Coloseum and other Rome, Italy Things to Do Tips

Building of the Roman Colosseum, or the Flavian Amphitheater, began by the Roman Emperor Vespasian in AD 72. It was inaugurated by his son Titus in 80 AD, though not completed untill the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96).
Its sole purpose was to hold Gladiatorial games to keep the Roman masses entertained. Free bread would keep them fed and therefore, it was hoped, they would not rise up or conspire against the Imperial government.

The building is elliptical and covers an area of about 6 acres. It has four levels the first three layers are in the three classical styles of architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The top layer had square openings. The whole building was constructed out of stone, concrete, brick and marble, Most of the marble was stripped from the building in the middle ages and the stone used for the construction of St Peter and other prominent buildings.

The Colosseum over 80 entrances and could seat over 50 000 people, divided into four levels of seats. The lower levels were for emperors and the upper class.
Spectators could be sheltered by canvass in case the sun was to hot. The canvass was pulled over the top of the coloseum.

The arena was made from wood and covered in sand. Today yopu will only see the subterranean passages where prisoners, gladiators and animals were kept immediately before their appearance in the Games. Gladiators were expected to fight to the death before each performance they would salute the Emperor with the famous saying “Caesar those who are about to die salute you!”
The last Gladiatorial displays were banned in AD 438, the last animal show was in AD 523.

Much of the marble was looted, when the medieval Popes put classical buildings under their personal protection the Colosseum was saved from total destruction.

We visited the inside of the Coloseum, and were somewhat disappointed by the sights. Nothing indicated the former seats and there were a lot of scaffolding supporting the rubble. Nevertheless more pictures in our Coloseum travelogue.

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Phone: 0639967700
Address: Piazza del Colosseo

This arch is erected in 315AD in honour of Constantine, to celebrate the victory over Maxentius in the battle of Ponte Milvio (312 A.D.).

It is the largest triumphal arch preserved in Rome (almost 25 meters). It is an example of the practice of stripping ancient monuments for materials to build new ones. There are original Constantinian elements, reused sculptures and architectural elements coming from monuments of Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. The arch was completed with precious pictorial and metal decorations. The dominating colours were gold and purple, the colours of the Empire. The arch itself was also victim of the stripping...

In the middle ages it was transformed into a fortification tower by the monks of St. Gregory and later incorporated into the Frangipane fortress, the arch was restored several times and finally brought out into the open in 1804.

It stands freely next to the Coloseum.

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Address: piazza del Colosseo

The Forum, the heart of the political, commercial and juridictional live in classic Rome. As the city grew, the Forum became too small and the different emperors build new Forums.

When you are in the Coloseum and look to the west you see the temple of Venus and Roma. (see the picture) this temple was built by emperor Hadrianus in 121AD. It was dedicated to Roma, the personification of the city, and Venus, the mother of Aeneas, who is supposed to be the father of Remus and Romulus.

The emperor designed the temple himself. An architect who pointed out the statues in the niches were too big, the emperor ordered him to be decapitated. The statues are no longer there, but the architect was right. The sitting statues could not stand up without hitting their heads (figurative speaking)

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We walked into the Forum (entrance free) over the Via Sacre. An ancient Roman road leading from the coloseum to the Forum. Look were you walk, because it is easy to sprain an ankle here...
It is hard to imagine horses and wagons riding these roads. They must have been hurt sometimes stepping just beside the larges stones.... But on some spots it is very obvious the wagons came often, since there are tracks cut into the stones.
At the end of this picture the next arch is situated. It is the arch of Titus.

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The arch of Titus was erected between 82 and 90 A.D. in honour of Titus. It was made by Domitian, the emperor's brother, to commemorate the victory against the Jews and the capture of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus.

The dedicatory inscription, on the side of the Coloseum is still preserved. The letters were originally bronze, the metal was stolen, and today only the holes of the cramps remains. It says: "Senatus Popolusque Romanus divo Tito divi Vespasiani F(ilio) Vespasiano Augusto" (The Senate and the Roman people to the divine Titus Vespasian Augustus son of the divine Vespasian).

