We took a family tour of the Colosseum when we were in Rome with City Wonder Tours. Kyran loves his Roman history and this is what he has to say....
The Colosseum or Coliseum, was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, and is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. It is only known as Colosseum as originally a colossal bronze statue of Nero was built in the middle. When Nero died it was decided that anything attributed to Nero should be torn down so he would be scrubbed from history but even after the statue was torn down the name Colossal stuck and so it is now known as the Colosseum!
Built of concrete and sand, it was used by all the rich to watch gladiators fight. The morning showcase was particularly for animals, while the late afternoon showcase was for when the gladiators fought each other to the death. It started being built in 70AD and was finished 8 years later in 78AD. How amazing is that? It was not only used as an arena, but also during the second world war as a black market for when people, in the darkest hours of the night, went to go buy food and drinks that were not available to buy in the shops. There is still evidence there today written on the walls of the amphitheatre that shows this theory is true. There are pillars still there today still with words on them, like ricotta and wine.
When I went inside this amazing structure, I imagined people in togas lining up outside the gates trying to get in and get a glimpse of the gladiators. The inside of the arena is even more amazing than the outside, with the entire battle field pulled up from the ground, showing us where the gladiators and animals were kept during the other fights and where all the prison cells were. It was an utterly amazing experience and I really recommend to anyone who enjoys violent history. If you have already been there, than I recommend the movie Gladiator. It really explains the history in a more fun and exciting way. In total I rate this colossal architectural masterpiece an 8 ½ out of 10.
