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Decline of the Colosseum
The catalyst for this change was was
an Egyptian monk named Telemachus who had newly come to Rome
and visited the Colosseum in 404AD. He objected to the
savage bloodshed and slaughter in the arena and the midst of
the bloodshed shouted for it to cease in the name of Christ.
He was stoned by the outraged 'mob' and killed.
Three days later the
Emperor issued a decree that the gladiatorial games were to
stop. Less violent events such as hunting events continued
to be shown until 523AD. The advent of Christianity led to a
massive change of
attitudes in
the Roman Empire. The Roman culture changed from being
antagonistic to becoming pacifistic. With the new Christian
religion the morals, principles and values of the Romans
changed.
Decline of the Colosseum -
Failing Roman Economy
At the height of its
popularity the cost of the gladiatorial games at the
Colosseum
came to one
third of the total income of the Roman Empire. The emperors
who followed Honorius at first commissioned repairs to the
Colosseum but as its political importance declined, together
with the wealth of the Roman Empire, so did the enthusiasm
for spending money on repairs. Constant warfare required
heavy military spending. The Roman government was constantly
threatened by bankruptcy and the
emperors spent money on wars.
Decline of the Colosseum -
Natural Disasters
Storms, lightening, fires
and earthquakes were the natural disasters which struck the
Colosseum leading to its decline. The Colosseum was damaged
by lightening and fires but an earthquake shook the ground so severely that
parts of the upper stories and eventually the entire south
wall fell. Although seriously damaged by two earthquakes in
the fifth century, it is generally held that the Coliseum
was practically intact in the sixth century. The later, catastrophic, earthquakes of 847 and
1231 caused the most stones to fall.
Decline of the Colosseum -
Re-using materials from the Colosseum
The precious metals such as gold and bronze in the statues,
inscriptions and decorations were the first, most valuable
items to be plundered. All of the marble which covered the
walls, stairs and floor of the Colosseum was plundered and
re-used. As the Colosseum declined stones and marble were
plundered and reused for other constructions.
The steps of
St. Peter's in Rome are made of reused Colosseum stones. The
outer wall of the Colosseum is estimated to have required
over 100,000 cubic meters (3,531,466 ft) of travertine stone
which were set, without mortar, and held together by 300
tons of iron clamps. It has been calculated that 300 tons of
metal were used just for the clamps. This metal was
plundered during the Middle Ages to make weapons. The holes
where the iron clamps once were can now be seen throughout
the whole structure of the Colosseum.
The Decline and Rise of the Colosseum
- Saved from Demolition by the Christian Martyrs
It is ironic that when the
Coliseum stood in grave danger of demolition it was saved by
the belief that it should be left as a constant reminder of
the Christian Martyrs who died bloody deaths in the
Colosseum. The advent of the Christian faith was one of the
major reasons for the Decline of the Colosseum but
Christianity was also its saviour. The Colosseum is now
visited every year by nearly 5 million people.
Decline of the Colosseum
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