Rome Template: Slaughter and Culture

Roy King

October 12, 2021

Word Count: 2626

The Roman empire is widely recognized as one of the greatest civilizations ever. Their

civilization with all its power and glory placed Rome in a position to create some of the greatest

pieces of art in human history. Chief among these, the crowning jewel of Rome, the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is often viewed by historians as one of the most iconic pieces of ancient

architecture and art. Not only did the Colosseum represent the center-stone of Rome but it also

showed the focus and values of Roman culture and society. The melding and effortless flow from

Greek, to Roman, to Etruscan styles is what makes this work such a priceless example of Roman

culture and society. In a way, the Colosseum is a microcosm of Rome itself, with its influences

from all over the world, and its emphasis on glory in death and brutality. Roman life differs

greatly from life today in many ways but at the same time, there are certain aspects and values of

Roman society that are still clearly present in today's world. The emphasis on intellect and

education, first pioneered by the Greeks, and later adopted by the Republican Romans and the

Roman emperors after them is still a firm value held by people today. In addition to that, the

values of acceptance and merit are also commonly embraced today. For Rome and Imperial
 King 2

Rome in particular it didn’t matter who your parents were but rather what you were. This ideal is

what allowed adopted emperors like Trajan and others to come into power and dominate the

political landscape of Rome for hundreds of years. Much like today's society, Rome focused

largely on one’s ability and not one's lineage. This acceptance on the basis of merit is still

embraced today as a fundamental principle of modern society. These legacies from ancient Rome

to today are important for modern-day viewers of Roman art. If they understand them, today’s

observers will have more insight into the minds and hearts of the Roman people who created this

art. Understanding the differences between Roman culture and modern culture is just as

important to understanding the Colosseum as an understanding of the similarities between the

two cultures. In order to understand the Colosseum holistically, it is essential that its form,

function, and content be understood. In addition to this, it is extremely valuable to understand the

context surrounding the Colosseum in order to shed light on the design decisions made in its

construction. Lastly, a cross-cultural comparison is an essential part of gaining an understanding

of the Colosseum because this will give the viewer a better understanding of how the Colosseum

fits into the general world of art and architecture. These five aspects need to be explored

thoroughly and studied in relation to one another in order for the viewer to have a well-rounded

view of what the Colosseum is and the societal values that resulted in its creation and use.

The first primary piece of information regarding the Colosseum that must be studied is its

form. This encompasses all artistic and architectural decisions and materials incorporated into its

construction. The Colosseum itself is constructed with stone and concrete and decorated with

other more valuable materials. Concrete was a roman invention that allowed buildings to be

constructed at less cost and more quickly. In addition, in the majority of situations, concrete

construction was structurally superior to mortar and stone. Concrete also allowed the builders to
 King 3

create more complex structures and designs. No longer did a curve have to be chiseled from

stone, it could now be poured in that shape and it would dry just as strong as stone. In order to

build the Colosseum higher than one level, the Romans stacked several layers of barrel arches.

The barrel arch or barrel vault was a curved structure that distributed weight down the arch

allowing for a strong structure to be built to a greater height without needing as much material

(Frischer, Zucker 1). The Colosseum’s walls included four levels, three levels being built from

sandwiched barrel vaults with the fourth and uppermost layer being a stone facade with smaller

holes cut to allow light to enter the structure. These four levels would combine to make the

Colosseum 45 meters or 150 feet tall at its highest point. The massive oval-shaped structure was

189 meters long and 156 meters wide. The main function of the Colosseum was as a theater and

was designed as such with an arena at its center measuring 87.5 meters by 54.8 meters. This

sand-filled area was surrounded by seats for 50,000 people specially designed to allow all to see

the events on display in the arena. Massive awnings were built over the various decks to provide

shade for the spectators as they watched the events on display in the arena. The lower levels were

made of limestone and tufa to provide a strong foundation while the upper levels were made

mostly of much lighter pumice stone. The Colosseum embraced the Greek ideal of symmetry as

well as making use of Greek and Etruscan columns. The bottom level makes use of Tuscan (a

