What Is The Colosseum In Roman Culture
Shivam Kaushal
Historical Investigation Part III- Report
What were the various purposes and the significances of the Colosseum to Rome and Roman culture?
The Roman Colosseum was more than a mere colossal monument. It served many purposes and held significance not just culturally but both architecturally and politically. Though its history leaves an unavoidable trail of blood and death, it’s still regarded as an important milestone in the history of human art and architecture.
Before the construction of the Colosseum there was no structure in Rome that specialized in providing the increasingly popular gladiatorial games. Its primary purpose was entertainment and it was a significant part of the Roman culture as entertainment is a primary part in viewing and perhaps defining a …show more content…
culture. When Vespasian was yet to reign as emperor, in 69 AD, Rome had gone through a civil war and social turmoil after the death of Nero in 68 AD, who was hated for increasing taxes for his own personal gain. The following year saw four emperors, out of which the last was Vespasian that attempted a series of efforts to stay in power and to clear up the mess left by the short yet vicious civil war. The war was responsible for leaving Rome broke and many unemployed. He needed to find ways to compensate the damage that Rome had received during the Civil War and to please his people by displaying himself as a generous and powerful emperor. It is logical to say that the building of the Colosseum was a much required political move.
Entrance to the Colosseum was free of charge to Ancient Roman citizens however they had to be reserved in advance or the citizens would have to face standing in line on the day of the games event only to receive a ticket for standing room. The seating arrangements reflected social statuses in Rome. There were 4 tiers of seating. The closer you were to the actual arena floor, the higher your status was in the Ancient Roman society. If you were a commoner in Rome you typically wouldn’t be near the first and second tiers of seating.
The Colosseum’s primary purpose was entertainment and it was a gift to the people of Rome.
Bear in mind this was not typical entertainment like today. The Colosseum didn’t involve JUST plays. It involved violence. Entertainment in the Colosseum was provided in several ways. Most of these methods involved death and destruction much to the pleasure of the crowd. What the Colosseum was famous (perhaps even infamous) for, however, was animal fights, gladiatorial fights, executions and man vs animal fights etc. According to Dio Cassius over 9000 animals were killed during the inaugural games which were said to have lasted for 100 days. Different historians present different animals that were slaughtered so no actual strong evidence of the animals that were used therefore it’s up to the readers on what they choose to be correct. Dio notes a hunt involving cranes and another involving elephants whilst another historian named Marshal mentions elephants, lions, leopards, tigers, hares, pigs, bulls, rhinos, hippos etc. These animals were kept in cages directly beneath the wooden floor of the arena. There were a number of trapdoors under the floor of the arena which concealed these animals
securely.
A typical day at the Colosseum may have involved the morning act being gladiator games. The gladiators and competitors paraded into the arena with music accompanying them. Other events might have been mock fights with wooden weapons, which were then followed by animal acts. Sometimes these animals were trained to perform tricks, but more often than not they were killed. It was during the lunch break when criminals were executed. Those who had committed particularly serious crimes i.e. murder, arson, sacrilege, and treason. One form of execution was throwing the guilty to the wild animals and another was placing them into battle after battle with wild animals until they died. After lunch was the time for the mortal combat of the Gladiators. In popular belief when they marched in, they chanted to the emperor “We who are about to die salute you,” however there is virtually no historical evidence that suggests this chant was mandatory.
Gladiators were actually prisoners of war that were captured, slaves or criminals. Gladiators were assigned a fighting style to them which went according to their physique and thus were trained with relevant armour and weaponry. Gladiators would fight either one-on-one or in teams. If one was injured, disarmed, or willing to concede defeat, he held up his left index finger. It was now up to the spectators as they signalled with hand gestures whether they wanted the losing fighter spared or put to death. Contrary to the common belief, it was thumbs up for death and thumbs down to spare. Death only occurred to gladiators by the spectators should they have thought the gladiator had poor fighting form or showed any signs of cowardice.
Adding on to the list of executions held in the Colosseum, Christians were also executed in the Colosseum. In fact they were executed under the same category as common criminals. In saying that, their only crime was the beliefs they held and the fact that they refused to believe in and worship the Roman gods. There was a variety of executions held in the Colosseum. Christian martyrs were crucified or were thrown to wild beasts. Despite all these atrocities, a belief was held by the Catholic Church of the Medieval and Renaissance periods that the Colosseum should be admired and prized as a holy site because of the Christian Martyrs that died within its walls. Numerous crosses in the middle of the arena and the twelve stages of crucifixion were regularly used for religious displays until February 1874. In the Colosseum there is now a cross in remembrance for the Christians that died there. It is believed that the Roman Emperors sat where a cross is placed.
