Social Structure in the Colosseum

Thanks to the various sources and the multiple mediums through which they are presented we have learnt much about this aspect of Roman entertainment. Frescoes, mosaics, writings, graffiti, buildings, artefacts (gladiator's helmet, weapons, etc), inscriptions, reliefs and even bodies all reveal details of the many different facets and experiences of this ancient entertainment. We now know who went, what and who the entertainment was, and even the stories of the ancient Pompeians and reconstruct a variety of experiences. This source is a archaeological treasure as unlike others it did not deteriorate from non-use or knocked down, it was frozen on a typical roman day and has thus remained. It is also significant as we can compare this evidence to similar items of evidence from all over Rome and deepen our understanding of the life of the ancient Romans.

Stamper, The Architecture of Roman Temples, 106. Stamper, The Architecture of Roman Temples, 106. Stamper, The Architecture of Roman Temples, 106. Stamper, The Architecture of Roman Temples, 109 Frank Sear. Roman Architecture (London: BT Batsford Ltd, 1989), 59. Darryl A. Phillips, “The Temple of Divius Julius and the Restoration of Legislative Assemblies under Augustus”, Phoenix 65 (2011): 382 Stamper, The Architecture of Roman Temples, 130 Sear, Roman Architecture, 58 Sear,

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.

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

The term “Romanitas” refers to the general practice of Roman culture, including the concepts of political and cultural ideology that helped Romans define themselves from others. Romanitas was the overall growth of the Roman systems and its ideas, linking the concepts of what it actually means to be Roman to their culture and population. The reason why Romanitas was necessary for the Roman culture was because the Romans felt that they needed their own language and ideas, and they longed to be unique in the Mediterranean world. Also, Romanitas is the direct use of Roman beliefs, ethics, literature, architecture, ect.. that defined their culture and encouraged the Roman population to use Roman art, history, clothing, food, and architecture in cultural concepts and everyday life.

Much of what we know today about ancient civilizations is mainly derived from a variety of archeological evidence collected by historians, classicists and scholars alike. By examining physical artifacts, a window to deeper knowledge about the world of the past is opened. The Colosseum built under the reign of Emperor Vespasian of Rome and the Göbekli Tepe of the Neolithic Era prevail as one of the most extraordinary structures of the ancient world (#). The excavation of King Tut’s tomb further unveils valuable information about life in ancient Egypt. An architectural structure like the Colosseum reflects the values and cultures of the ancient Roman civilization. This freestanding elliptical amphitheater has the capacity to hold up to 60,000-80,000 spectators (*). As mentioned in lecture by Dr. McGuire, the interior is made up of series of rings extending upward and outward from the center, which reflects the enormous strength of Roman cement architecture. In addition, the five distinct levels seating zones found on the interior illustrate the existence of social stratification in ancient Rome. Majority of Roman entertainments are hosted here at the expense of the leader and the grand scale of the Colosseum further shows that mass entertainment plays an essential part within Roman society. Entertainment includes, but is not limited to, chariot racings, animal acts, and gladiatorial combats. The purpose of the early Colosseum still remains unclear, but some writers believe

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 Colosseum Introduction During the time of Ancient Rome,Gladiator battles were A popular thing, and strangely enough it was considered entertainment to the romans. Unlike in the movies3,gladiator battles weren’t usually to the death unless it was A criminal sentenced to death. But just because it wasn’t usually to the death it wasn’t easy to be A gladiator because you would get hurt A lot during battle. Sometimes the2 gladiators would have to fight in water or fight vicious animals and on rare instances A person is tied up to A pole and the animal gets to completely maul the person alive in the arena. Even though there are hundred of these arenas in rome there’s one in particular that stands out from the rest and yes, its the the colosseum.

Towards the city’s heavily trafficked center the Roman Forum was constructed for convenient easy access of all the citizens. The foreground of the forum was occupied by a paved square with monuments to famous citizens. The temple to the Divine Julius, dedicated in 29 BCE to the deified Caesar, built in a Hellenistic style, is located in the background on the left; to the right is the temple of Vesta and the house of the Vestal Virgins, guardians of the everlasting flame; further to the right is the temple of the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux dedicated in 6 CE Here the office of weights and measures was situated. The podiums of the temples of Caesar and the Dioscuri were often used as orators' platforms and it is in this part of the Forum that the meetings of the comitia took place. On the far right is the Basilica Julia built by Caesar. Its long façade occupies the entire south side of the Forum. (Owens, 154) Semi-circular in plan and having consisted of a tall stage building, theaters were a semi-circular orchestra and tiered seating area. Unlike Greek theatres, which were built on natural slopes, they were supported by their own framework of piers and vaults and so could be built anywhere and not where nature dictated. Amphitheatres (literally, ‘double theatres’) were elliptical in plan; with a central areana. (Bowra, 38)

Traditionally Roman buildings saw the use of the classical Greek Doric order on ground levels (without bases) with the more decorative orders of Ionic and Corinthian stacked above this (Lyes 1999, 6). However, in the Colosseum these orders were stacked and used in a way which had no previous precedent in Roman architecture (Lyes 1999, 6). The design sees the orders dramatically reduced, which has the columns that are engaged within the structure constructed with bases, and the column shaft themselves missing the usual entasis of classic Greek orders, this all leads to a much-simplified capital. Between each stacked order there is a triple facia architrave, a relatively plain designed freeze and cornice (Lyes 1999, 6). The use of the classical orders in this manner within the design of the Colosseum, without precedent, was in fact not structural but a façade or veneer. This allowed the

Amphitheatrical spectacle in the Ancient Roman Empire performed a variety of social and political functions. Chief among these was cultural imperialism – amphitheatres and spectacles served to unite the Roman people and replace pre-Roman cultural values with distinctly Roman ones. Evidentiary support for this function can be gleaned from a number of different sources such as architectural remains throughout the Roman Empire, inscriptions on amphitheatres, and literary accounts of the events surrounding these spectacles. While no evidentiary category can paint a complete picture in isolation, a combination of the three placed within a historical context can provide an enormous amount of information regarding the use of the amphitheatres and

Public spectacles in Rome played distinct roles in the functioning of the Roman society. Some regarded the spectacles to be acts of entertainment, others saw them as a social function which brought all of Rome together. There was also the function of munera as political platforms from which politics and games could come together. They were mechanisms from which senators and political elites were able to attract voters and enhance their reputation within the public (Futrell 11). Thus, the munera were displayed as extravagant games with political ambition as the primary motivation (Futrell 11).

Have you ever thought about how everyday lives of ancient romans were? Popular culture in ancient Rome by Jerry Toner gives you an insight of the everyday lives of non-elite romans and problems they would often face. Since the main population consisted of the bourgeois citizens, Toner concentrates his focus on their perspective of life. Toner gives you a vivid representation of the lives of ancient romans by providing a thorough explanation of the middle class lives. Toner touches on a variety of subjects including social life, religious beliefs, and leisure. This book gives you an in depth comprehension of non-elite romans focusing on undisclosed topics of their everyday lives and problems they faced by giving you captivating details of their rational thoughts.

‘The Colosseum’ is regarded as one of the best work of the Rome architecture and engineering. It is situated in the centre of the city of Rome in Italy and is also known by the name of ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’ (Origins of the Colosseum, 2015). ‘The Colosseum’ is considered as one of the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire and also in the world. The building of ‘The Colosseum’ is highly impressive and is an important landmark for signifying the past history of Roman culture. The amphitheatre

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.