| Revision as of 18:54, 18 April 2002 view sourceGeekroot (talk | contribs)3 editsm A history of the Roman Colosseum | Revision as of 19:34, 18 April 2002 view source Vignaux (talk | contribs)428 edits wikifiedNext edit → | ||
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| The construction of the Colosseum was begun under the Emperor Vespasian, circa 70 A.D. and finished by his son, Domitian, in the 80's A.D. It was built near where Nero's enormous palace formerly stood before the great fire in Rome. There was a colossus of Nero near where the Colosseum now stands. The Colosseum's name was probably derived from this statue that was later remodeled by his successors into a statue of the sun-god by adding the appropriate solar crown. | The construction of the Colosseum was begun under the Emperor ], circa ] A.D. and finished by his son, ], in the ]'s A.D. It was built near where ]'s enormous palace formerly stood before the great fire in Rome. There was a colossus of Nero near where the Colosseum now stands. The Colosseum's name was probably derived from this statue that was later remodeled by his successors into a statue of the sun-god by adding the appropriate solar crown. | ||
| The Colosseum had ingenious design. The Colosseum could be emptied in about five minutes. | The Colosseum had ingenious design. The Colosseum could be emptied in about five minutes. | ||
| But the single most ingenious thing about the Colosseum was the cooling system. The Romans put up kind of a "net" type structure to make up the roof of the Colosseum which was made of a web of ropes that had a hole in the center and some kind of material was stretched on top of these ropes. The material was raised about ten feet off the top of the Colosseum by big poles and the material was supported by the net structure made of ropes. The ropes and material gradually sloped to the center so that wind could be caught, and this wind proceded to give the Romans a breeze. There have been lions and other beasts that fought in the Colosseum, and they do not have a very pleasant odor. However, the breeze, once getting all the way down to the floor, would have gained enough heat to begin rising and carried the odors through the hole in the center of the Colosseum's "roofing". So the senators and other high-ranking Romans would never have smelt a thing. | But the single most ingenious thing about the Colosseum was the cooling system. The Romans put up kind of a "net" type structure to make up the roof of the Colosseum which was made of a web of ropes that had a hole in the center and some kind of material was stretched on top of these ropes. The material was raised about ten feet off the top of the Colosseum by big poles and the material was supported by the net structure made of ropes. The ropes and material gradually sloped to the center so that wind could be caught, and this wind proceded to give the Romans a breeze. There have been lions and other beasts that fought in the Colosseum, and they do not have a very pleasant odor. However, the breeze, once getting all the way down to the floor, would have gained enough heat to begin rising and carried the odors through the hole in the center of the Colosseum's "roofing". So the senators and other high-ranking Romans would never have smelt a thing. | ||
| However ingenious the Colosseum was, however, it didn't last the test of time. Sure, it still stands today, but it is nowhere near the spectacle it used to be. In the middle ages, it was converted to a fortress and the marble was burned to make limestone for their mortars. In the Renaissance, the Catholic Church basically used it as a marble quarry to provide resources to build St. Peters Cathedral. When all was said and done, 1/3 of the Colosseum was destroyed. This, coupled with earthquakes, leaves what we now know as the Colosseum. | However ingenious the Colosseum was, however, it didn't last the test of time. Sure, it still stands today, but it is nowhere near the spectacle it used to be. In the middle ages, it was converted to a fortress and the marble was burned to make limestone for their mortars. In the Renaissance, the Catholic Church basically used it as a marble quarry to provide resources to build ] Cathedral. When all was said and done, 1/3 of the Colosseum was destroyed. This, coupled with earthquakes, leaves what we now know as the Colosseum. | ||
Revision as of 19:34, 18 April 2002
The construction of the Colosseum was begun under the Emperor Vespasian, circa 70 A.D. and finished by his son, Domitian, in the 80's A.D. It was built near where Nero's enormous palace formerly stood before the great fire in Rome. There was a colossus of Nero near where the Colosseum now stands. The Colosseum's name was probably derived from this statue that was later remodeled by his successors into a statue of the sun-god by adding the appropriate solar crown.
The Colosseum had ingenious design. The Colosseum could be emptied in about five minutes. But the single most ingenious thing about the Colosseum was the cooling system. The Romans put up kind of a "net" type structure to make up the roof of the Colosseum which was made of a web of ropes that had a hole in the center and some kind of material was stretched on top of these ropes. The material was raised about ten feet off the top of the Colosseum by big poles and the material was supported by the net structure made of ropes. The ropes and material gradually sloped to the center so that wind could be caught, and this wind proceded to give the Romans a breeze. There have been lions and other beasts that fought in the Colosseum, and they do not have a very pleasant odor. However, the breeze, once getting all the way down to the floor, would have gained enough heat to begin rising and carried the odors through the hole in the center of the Colosseum's "roofing". So the senators and other high-ranking Romans would never have smelt a thing.
However ingenious the Colosseum was, however, it didn't last the test of time. Sure, it still stands today, but it is nowhere near the spectacle it used to be. In the middle ages, it was converted to a fortress and the marble was burned to make limestone for their mortars. In the Renaissance, the Catholic Church basically used it as a marble quarry to provide resources to build St. Peters Cathedral. When all was said and done, 1/3 of the Colosseum was destroyed. This, coupled with earthquakes, leaves what we now know as the Colosseum.