Serving a wide variety of purposes, the Colosseum held and still holds a vast amount of significance for Italy and ultimately the rest of the world. Architecturally speaking, the Roman Colosseum is well enough capable to be called the basis of all stadium constructions. 2 famous stadiums that have been inspired by the Colosseum (pictured above) would be Yankees Stadium (pictured left) and the Staples Center (pictured right). These 2 stadiums use similar techniques that were used to build the Colosseum. One example of an architectural technique that was used from the Colosseum is the architectural design and the build of the arches located in the Great Hall of the Yankees Stadium. Built using a series of cement and stone blocks they were also placed strategically to hold them together shaping an arch. Another example of an immensely important concept the Romans had initiated would be organised labour. This development was important as it sorted all of the workers in accordance to their skills and appropriate jobs and thus a working system was provided which included lunch breaks and set work hours.
Politically speaking, constructing public buildings was used as a tool to manipulate the views of the society and to assert authority of the State over the Ancient Roman society. Emperor Vespasian in 69 AD initiated a reform for the society by architecture and did so quite successfully. It’s correct to say that after the Civil War there was a highly required flourish in architecture and arts. A perfect example of this theory can be seen in one of Vespasian’s major building projects, the Colosseum, which had numerous political motivations for its construction and when completed, was used as a political object for centuries ahead; it also enhanced the distinctive culture of the Romans by providing them entertainment and defining, for the future generations, what the Ancient Romans accepted and passed on as entertainment.
Culturally, not only did it provide Romans with entertainment but it also helped strengthen the belief on the Romans that it was in their blood and culture to be powerful, intelligent and creative. The colossal size of the Colosseum was a statement of Rome to the rest of the world that even after the recent civil war, they’re still a very powerful empire and it’s not in their beliefs and culture to be knocked down completely but rather to get back up and face the challenges. The Colosseum is said to have contained underground hydraulic mechanisms that were used to flood the arena during mock naval battles. A remarkable feat to be accomplished back in those times. This, thus, relates to the idea of the Colosseum being important to the Roman culture as it steeled the belief of Rome being home to a very intelligent and also a very powerful and yielding culture.
Bibliography:
Oneonta.edu, (2014). Roman Architecture. [online] Available at: http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/arth200/politics/roman_architecture.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Academic.mu.edu, (2014). web page template. [online] Available at: http://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/colosseum.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Colosseum, (2014). Cultural Significance. [online] Available at: http://monument-colosseum.weebly.com/cultural-significance.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Piercedhearts.org, (2014). The Coliseum. [online] Available at: http://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/holy_sites/coliseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Wikipedia, (2014). Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaugural_games_of_the_Flavian_Amphitheatre [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Super Beefy, (2010). What Was a Typical Day of Entertainment at the Roman Colosseum?. [online] Available at: http://superbeefy.com/what-was-a-typical-day-of-entertainment-at-the-roman-colosseum/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Colosseum & Christian Martyrs. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/colosseum-christian-martyrs.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Tickets to the Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/tickets-to-the-colosseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Wikipedia, (2014). Gladiator. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator#Gladiators_in_Roman_life [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Roman Colosseum: Rome Italy - ItalyGuides.it. [online] Italyguides.it. Available at: http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/colosseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ssqq.com, (2014). Roman Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.ssqq.com/travel/greece2008x02rome.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
How The Roman Colosseum Influenced Modern Day Stadiums. [online] Stadiumcomparison.blogspot.com.au. Available at: http://stadiumcomparison.blogspot.com.au/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Rome Experience: The Colosseum. [online] Wantingrome.blogspot.com.au. Available at: http://wantingrome.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/colosseum.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Italian-architecture.info, (2014). Italian Architecture- ROME- Roman Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.italian-architecture.info/ROME/RO-017.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ancient-rome.com, (2014). Ancient Rome. [online] Available at: http://ancient-rome.com/art_f.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ancientworlds.net, (2014). The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum). [online] Available at: http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Places/Property/818920 [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Hypogeum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/hypogeum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Historical Investigation Part III- Report
What were the various purposes and the significances of the Colosseum to Rome and Roman culture?
