In the southeast of the center of Rome, there is an ancient Roman arena known as the eighth wonder of the world. Although we have seen its photos many times since we were young, when we approached it through the streets and alleys, we could not help applauding the world’s oldest arena that has stood tall after 2,000 years of wind and rain.
Remember Goethe said, “Architecture is frozen music”. The colossus of the ancient Roman Colosseum, although only more than half of the skeleton remains, its majestic momentum, robust and majestic shape is like a tragic movement of incomplete life and history. Its appearance is oval, round and quaint. The highest part of the outer wall is as high as a dozen floors (48.5 meters), with a 4-story structure and the exterior is all wrapped in marble. There are 80 half-moon-shaped arches on the first and second floors, which are connected to the cloisters (professionally known as the coupon corridors), for the spectators of the year to find seats and rest. Although the third floor also has 80 half-moon arches, it is transparent and unobstructed, like a hollow jade bi, showing the sky light. The blue sky and white clouds present a different scene in each arch, adding infinite reverie and imagination. On the top floor are some small windows with various decorations. The raised capitals are like piano keys. It seems that as long as someone presses them, they will play a terrifying and shocking symphony. At the junction of each floor, there are ornamentation, lace and pilasters, highlighting the architect’s exquisite and unpretentious architectural design concept.
However, who would have thought that this breathtaking and famous building is a cemetery of bloody killing and death, a dreamland built by princes and nobles to satisfy their curiosity and excitement. According to reports, in 72 AD (70 AD in historical documents), Emperor Vesbasian of the Roman Empire forced 40,000 Jewish prisoners to build this building, called Colossum, to celebrate the victory of conquering Jerusalem.
Walking into the arena, there is a huge arena in the middle, the size of a football field. Under the stage is the cellar of the past, where the beasts and gladiators were imprisoned. The surrounding stands are divided into 3 areas, with strict boundaries between emperors, nobles and commoners. The highest point is called the Sun Terrace, and the general audience can only stand here to watch the performance. According to Roman historian Dio Cassius, when the construction of the arena was completed in AD 80, a 100-day celebration was held here. Those ruthless slave owners collected thousands of livestock and beasts from all over the country, plus thousands of slaves, prisoners of war and criminals to engage in bloody fights. ) to fight a beast until one dies. If it is a fight between people, those dignitaries and nobles will shout slogans and kill one side to death. Even those delicate noble ladies would yell cruelly, “Kill him!” The roars of “Kill him!” It’s no wonder that some people say that as long as you grab a handful of dirt on the arena, there will be a bloody smell straight to your nose and mouth, making people teary-eyed.
Unknowingly, it was getting late, and the rising twilight stretched the mysterious shadow of the arena even longer. Against the backdrop of the dim light, the half-arc-shaped remnant wall becomes more ancient and majestic, showing an alternative aesthetic meaning. Next to the Colosseum, it is accompanied by the Arc de Triomphe of Constantine, which is the testimony of the Italian conqueror Constantine’s victory over his opponent Maxinzi near Rome. The door is three-span, the middle door is higher and more prominent than the two sides, there are four-horse chariot statues on the wall, and other decorations, it is said to be an excellent sample of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Years have turned conquest, rebellion, conspiracy, slaughter, and those slave owners who want to satisfy and stimulate their sensual desires into dust like a gust of wind sweeping leaves. Don’t let go of the sins it left behind.
Tips
The Colosseum was the largest circular arena in ancient Rome. It was built from 72 AD (historical documents are recorded as AD 70) to 82 years. It was built by 40,000 prisoners of war in 8 years. There are only relics left. . In terms of function, scale, technology and artistic style, the Colosseum is one of the masterpieces of ancient Roman architecture. The architectural form of the gladiatorial field originated from the theaters in ancient Greece. At that time, the theaters were built near the mountain, in a semicircle, and the audience seats were raised on the upper part of the hillside. But in the ancient Roman period, people began to use the arch coupon structure to frame the auditorium and connect the two semi-circular theaters, thus forming the so-called amphitheater, and no longer needing to be built on a mountain. The Colosseum is the largest oval arena in the Roman Empire.
The arena is an exemplary masterpiece and wonder in the history of architecture, and is known to the world for its size, majesty and splendor. Although only more than half of the skeleton is left, its majestic and majestic momentum still exists. The arena is oval-shaped in plan, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters, and the outer wall is 57 meters high, which is equivalent to the height of a modern 19-story building. The building is a 4-story structure, the exterior is entirely wrapped in marble, and the lower 3 floors have 80 circular arches. The floors are decorated with small windows and pilasters. In the middle of the field is a gladiator, 86 meters long and 63 meters wide, still oval, equivalent to the size of a football field. Beneath the gladiator are the cellars, where wild beasts and gladiators are kept. The stands around the gladiator are divided into 3 areas. The first area on the ground floor is the seat of the emperor and the nobles, the second floor is the seat of the Roman high-class citizens, the third floor is the general seat of the common people, and then there is the large balcony, where the general audience can only stand and watch the performance. . The stands in the stadium can accommodate more than 50,000 spectators. There are 80 entrances and exits on the ground floor, which can ensure that all 50,000 spectators in the stadium can be evacuated from the stadium within 15 to 30 minutes. It is still unknown who the architect of the Colosseum was. Some people think that it may be the architect Rabilio who later built the Domisiano Palace, but it has been impossible to find out.