Roman/Etruscan modification of the Greek Doric column), while the second and third levels

make use of Ionic and Corinthian columns respectively. The final level does not use columns but

would have held many marble sculptures and designs keeping with the theme of Greek art on the

different levels. The other Greek aspect of the Colosseum is its symmetry. Not all Roman

structures embrace symmetry but this one clearly does. Symmetry and the beauty of geometry

was a principle embraced by the Greeks and it is clear to see that principle at work in the
 King 4

Colosseum. The Colosseum married Greek symmetry with Roman architecture to create a

structure that is quite large even today and would have been positively gargantuan to the peoples

of the ancient world. The construction and architectural choices are a combination of different

cultures and artistic techniques but they all combine together to make something truly Roman.

The second primary area of the Colosseum that must be investigated is its content. This

entails what is actually present in the work as a whole. The Colosseum is at its most basic a

massive oval-shaped amphitheater. The stone seats would give the spectators an excellent view

of the carnage taking place in the arena below them. With the aristocracy being seated closest to

the action and non-citizens like women and slaves being seated at the very back. They would all

have been shaded by massive valerian awnings to keep them in as much comfort as possible

while they enjoyed the show. The actual events would be held on the arena floor, a sand-covered

oval with chambers below it. The sand was used as the material for the floor to allow blood,

sweat, and other liquids to be absorbed to help in the cleaning process after a fight. Below the

sand floor were cages and

cells where animals and

people involved in the

spectacles would be kept

until it was their time to

enter the arena. In addition

to its function as a fighting

and slaughter area, the

center of the Colosseum

could also be flooded for any events requiring water. On the walls of the Colosseum were
 King 5

numerous statues and busts honoring great leaders, generals, and even some of the most

successful gladiators. These all added to the atmosphere of competition and glory that hung

about the building. The grounds surrounding the Colosseum also contained many wonders and

attractions. Namely, the massive statue of the emperor Nero that had been repurposed to

represent the sun god after Nero proved to be highly unpopular among the people of Rome. In

addition to the rebranded Nero statute, there were vendors and performers on the grounds

surrounding the Colosseum to entertain people before and after their visit to the stadium itself

(National Geographic Society, 1). After enjoying the sideshows surrounding the amphitheater it

became time to enter and enjoy the main event. This was handled in a very efficient manner by

the Romans. All attendees had a ticket that corresponded to a specific gate, section, and seat very

similar to the way that seats at sporting events work today. One would enter the designated gate

and make one’s way from there to the passageway that corresponded to their section. These

passageways were very dark and enclosed but they were kept clean and well ventilated to ensure

the comfort of the guests. The gates were largely divided according to level with certain gates

leading to the upper levels and others leading to the ground level. This served not only to

facilitate navigation within the bowels of the amphitheater but also to allow for the elite and the

aristocracy to remain separated from the proletariat and especially the non-citizens (Stokstad,

Cothren). All aspects of the Colosseum were purposely geared to help the process of entertaining

the masses function as smoothly and as comfortably as possible. The content of this piece is all a

direct result of its function and that is clear in the choices in everything from decorations to

floorplan.

The third key principle that must be studied in regards to the Colosseum is its function.

The function of the Colosseum was simply to entertain the masses. The elite gifted the
 King 6

Colosseum to the people of Rome so its construction in itself was meant to gain the support of

the people while the function of the facility itself was to entertain the people. Much like other

pieces of Roman architecture such as the Pantheon, and in contrast to Greek works like the

Parthenon, the Colosseum focused primarily on the inside rather than the outside. It was a

building that was meant to be used and not just viewed from the bottom of a hill. Its fundamental

purpose was to invite the city of Rome to sit and be amazed as hunters killed exotic beasts and

gladiators battled to the death. The Colosseum hosted four main forms of entertainment. The first

of these was the execution of Christians. This was usually done at midday to cover the lull

between the bouts and hunts that were typically held in the morning and afternoon. There were

also reenactments of Roman military victories that included naval battles requiring the flooding

of the arena. In addition to this, hunts were held in the Colosseum where beasts brought from the

far corners of the Roman empire were hunted with bows and arrows and spears by Rome’s

greatest hunters. The last and most famous event held in the Colosseum were the Gladiator

