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The first and the most famous, the Colosseum: The Colosseum was built in 72 AD by Vespasian and was only completed in 80 AD by his son Titus. The Colosseum was a stadium where events like gladiator fights, animal fights, hunting and even naval battles were held. A man named Dion Cassius said that 9000 wild animals were killed in the Colosseum every day! The Colosseum’s original name was the Flavian Amphitheatre because it was built by the kings of the Flavian dynasty, however people started calling it the Colosseum because it was near an enormous statue called the Colossus of Nero which was dedicated to the Roman ruler Nero. The fights and battles in the Colosseum were staged for many centuries till the Roman emperor Constantine and his descendants tried to stop them, but the Romans didn’t want to give up their shows. The Roman citizens were successful in keeping their shows on however, they weren’t going to last very long. One day in the 5th century AD a monk named Telemachus entered the arena and tried to stop the gladiators from fighting. The crowd hurled insults, sarcasm and even stones at him! They threw so many stones that they eventually killed him! But that day the fights ended. The fights in the Colosseum were only staged again in the time of Theodoric, the ruler of the Romano-Barbaric Gothic kingdom. These were the people who defeated the Roman Empire. They however, allowed the hunting of animals in the Colosseum. After the end of Gothic rule in Rome the Colosseum was abandoned and it was only used as a cemetery, fortress, and quarry. Today the Colosseum is the most well-known symbol of Rome’s ancient culture and is visited by tourists from all over the world. I too have visited the Colosseum. Now let’s go to the next story.
The Roman Forum was a plaza-like place where people
discussed politics and money matters. It was also a place through which the victorious
emperor or his generals paraded, after returning from a war with treasures and
prisoners. Today you can only see the ruins of this once thriving square. If
you happen to be in the Colosseum you may be able to see it from there too. Now
let’s go to the 3rd story.
The Circus Maximus was a hippodrome or an oval shaped stadium
which was built by the Etruscans who inhabited the region of Italy before the
rise of the Romans. The Etruscans built this stadium to honour their god Consus.
Many competitions like horse and chariot races were held in this venue. The
Romans continued to use it even after defeating the Etruscans. The next monument
is another ancient site synonymous with Roman culture.
The Pantheon was a pagan temple dedicated to Romulus, the mythical founder of Rome. The original Pantheon was built in 27 BC by General Marcus Agrippa who was a friend of Augustus (successor of Julius Caesar). Unfortunately, the Pantheon built by Marcus Agrippa was burnt to the ground in a fire. The Pantheon we see today is the one that Hadrian built around 118 AD. In 608 AD the Byzantine emperor, Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV who turned it into a church as it stands even today. The present-day Pantheon looks like a pagan Greek temple from the outside but from the inside it looks like a church. I loved visiting the Pantheon, and gazing at the enormous structure, while having a gelato under the Egyptian obelisk erected right outside.
Now for the 5th and last Roman monument in this episode. Don’t blame me if this one spooks you a little.
The Catacombs were an underground Christian cemetery. They were
built in the 1st century AD when Christianity as a religion was
still not as widespread in Rome. The Catacombs were a series of tunnels with tombs
in them. As Christianity became more common in Rome more tunnels were dug. The
tunnels ran several kilometres under the ground. If you’re ever going to visit
the Catacombs, stick with your guide or you may end up losing your way in this
scary maze of tombs!
With this we come to the end of today’s episode. I hope you enjoyed
it. If you want to listen to more podcasts or read my blogs, then visit the
Curiologist Facebook page! Goodbye and see you next time!
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