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Beneath the Colosseum
If
the thousands of unemployed Plebs became bored this led to
civil unrest and rioting in the streets. The Plebs needed to
be amused and the gladiatorial games had to be provided. The cost of
the gladiatorial games was born by the Emperors, and
therefore the state, and corrupt politicians who sponsored
the games to curry favor and support with the 'Mob'.
The
cost of the gladiatorial games eventually came to one third
of the total income of the Empire. The Sponsors of the games
expected the highest levels of entertainment. The crowd had
to be entertained throughout the whole day. And some of the
games lasted for over 100 days. The days events were planned
to the strictest timing. Something had to be seen at all
times. There were constant changes of events. The hunts and
beast fights were initially scheduled for the morning, the
executions of prisoners in the afternoon (the more novel the
forms of execution the better) and the gladiatorial fights
were scheduled for the afternoon / early evening.
Beneath the Colosseum -
The Water and Sewage System
The Roman Colosseum held
between
50,000 - 80, 000 spectators. The Romans came in their
thousands to watch the
death of wild animals, criminals, slaves, Christians and
gladiators - terrible, gory, bloody deaths. The gruesome
ordeals of animals and humans required an adequate sewer
system to dispose of these waste products. The massive
crowds of spectators at the Colosseum needed to drink -
water was a vital necessity in the stifling heat of Rome.
Evidence has been found of over 100 drinking fountains in
the Colosseum. The crowds and combatants also needed access to toilet facilities.
Beneath the Colosseum, at the lowest level, was a complex
Water and Sewer system
designed by the best Roman Engineers of the period.
Beneath the Colosseum -
The Element of Surprise
Romans loved to be surprised. Novelty 'acts' were applauded.
Scenery and costume changes were required. Forests of trees,
plants, streams and even mock mountains had to be
miraculously produced.
The arena had to fill with a whole
range of wild animals to different specific timings. Crowd
safety had to be considered. Dead bodies of animals,
criminals and gladiators had to be disposed of to make room
for the next acts. All of these tasks were engineered from
beneath the Colosseum.
Beneath the Colosseum -
The Hypogeum
The area beneath the Colosseum was
called the Hypogeum (meaning underground). The hypogeum consisted of
two-level subterranean network of tunnels and 32 animal
pens. It had 80 vertical shafts which provided instant
access to the arena for animals and scenery.
There were 36 trap doors in Arena
allowing for elaborate special effects. The atmosphere
and smell beneath the Colosseum must have been terrible. The
Hypogeum would have had little natural lights so lamps would
have burnt continuously. The heat in the Hypogeum must have
been almost unbearable. The stench of animals, the
excrement, blood and death would have filled every part of
the Hypogeum - both above and beneath the Colosseum must
have been 'hell on earth.
The Tunnels Beneath the Colosseum
- The Tunnels
The bloody arena of the
Colosseum was the centre of a complex consisting of various
buildings and industries necessary to 'running' the
horrific activities of the arena. There were various
underground tunnels that connected the Roman Colosseum to
the surrounding buildings. The
Tunnels Under the Colosseum
led to:
-
The Gladiator Schools, the
Saniarium was where the wounded
gladiators were taken for medical attention
and stables where some of the
animals were kept
- The
Spoliarium where the dead bodies of gladiators were stripped of
armor and weaponry and the Armamentarium where the weapons were
stored
-
The Imperial
Palace
-
The Colosseum
Storerooms
-
The tunnels beneath the Colosseum
The Tunnels Beneath the Colosseum
The Roman Colosseum was
used for staging various massive and spectacular events
including gladiator fights, wild animal displays, theatrical
entertainment, executions, religious ceremonies, mock sea
battles and re-playing famous Roman victories. All of these
complex shows adhered to critical timings most of which were
produced by the slaves working beneath the Colosseum.
Beneath the Colosseum
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