bouts. These fights involved slaves, criminals, or prisoners of war that were trained for several

months or even several years to fight and then released into the arena to fight each other or wild

beasts. The Romans would bet on gladiators and loved to see them fight in much the way modern

sports fans bet on sports competitions and love to watch their favorite players perform. The

stakes of gladiator bouts were very high; not only did contestants fight to the death but a winning

champion could be granted Roman citizenship and saved from the ravages of the arena. The

purpose of the Colosseum was to entertain the population and it was very successful. The events

held in the Colosseum offered people an escape from the troubles of everyday life. People of that

time were constantly surrounded by death and it was only natural that they would extract

entertainment value from its display as well.

Another fundamental principle of the Colosseum that must be analyzed is the context

surrounding its creation and use in Rome. The Colosseum was given to the Roman people by the

Flavian family as a gift. Emperor Vespasian commissioned the project sometime between 70 and

72 CE and it was completed some ten years later. It would be modified at somewhat regular

intervals until Rome was completely sacked in 410 AD and the government no longer had the

money to maintain the Colosseum (Frischer, Zucker 1). The Colosseum would survive mostly

intact until a massive earthquake in 1349 caused the entire south side to collapse. Throughout the

years much of the decoration and almost all of the art has been removed from the Colosseum or

destroyed completely. In Roman times the Colosseum would have been known only as the

Flavian Amphitheater. It was not given the name Colosseum until the Middle Ages. As Rome

became more and more obsessed with the gladiatorial games they became more and more

elaborate until they eventually reached a point where they became unsustainable. These events

and spectacles were the equivalent of holding an Olympics-sized event back to back for weeks

on end. Emperor Commodus would eventually almost completely deplete Rome’s financial

resources on elaborate and expensive games to get the support of the Roman people. The

Colosseum was, in the end, too entertaining for the good of Rome. People would rather watch

the events in the arena than work for the benefit of Rome and the government would let them do

this to keep them placated. Eventually, this would go to such extremes that renowned Roman

poet Juvenal would comment about the Roman people, “Give them bread and circuses and they

will never revolt” (Highet 1). The Colosseum epitomized the forces that fueled the rise and fall

of Imperial Rome. The bloodlust and emphasis on glory in combat led many emperors to grand

conquests. These conquests initially brought back plunder and treasure that caused the Roman
 King 8

empire to flourish but in the end, all they brought was corruption and bankruptcy. The

gladiatorial spirit would eventually bankrupt Rome morally and economically.

The final way that the Colosseum must be studied in order to more fully understand it is

through cross-cultural comparison. An apt comparison can be performed between the Colosseum

and the Audience Hall (Apadana) of Darius and Xerxes. Both of these venues were used as

massive gathering locations for the people of a

city. Through their architecture and scale, they

show the desire of leaders to have a place for

large numbers of people to come together and

participate in social activities. They were both

built using largely the same materials but the

differences in scale and sophistication are a true

testament to the spectacular technological

advancements that were made between the time

of Darius and that of Vespasian. In addition to

these superficial similarities, both venues

embraced the fundamental values of glory in combat and death but do so through different

means. The Audience Hall of Xerxes displayed these values through its depiction of people from

other cultures that were conquered by the Persian Army. The Colosseum enshrined them through

its emphasis on victory in combat. The gladiatorial bouts show the Roman societal desire for

superiority in combat. Even more than the bouts, the depictions of Roman victories show how

superior the Romans believed their army to be. Despite the completely different ways in which

military prowess and success are emphasized in these two buildings there is a clear unifying
 King 9

cultural factor between the Persians and the Romans and that factor is shown through these two

pieces of art and architecture.

Works Cited

Frischer, Dr. Bernard, and Dr. Steven Zucker. “The Colosseum.” Smarthistory The Center for

Public Art History, Smarthistory, 19 July 2020,

https://smarthistory.org/the-colosseum-rome/.

Highet, Gilbert. “Juvenal.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juvenal.

National Geographic Society. “The Colosseum.” National Geographic Society, National

Geographic, 3 July 2018,

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/colosseum/#:~:text=It%20was%20buil

t%20during%20the,times%20in%20the%20following%20years.

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. Pearson, 2018.