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Today is the 19th which, for reasons which will become clearer, made me think of the Colosseum, that monstrous first-century amphitheatre which was the scene of so much tragedy, torture and death in ancient Rome and which apparently kept the public’s mind happily off the troubles and politics of the day.
A few years ago I used to visit Rome from time to time and got much pleasure in my off-duty hours from quietly wandering around some of its ancient sites. There were occasions when I had time on my hands and would to take a closer look at the Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, in the days when, for a small tip to one of the guardians, you could pretty much go where you wanted in the place. I explored much of the building and was astonished by its construction.
I learned, for example, that the amphitheatre could seat over 50,000 spectators which could be seated or evacuated quickly in much the same way as modern stadiums. There were eighty entrances, four of which were reserved for the nobility and other members of the elite, that were numbered, and spectators gained entrance by means of pottery ‘tickets’ that directed them to their appropriate section, tier and seat. Those entrances, and the passages and stairways that led from them, were of such a design that those moving up from or down to one entrance would not meet others entering from or leaving the next. Each staircase led to a passage to the appropriate tier quite separate from the other passages.
Chatting to the guides and the guardians, I heard among other things that the Colosseum was constructed with a series of elevators that lifted animals and those unfortunate enough to be killed either in brutal gladiatorial contest or executed in a variety of cruel and dreadful ways into the area itself. Beneath was a two-tier series of tunnels off which were holding cages, cells and other spaces. The arena was used to stage mock land battles and dramas, and could even be quickly flooded to enable mock naval battles to be staged as well.
One has to be in the Colosseum to appreciate the immensity and complexity of the place, and it is good that some of the underground passages that were once barred to the public have now been opened for inspection so as to give visitors a better idea as to how intricately and very efficiently the place was organised. The movie ‘Gladiator’ gives a very good idea of this level of organisation and how the games and contests were choreographed.
On one of my visits to Rome I took a colleague to see the Colosseum and, as we walked round the outer wall, I asked him what the Roman numeral for nine was. ‘XIV’, he responded. I bet him a pound note that he was wrong and he took the bet. As we continued our walk, I showed him one of the numbered entrances, I forget now which, which showed very clearly that in the first century, the Romans designated nine as VIIII.
So today could be numbered XVIIII. Thus, you also have now accumulated a useless piece of knowledge which that particular day earned me a pound note!
.
Today is the 19th which, for reasons which will become clearer, made me think of the Colosseum, that monstrous first-century amphitheatre which was the scene of so much tragedy, torture and death in ancient Rome and which apparently kept the public’s mind happily off the troubles and politics of the day.
A few years ago I used to visit Rome from time to time and got much pleasure in my off-duty hours from quietly wandering around some of its ancient sites. There were occasions when I had time on my hands and would to take a closer look at the Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, in the days when, for a small tip to one of the guardians, you could pretty much go where you wanted in the place. I explored much of the building and was astonished by its construction.
I learned, for example, that the amphitheatre could seat over 50,000 spectators which could be seated or evacuated quickly in much the same way as modern stadiums. There were eighty entrances, four of which were reserved for the nobility and other members of the elite, that were numbered, and spectators gained entrance by means of pottery ‘tickets’ that directed them to their appropriate section, tier and seat. Those entrances, and the passages and stairways that led from them, were of such a design that those moving up from or down to one entrance would not meet others entering from or leaving the next. Each staircase led to a passage to the appropriate tier quite separate from the other passages.
Chatting to the guides and the guardians, I heard among other things that the Colosseum was constructed with a series of elevators that lifted animals and those unfortunate enough to be killed either in brutal gladiatorial contest or executed in a variety of cruel and dreadful ways into the area itself. Beneath was a two-tier series of tunnels off which were holding cages, cells and other spaces. The arena was used to stage mock land battles and dramas, and could even be quickly flooded to enable mock naval battles to be staged as well.
One has to be in the Colosseum to appreciate the immensity and complexity of the place, and it is good that some of the underground passages that were once barred to the public have now been opened for inspection so as to give visitors a better idea as to how intricately and very efficiently the place was organised. The movie ‘Gladiator’ gives a very good idea of this level of organisation and how the games and contests were choreographed.
On one of my visits to Rome I took a colleague to see the Colosseum and, as we walked round the outer wall, I asked him what the Roman numeral for nine was. ‘XIV’, he responded. I bet him a pound note that he was wrong and he took the bet. As we continued our walk, I showed him one of the numbered entrances, I forget now which, which showed very clearly that in the first century, the Romans designated nine as VIIII.
So today could be numbered XVIIII. Thus, you also have now accumulated a useless piece of knowledge which that particular day earned me a pound note!
.
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