Ancient Rome, the Roman Colosseum

Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And

For as long as humans have existed, they have always found some way to entertain themselves. Even the earliest societies have left evidence of some sort of activity or hobby that they used as a form of entertainment. Perhaps the most famous building that was used as a form of entertainment is the Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater. In ancient Rome, the most popular form of entertainment was the gladiator fights. These fights, usually among animals and trained public fighters, were staged in open arenas in a city's forum. There is evidence

Keegan (2005) elaborates on the brutal events held within this structure, also questioning the morality of these civilized people who enjoyed viewing murderous games. He explains that these actions are a complex representation of their culture’s architectural achievement and human barbarism seen through gladiator combats. There was a large amount of effort and preparation put into organizing and maintenance, worth it as the Colosseum continued to be rigorously used for the next four centuries. Eventually, these activities were phased out and the site later turned into a ruin, to be scavenged for its materials. Natural phenomena such as lightning and earthquakes contributed also contributed to this. It’s impressive how although the Colosseum’s function drastically changed over time, it continues to provide benefit to people.

Roman architecture has influenced our modern-day society in many ways. One of the ways is by the construction of the Roman Colosseum in 72 A.D. The Roman Colosseum was the first major stadium or amphitheater to ever be built. Without the planning, construction, and techniques used for Roman Colosseum, we would not have some of the famous stadiums and amphitheaters that exist today.

The Roman Colosseum was built throughout 70-80 A.D. It was a large, circular stone arena and was a very popular attraction in Rome. The Colosseum was used as a place of entertainment for the Romans (Doc 5). The Colosseum was the entertainment center of Rome and it was used as an amphitheater, arena, held gladiatorial events and people socialized there. The Colosseum influenced the U.S because in the U.S we have entertainment centers including movie theaters, wrestling matches, and sports games where people socialize and are entertained.

It was Rome's most popular building. The Colosseum was a large outdoor stadium that could seat thousands and thousands of people. The people were entrained by battles, plays, and games. The Colosseum was a free standing building as shown in Document E, it had many different levels and floors in which people could sit and enjoy the entertainment. Many natural disasters occrued in The Colosseum

The cultural of the Roman Empire was a melting pot of the religious and cultural influences of the conquered societies that had been assimilated into the Empire. The various religions and cultural practice created a complex pantheon of “gods.” Ever larger temples and statues were erected to bring glory and honor to cities and give honor the Emperor. Additionally, cities would host gladiatorial games to bring honor to the Emperor. These events and building projects were facilitated by those who sought to bring greater glory and honor upon themselves with Roman society.

The art I selected from the Roman Empire is the architectural structure of the Colosseum, or amphitheater. This structure reveals the importance that the Romans’ placed on entertainment, in so much that Benton and DiYanni indicate “it was official policy that the state should provide entertainment for the public” (Benton, DiYanni, p. 108). The relationship between the art and the culture is distinguished and represented by the size of the structure; it being able to accommodate such large crowds of people indicates that the Romans placed much importance in attending the entertainment provided. The Colosseum influenced the culture by providing ample space for everyone to enjoy entertainment. The culture influenced the art by supporting through attendance to the different entertainment during that time.

Not to be forgotten, the population suffering from poverty was provided with free bread and entertainment, which one can consider to be a form of welfare to cover up the declining Empire. As Fronto states "The emperors were very careful not to neglect the basic needs of the inhabitants of Rome." They enjoyed the free views of gladiatorial games and the most popular chariot races in the Circus Maximums, holding about a fourth of Rome's population. The gladiatorial combats helped control Rome's population and punished those who had committed crimes. The "Bread and Circuses" allowed peace to exist in the city at the cost of good work ethics, moral values, unemployment and political and military Decadence. When we take a look at the Roman government we can see how they took the best part of the Greek republic and Incorporate their political philosophy into their own government, as a result the people have a say in there republic and power is split between the senates, even a poor citizen could be the leader of the republic, but not everyone could vote there weren't always election, The republic had many tyrannical rulers. The Roman empire was the only super power of its time which allow at the stretch from England to

Most sports in ancient Rome were played at the Colosseum. The Colosseum was a circular structure that was built in 72 BCE, stood 160 feet tall and had 80 entrances (http://www.synthreal.com). One of the most popular entertainments that was performed at the Colosseum was gladiatorial battles, in which gladiators would fight to the death. If

Called the “Eternal City,” Rome emerged as the capital city of a powerful Republic at about 508 BC. Roman culture was greatly influenced by that of Greece, and Rome too emerged as a center of art and literature while also making vast contributions to the development of technology, war, law, and architecture in the Western world. With the Roman Empire’s dominance over most of Europe, the city of Rome became and remained the richest, largest, and most politically important city in the Western world for almost a thousand years, clearly defining it as world city that made its mark on the pages of history. This great wealth was demonstrated through the luxurious nature of the society, which included numerous intricate and architecturally stunning public baths. Another example of Rome’s extensive resources and capabilities is the Roman Coliseum, which represented a feat of architecture and engineering at the time and was used for all sorts of spectator events. Rome also became known for its close ties with the Catholic Church, being established as the center of the Church by the Pope and remaining a “holy city” for centuries. Eventually the illustrious Roman Empire declined due to a combination of economic problems, which gradually affected the empire, and invasions, which were its ultimate downfall. With the end of the Roman Empire came the end of Rome’s capital status, which was transferred instead to Milan. Despite eventually losing this

    The Colosseum reflect in their society because this is who the Romans were. The seats were arrange where the wealthy would seat in the front, and the further back you got the lower class you were. This was also an opportunity for the gladiator to showcase what they were all about. The Romans liked to be entertained and what better way to do it than to watch a show in the Colosseum. The structure of it was amazing even today the Colosseum is a must see if you are touring Rome.  I personally like how it was built for an event. Just like today that people gather around the television, or some make there way to a stadium. The Roman capture what we like to consider today an event like Football or any sport. Just like today the structure matters just like it did back then. The Colosseum was massive a spectacle. I love the work because it it hard to imagine something like that can be created in the 80 CE. What I especially like and wish that I could of seen are the battles that took place inside the

A lot of people ask “what is the meaning of the Colosseum”? Well one, reason the Colosseum was used for is Gladiator fights. This was the main reason the Colosseum was used for. Another reason why the Colosseum was used for is entertainment for people since there would be

The Roman Colosseum, a colossal amphitheater, was built in the first century under Flavian's rule. Many events such as gladiator games, beast fights, naval battles, and much more took place inside the huge elliptical arena. People of all ages and classes attended these well-known spectacles. The Colosseum is a huge Roman architectural achievement and the fact that it is still standing today only amplifies the importance of this structure. Hundred of thousands of people attended the ancient games, and even more continue to visit the arena today.

Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, faced execution after setting a large fire to burn. Committing suicide to escape the embarrassment of execution, Nero left Vaspian to take rule. Politically fueled, Vaspian reclaimed the land Nero had once confiscated for private pleasures and built The Colosseum as his first undertaking. Longing to be depicted as a genuine ruler, Vaspian used The Colosseum as a forum built for the community, allowing for a any citizen to make up the audience. Symbolizing Rome’s new politics, free of the hated Nero, the structure was a gift to the people. Theatres, until this point, were semi circles with a flat end serving as the stage, which serves as one example as to why The Colosseum was such a large turning point in architectural history. Originally referred to as the Flavian Theatre, when translated in Greek, renders “double theatre”. Deriving its name from the 120 foot statue of The Colossus of Nemo located next to one of the 76 entrances, The Colosseum took a mere 10 years to build.