A bas-relief on the inside of the arch (see picture) represents the procession preceding the emperor as he passes beneath the Triumphal Gate, carrying the catch taken from the temple of Jerusalem, amongst it a seven armed candlestick.

In the Middle Ages it was nicknamed "Arch of the Seven Lamps" and incorporated into the fortress of the Frangipane family. It was freed in the 19th century during the restoration work directed by Giuseppe Valadier.

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The temple of Vesta dates back to the 4th century. The temple is round in form, and surrounded by twenty columns. Only a small part is reconstructed in 1920.

Vesta was, in Roman religion, the hearth goddess. She was highly honored in every household from early times to the beginning of Christianity.

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In this house lived the virgin priestesses who kept the holy flame burning in the temple of Vesta. This sisterhood is in Rome from the earliest times. Silvia, the mother of Romulus, was a member.

A maiden was between six and ten years old, perfect in body and mind, daughter of free and freeborn parents, who followed no dishonourable occupation, and lived in Italy. Then she could be choosen to become a Vestal Virgin. She was there for thirty years. During the first ten years she had to learn her mysterious duties. The next ten performing them, and the last ten giving instructions to the new virgins. During this thirty years she was bound by a vow of chastity. After that time she might unconsecrate herself and return to the world. Only few did and most of the priestesses died in the service of the goddess.

The main duty of the priestesses was to guard the eternal flame, its extinction was said to be a sign of the extinction of the state. Other duties were presenting offerings to the goddess at stated times, and purifying the shrine each morning with water.

Today all that remains of the house is the courtyard and some rooms adjoining to it. In the courtyard are some beheaded statues of Vestal Virgins. The more complete statues are in the Museo Nazionale Romano.

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The three colums on this picture are from the temple of Castor and Pollux. The are on the spot of the last site of the temple. It was rebuild here after a fire in the 6th century by the emperor Tiberius.

Castor and Pollux were twin heroes in classical mythology. Castor was the son of Leda and Tyndareus, Pollux the son of Leda and Zeus. They were great warriors. The legend tells that after Castor was killed Pollux begged Zeus to allow his brother to share his immortality with him. (the classical tradition has it that one of every set of twins is the son of a god and thus immortal) Zeus arranged for the twins to divide their time evenly between Hades and Heaven, and in their honor he created the constellation Gemini.

The roman dictator Postimus promissed to built them a temple when they helped the Roamns win in the battle of Lake Regillus(499BC). They both appeared at the battlefield and after Rome won they appeared at the Forum to announce the victory. In 484 BC the temple was first build.

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This ugly looking piece of wall is maybe one of the most important features of the forum. It is the place where Julius Caesar was cremated after he was murdered in 44 BC.

Julius Caesar died of multiple stab wounds when an assassination plot unfolded at the foot of the statue of Pompey. The people in the courtyard initially approved of Caesar's assassination. They dragged his body to the forum's western end in front of the new rostrum. Marc Antony delivered a speech that turned the mob around. Now Caesar was the fallen hero, deserving of a hero's cremation. A makeshift altar was raised on the spot and furniture from surrounding temples and basilicas made the pyre.

Later a temple in his honor was placed here.

Today the remains includes part of the wall of the rounded niche. Inside the niche is the weathered cement core of the crematory altar.

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The temple of Saturn is the oldest temple in the Forum Romanum. It was first built in 498 BC. There have been three temples dedicated to Saturn here. The first temple was demolished in 42 BC when a new temple was built in stone. This temple was destroyed by the fire of 283 AD, which destroyed major parts of the Forum Romanum. The temple was reconstructed. The eight columns you see today are from this third temple. An inscription says: Senatus populusque romanus incendio consumptum restituit (The Roman senate and people restored what fire had consumed).

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