The Roman Colosseum was more than a mere colossal monument. It served many purposes and held significance not just culturally but both architecturally and politically. Though its history leaves an unavoidable trail of blood and death, it’s still regarded as an important milestone in the history of human art and architecture.
Before the construction of the Colosseum there was no structure in Rome that specialized in providing the increasingly popular gladiatorial games. Its primary purpose was entertainment and it was a significant part of the Roman culture as entertainment is a primary part in viewing and perhaps defining a …show more content…
culture. When Vespasian was yet to reign as emperor, in 69 AD, Rome had gone through a civil war and social turmoil after the death of Nero in 68 AD, who was hated for increasing taxes for his own personal gain. The following year saw four emperors, out of which the last was Vespasian that attempted a series of efforts to stay in power and to clear up the mess left by the short yet vicious civil war. The war was responsible for leaving Rome broke and many unemployed. He needed to find ways to compensate the damage that Rome had received during the Civil War and to please his people by displaying himself as a generous and powerful emperor. It is logical to say that the building of the Colosseum was a much required political move.
Entrance to the Colosseum was free of charge to Ancient Roman citizens however they had to be reserved in advance or the citizens would have to face standing in line on the day of the games event only to receive a ticket for standing room. The seating arrangements reflected social statuses in Rome. There were 4 tiers of seating. The closer you were to the actual arena floor, the higher your status was in the Ancient Roman society. If you were a commoner in Rome you typically wouldn’t be near the first and second tiers of seating.
The Colosseum’s primary purpose was entertainment and it was a gift to the people of Rome.
Bear in mind this was not typical entertainment like today. The Colosseum didn’t involve JUST plays. It involved violence. Entertainment in the Colosseum was provided in several ways. Most of these methods involved death and destruction much to the pleasure of the crowd. What the Colosseum was famous (perhaps even infamous) for, however, was animal fights, gladiatorial fights, executions and man vs animal fights etc. According to Dio Cassius over 9000 animals were killed during the inaugural games which were said to have lasted for 100 days. Different historians present different animals that were slaughtered so no actual strong evidence of the animals that were used therefore it’s up to the readers on what they choose to be correct. Dio notes a hunt involving cranes and another involving elephants whilst another historian named Marshal mentions elephants, lions, leopards, tigers, hares, pigs, bulls, rhinos, hippos etc. These animals were kept in cages directly beneath the wooden floor of the arena. There were a number of trapdoors under the floor of the arena which concealed these animals
securely.
A typical day at the Colosseum may have involved the morning act being gladiator games. The gladiators and competitors paraded into the arena with music accompanying them. Other events might have been mock fights with wooden weapons, which were then followed by animal acts. Sometimes these animals were trained to perform tricks, but more often than not they were killed. It was during the lunch break when criminals were executed. Those who had committed particularly serious crimes i.e. murder, arson, sacrilege, and treason. One form of execution was throwing the guilty to the wild animals and another was placing them into battle after battle with wild animals until they died. After lunch was the time for the mortal combat of the Gladiators. In popular belief when they marched in, they chanted to the emperor “We who are about to die salute you,” however there is virtually no historical evidence that suggests this chant was mandatory.
Gladiators were actually prisoners of war that were captured, slaves or criminals. Gladiators were assigned a fighting style to them which went according to their physique and thus were trained with relevant armour and weaponry. Gladiators would fight either one-on-one or in teams. If one was injured, disarmed, or willing to concede defeat, he held up his left index finger. It was now up to the spectators as they signalled with hand gestures whether they wanted the losing fighter spared or put to death. Contrary to the common belief, it was thumbs up for death and thumbs down to spare. Death only occurred to gladiators by the spectators should they have thought the gladiator had poor fighting form or showed any signs of cowardice.
Adding on to the list of executions held in the Colosseum, Christians were also executed in the Colosseum. In fact they were executed under the same category as common criminals. In saying that, their only crime was the beliefs they held and the fact that they refused to believe in and worship the Roman gods. There was a variety of executions held in the Colosseum. Christian martyrs were crucified or were thrown to wild beasts. Despite all these atrocities, a belief was held by the Catholic Church of the Medieval and Renaissance periods that the Colosseum should be admired and prized as a holy site because of the Christian Martyrs that died within its walls. Numerous crosses in the middle of the arena and the twelve stages of crucifixion were regularly used for religious displays until February 1874. In the Colosseum there is now a cross in remembrance for the Christians that died there. It is believed that the Roman Emperors sat where a cross is placed.
