Ancient Rome - Rome - page 138

The 50,000-seat arena was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, and although
it was Rome's most fearful arena, it wasn't the biggest - the Circo Massimo could hold up
to 250,000 people. The name Colosseum, when introduced in medieval times, was not a
reference to its size but to the Colosso di Nerone, a giant statue of Nero that stood nearby.
With the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Colosseum was abandoned
and gradually became overgrown. In the Middle Ages it became a fortress, occupied by
two of the city's warrior families, the Frangipani and the Annibaldi. During the Renais-
sance and baroque era it was used as a quarry for travertine, and marble stripped from it
was used in the construction of Palazzo Venezia, Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Cancel-
leria, among other buildings. In more recent times pollution and vibrations caused by
traffic and the metro have taken a toll. The battle to maintain it is continuous and work is
currently underway on a major 2½-year €25 million restoration project, involving a seri-
ous clean up of the grime-encrusted walls, the opening up of new areas to the public and
the construction of a new visitor centre.
BEAT THE QUEUES
The Colosseum gets very busy and long queues are the norm. Buy your ticket from the Palatino entrance (about
250m away at Via di San Gregorio 30) or the Roman Forum entrance (Largo della Salara Vecchia). Alternatively,
you could get the Roma Pass, which is valid for three days and a whole host of sites; book your ticket online at
www.coopculture.it (booking fee of €1.50). Or you could join an official English-language tour (€5 on top of the
regular Colosseum ticket price). Buy tickets at the designated counter, where queues are usually shorter.
Games staged at the Colosseum usually involved gladiators fighting wild animals or each other. But con-
trary to Hollywood folklore, bouts rarely ended in death as the games' sponsor was required to pay com-
pensation to a gladiator's owner if the gladiator died in action.
The Exterior
The outer walls have three levels of arches, articulated by Ionic, Doric and Corinthian
columns. They were originally covered in travertine, and marble statues once filled the
niches on the 2nd and 3rd storeys. The upper level had supports for 240 masts that held up
a canvas awning over the arena, shading the spectators from sun and rain. The 80 entrance
arches, known as vomitoria, allowed the spectators to enter and be seated in a matter of
minutes.
The Arena