Roman History: The Colosseum and Roman Forum (Part 1 of 3)

Rome is hot in July.  Each of the short two days I spent there must've hovered between 85 and 95 degrees, respectively.  Some kind of humidity made it worse, mugging the mid-afternoon of comfort.  Oh well.  As I entered Italy early my first morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find my hotel located less than a block from the city's main attraction: The Colosseum and ancient Roman Forum.

After a brief nap, I caught up on the first part of my Roman history before proceeding to the second (The Pantheon) and third (Saint Peter's Basilica) parts the next day.  In all, my two days in Rome mirrored my time in London: too much to see in too short of time.  I expect this to be the first of many trips to the city that seemed much smaller than it should've been.

Originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, construction of the Colosseum began in 72 AD; it lasted eight years and resulted in the city's largest amphitheater.

The site chosen for the Colosseum was a flat area on the floor of a low valley near the Palatine Hills, Rome's founding location. The area was devastated by a great fire in 64 AD and, following this fire, the empire's ruler, Nero, seized much of the area to turn it into an entertainment site.

The cross marks the emperor's box.

Able to fit between 50,000 and 70,000 spectators, the amphitheater typically hosted hunts in the morning pitting man against animal and tournaments in the evening between men.

The floor hasn't withstood the test of time; however, the cages that used to hold animals below remains largely unchanged.  

An original marble bust of Nero, circa 54/55 AD.  

A cross-section of the amphitheater's seating.

Some of the animals whose bones have been recovered during excavation at the site.

Waiting for the next tour, I had about an hour to burn.  Though the Colosseum tour wasn't worth the 27 Euro that I paid for it, being able to skip the two-hour queue was.

From the northern terrace of the Colosseum, Constantine's Arch.  Erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312, it was dedicated in 315 and is the latest of the existing triumphal arches in Rome.

The southern extent of the Roman Forum from the northern terrace of the Colosseum.

Not quite Circus Maximus (the largest chariot-racing stadium) this arena was the smallest, erected on the Palatine hill.

Atop Palatine hill, these ruins are reportedly Romulus' palace.  According to myth, he built on this site after outlasting his twin brother, Remus, around the mid-800th century BC.  Romulus, Rome's founder and namesake, died shortly after his 50th birthday.

Basilica of Maxentious, built between 308 and 312 AD.

The Forum, much smaller than imagined - about the size of a small football field.

The Arch of Tito.  It was constructed in 82 AD by the Roman Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother, Titus, to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

In front of the Forum, with the Palatine hill in the background.

A hail of Gladioses (straight from the guides, in most cases):

• The word, Gladiator, comes from the name of the swords that they used to wield, a "Gladios."
• Gladiators mostly - if not always - were fed vegetarian diets.
• Different architecture types are found within the arena.  Some relied on cross-vaulting ceilings, while others mixed fired bricks, concrete, lime and rubble as mortar.
• Combat between gladiators was a sacred offering usually organized by families celebrating the death of a loved one.
• The Mercure Hotel sits a block from the Colosseum and cost about 80 Euros for a single room.  Great place!
• Mussolini built his palace near the ruins of the Palatine hill; they were later rededicated shortly after his ouster.
• There are over 500 churches in Rome.
• The story of the Virgins tending the eternal flame was relied on heavily by our Palatine hill guide.
• A military barracks was connected via tunnel to the Colosseum; now, the ruins sit open about one level below ground across the road to its south.
• Don't visit the Colosseum on a Sunday peak season if you want to take a self-guided tour.  That line was huge!

*All apologies to the academically inclined for using Wikipedia to expound upon the various sites.  From what I could tell; however, the information contained on them largely reflected what my tour guides said.