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Purpose of the Colosseum
Purpose 2: To create a massive,
breath-taking structure conveying the wealth, might and power of
Rome ***
Purpose 3: To seat up to 80,000 Romans, each with an unobstructed
view, creating a diversion for unemployed and unruly Plebs ***
Purpose 4:
To provide a showcase
for exotic, wild animals taken from all corners of the Roman Empire,
once again to convey the extent of Rome's conquests of different
countries ***
Purpose 5: To ensure the support
and popularity of the Emperors Vespasian and Titus (members of the
Flavian dynasty of emperors) amongst the Plebs (the 'Mob') ***
Purpose 6: To utilize and
showcase the latest Roman engineering and building techniques,
including a labyrinth of tunnels under the arena containing 32
animal pens and lift systems operated by ropes and pulleys to
facilitate the fast movement of animals, gladiators, prisoners and
stage scenery in and out of the Colosseum arena ***
Purpose 7: To stage
reconstructions of famous Roman battle victories, including sea
battles requiring the arena to be flooded, encouraging Roman
patriotism ***
Purpose 8: To
provide advanced crowd control features, such as 76 separate
entrances, to ensure the massive crowds who flocked to the Gladiator
games were kept in order
Concept of the Colosseum
The concept of the Flavian
Amphitheatre, as it was first called,
grew from the custom of wealthy Romans holding funeral games
to honor the dead. Ancient Romans believed that human
sacrifice at the dead person's funeral would appease the
pagan gods and ensure a satisfactory entrance into the
afterlife. The funeral games
were organised and paid for by wealthy Roman aristocrats
and Patricians as public events. Gladiator combats, were at
first held in small wooden arenas.
As the popularity of the games grew large amphitheatres were
built to house the games. The amphitheatres were round or
oval in shape. This design was taken from joining two
half-circle wooden theatres together (the word "amphi" means 'both sides'). The
wealthy Roman patricians who were responsible for staging such events grew in
popularity, so they became political events by which
prominent Romans could gain popularity with the mob.
Eventually the provision of the Gladiatorial Games were seen as a
method to please the Roman gods and goddesses and avert Rome from
disaster. By the first century providing gladiator
games became a requirement of some of the major public offices
and it
was not long before the concept of the permanent stone arena
was born which would become known as the Colosseum.
Purpose of the Colosseum
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