take a stroll through the fora and imagine what it must have been like then.

The name Colosseum is descriptive but not historically accurate. When built by Vespasian (70-80 AD), it was known as the Flavian Amphitheatre. The popular name comes from the colossal (30m high) gilt bronze statue of Nero outside the arena. When Nero's popularity faded (to say the least!), the statue was remodeled to depict a Sun god. It is no longer there.

The interior consisted of the arena, a wooden floor sustaining a bed of sand, and the stands, divided into four sections of seats and standing room reserved strictly according to social class. The open roof was spanned by enormous widths of canvas supported by cables from the outer walls to a center ring; the canvas could be stretched or withdrawn-the first covered stadium.

Admission for the 70,000 spectators was free, chiefly because the arena was built not only to entertain the citizens of Rome but to keep the masses of non-Romans living in the city from thinking too seriously about their plight and planing rebellion (the first municipal recreation program?). Shows included battles between various "mismatched" animals as well as fights to the death by trained gladiators. The gladiators trained in nearby barracks and reached the area directly through an underground passage. Elaborate staging for these shows included trees, hills, rivers, etc. During the first 100 days of continuous "grand opening shows" in 80 AD, the arena was even flooded to present mock naval battles. Later, the floor was excavated, and extensive holding rooms, prop rooms, etc. were built under the arena floor. Elevators brought animals from under-floor cages to the main floor; at one event, 100 lions were presented simultaneously! There is little doubt that Christians were, indeed, sacrificed to animals here, although this was probably not a continuing event or of major importance to the Roman spectators.