Flavian Amphitheater
ROMAN COLOSSEUM, SUMMER 2023
When you think of Rome you inevitably think of the Colliseum. A massive and imposing structure that attracts thousands of tourists every year. This year I had the opportunity to visit the Coliseum and learn about its history and people. In a span of two weeks, I went into the Coliseum three times. The first time was with my sister. The day we arrived in Rome we had reservations and were given an audio guide that gave us a lot of information and interesting facts, but I mostly focused on the view. The second time I went with the class, hanging out in a group and hearing the lecture from the professor was a completely different experience. This time I could pay more attention to the information since I had already marveled at the view a couple of days before. I also got to learn new things and answer the questions the audio guide had left me with. The third time I went to the Coliseum was for an arena and underground tour. These are extra tours that are bought separately and are done with a special guide. Doing the underground tour gave me incredible insight into the life behind the scenes, and I was able to connect with the people that built and used the Coliseum in ancient times.
In my three visits combined, I learned a lot, but the thing that struck me the most was that the Coliseum was not originally named “Coliseum”! This is just a name that was derived hundreds of years later. The original name of the structure was Flavian Amphitheater. That is because it was built by the first Emperor of the Flavian dynasty, Vespasian. And it took him only 8 years to build this amazing thing! That means that they worked non-stop and allocated many resources for it for a series of years. The bricks and stones have marks on them of the company that brought them to the site, so far, three different marks have been found on the stones signifying that three companies worked to bring the stone into the city. However, Vespasian was not meant to see it finished since he died a year before the inauguration. It was his son Titus that finished the building. The opening was so grand that they had 100 continuous days of games and celebrations. Titus used the Amphitheater to gain the favor of the people since entrance was free and the popularity of the games was immense. Very fast, Titus came to be known as a charismatic and good emperor that cared for his people. Luckily for his reputation, destiny did not give him enough time to tarnish his name since he died only 3 years after he became emperor. It was his brother, Domitian, that continued the Flavian dynasty for 15 more years.
There are records to prove that at the date of its inauguration, the Amphitheater did not have the structure it has today. It was remodeled a couple of times during Domitian’s rule and later suffered from earthquakes, wars and looting. Nonetheless, during the time it was used as an amphitheater, it must have been truly amazing. There are trap doors on the arena that signify that animals and stage props were brought in and out in the middle of the shows. There is a complex inner design that gave the games their organized nature. Special doors to come in or go out. Taps for exotic animals and even a tunnel that connects to the gladiator’s school so they can come in and out without going through the crowds. It the beginning, the inside did not have as many hallways as it does now and the river that runs underground had more space to flow. This makes the claims of water shows and recreation of naval battles more plausible. Moreover, the crowds were also carefully organized into classes. The emperor and his family had a specific place close to the arena. Senators also had their personalized seats with their names carved on them. Wealthy families had their VIP spots and as you moved up into the crowds, the spots changed from seats to standing up. Each entrance and exit were marked with a number and were called Vomitorium, they could get the 80,000 people that would fit into the theater in and out in a very organized way. I consider myself truly lucky to have been able to study all the faces of the Roman Coliseum like this, I only wish I could see it on its grand days in the middle of the games.
Pictures by Maria Corredor. From left to right, top to bottom: me in the arena. An elevator reconstructed as a model of the ones they used to bring people and animals up and down the arena. The underground hallways. Stone placed laterally that signifies a spot for a sliding trap door.
