From Etruscans and Romans to Modern Times - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 60

T HE C OLOSSEUM
The Colosseum's size makes it Rome's most recognizable site. A huge oval (610 feet long
and 510 feet across), it was almost 200 feet high and could hold 50,000 spectators. It is
the prototype of all the amphitheaters and football stadiums ever built. Large sections of
the arcaded outer walls still stand, along with tiers of seats. The floor of the Colosseum
is mostly pulled up. But beneath what was once the floor and in full view is the elaborate
subterranean network of passageways, cells, and chambers.
As moviegoers know, the Colosseum was the scene of Rome's most elaborate pageants
and gory amusements. Gladiators fought to the death. Wild African animals devoured un-
armed prisoners. Women were raped by wild beasts. Odd (and inventive) spectacles were
the source of amusement for crowds always seeking an unusual display of death: a woman
fighting a dwarf; a sinking boat paddled by a desperate man trying to stave off snapping
crocodiles; prisoners being torn apart by wild dogs.
Among the many films that display the spectacle of Rome are Ben Hur (1959), with
Charlton Heston as a galley slave and Colosseum charioteer; Gladiator (2000), as men-
tioned above; and two versions of Caesar's infatuation with Cleopatra: Cleopatra (1934
and 1963).
Figure 5.5. Roman Colosseum
T HE P ANTHEON
The Pantheon, which was rebuilt by the Emperor Hadrian around 125 CE, survives as a
crowning achievement of Roman architecture. The façade is in the style of a Greek temple