Serving a wide variety of purposes, the Colosseum held and still holds a vast amount of significance for Italy and ultimately the rest of the world. Architecturally speaking, the Roman Colosseum is well enough capable to be called the basis of all stadium constructions. 2 famous stadiums that have been inspired by the Colosseum (pictured above) would be Yankees Stadium (pictured left) and the Staples Center (pictured right). These 2 stadiums use similar techniques that were used to build the Colosseum. One example of an architectural technique that was used from the Colosseum is the architectural design and the build of the arches located in the Great Hall of the Yankees Stadium. Built using a series of cement and stone blocks they were also placed strategically to hold them together shaping an arch. Another example of an immensely important concept the Romans had initiated would be organised labour. This development was important as it sorted all of the workers in accordance to their skills and appropriate jobs and thus a working system was provided which included lunch breaks and set work hours.
Politically speaking, constructing public buildings was used as a tool to manipulate the views of the society and to assert authority of the State over the Ancient Roman society. Emperor Vespasian in 69 AD initiated a reform for the society by architecture and did so quite successfully. It’s correct to say that after the Civil War there was a highly required flourish in architecture and arts. A perfect example of this theory can be seen in one of Vespasian’s major building projects, the Colosseum, which had numerous political motivations for its construction and when completed, was used as a political object for centuries ahead; it also enhanced the distinctive culture of the Romans by providing them entertainment and defining, for the future generations, what the Ancient Romans accepted and passed on as entertainment.
Culturally, not only did it provide Romans with entertainment but it also helped strengthen the belief on the Romans that it was in their blood and culture to be powerful, intelligent and creative. The colossal size of the Colosseum was a statement of Rome to the rest of the world that even after the recent civil war, they’re still a very powerful empire and it’s not in their beliefs and culture to be knocked down completely but rather to get back up and face the challenges. The Colosseum is said to have contained underground hydraulic mechanisms that were used to flood the arena during mock naval battles. A remarkable feat to be accomplished back in those times. This, thus, relates to the idea of the Colosseum being important to the Roman culture as it steeled the belief of Rome being home to a very intelligent and also a very powerful and yielding culture.
Bibliography:
Oneonta.edu, (2014). Roman Architecture. [online] Available at: http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/farberas/arth/arth200/politics/roman_architecture.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Academic.mu.edu, (2014). web page template. [online] Available at: http://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/colosseum.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Colosseum, (2014). Cultural Significance. [online] Available at: http://monument-colosseum.weebly.com/cultural-significance.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Piercedhearts.org, (2014). The Coliseum. [online] Available at: http://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/holy_sites/coliseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Wikipedia, (2014). Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inaugural_games_of_the_Flavian_Amphitheatre [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Super Beefy, (2010). What Was a Typical Day of Entertainment at the Roman Colosseum?. [online] Available at: http://superbeefy.com/what-was-a-typical-day-of-entertainment-at-the-roman-colosseum/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Colosseum & Christian Martyrs. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/colosseum-christian-martyrs.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Tickets to the Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/tickets-to-the-colosseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Wikipedia, (2014). Gladiator. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator#Gladiators_in_Roman_life [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Roman Colosseum: Rome Italy - ItalyGuides.it. [online] Italyguides.it. Available at: http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/colosseum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ssqq.com, (2014). Roman Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.ssqq.com/travel/greece2008x02rome.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
How The Roman Colosseum Influenced Modern Day Stadiums. [online] Stadiumcomparison.blogspot.com.au. Available at: http://stadiumcomparison.blogspot.com.au/ [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
The Rome Experience: The Colosseum. [online] Wantingrome.blogspot.com.au. Available at: http://wantingrome.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/colosseum.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Italian-architecture.info, (2014). Italian Architecture- ROME- Roman Colosseum. [online] Available at: http://www.italian-architecture.info/ROME/RO-017.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ancient-rome.com, (2014). Ancient Rome. [online] Available at: http://ancient-rome.com/art_f.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Ancientworlds.net, (2014). The Flavian Amphitheatre (Colosseum). [online] Available at: http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Places/Property/818920 [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].
Tribunesandtriumphs.org, (2014). Hypogeum. [online] Available at: http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/hypogeum.htm [Accessed 5 Sep. 2014].