Colosseum Free Essays

The Colosseum is so important to society today, because not only is it a major accomplishment for architecture, with the styles and techniques that were used, It also had a major effect on our athletics that we have today. The Colosseum was such a huge achievement for not only Rome but also other countries like our very own United States of America, because it had an everlasting impact on our society today. The Colosseum was so important to Rome in terms of entertainment and athletics. We will write a custom essay sample on Colosseum or any similar topic only for you Order Now The sound waves of gladiatorial battles, naval clashes, and savage beast wars urrounded the Colosseum, amplifying the crowds’ intensity and excitement to a whole new level. It was such a dangerous area that a lower wall with a railing was surmounted around the arena (Colosseum 1). The Colosseum is located in Rome, Italy, originally called the Amphitheatrum Flavianum. The Colosseum is a symbol of Rome’s power and is one of the world’s greatest wonders. The structure is composed of travertine blocks, a broken down marble rock, forming an ellipse 1,719 feet in circumference and 159 feet in height, with an area 282 feet by 177 feet. Soaring four tories high, arcades with pillars of Doric form the first three stories, as well as Ionic and Corinthian orders, meaning that all three were combined to form a new design. The Doric order being typically used for temples and is the simplest of the three, Ionic was a stockier look that was used usually for small buildings, then Corinthian was the â€Å"leafy’ look that you would typically see at the top and bottoms of pillars. The interior of the building had three sections of marble seats for roughly 50,000 spectators. Beneath the sand were hidden passageways for the Gladiators preparing or battle and some were areas for the beast to remain until they were called upon (Titus Flavius Vespasianus 1). Fans adored Gladiators because they were strong and courageous, they were aware of the consequence, if they did not perform well, being death (Lendon 1). Though many gladiators did die in the arena clashing with another gladiator for respect and possibly even a little fame, most died from the nonfatal wounds that would get infected. For some time the gladiatorial combat was on the rise and then began to fade away, this was around the time the Visigoths invaded Rome in 410. This then set the Empire on a decline resulting in very little money for the gladiator games. There is no mention of the games in the surviving records after the 430’s. The Colosseum however was not deserted. Such massive buildings were far too valuable to be left alone. Builders hauled away the Colosseums stones to repair other structures or to build new buildings, such as churches and public spaces (Lendon 2). When looking at athletics today, there are similarities to the Colosseum. The Stadiums or arenas that are used today all reflect the basic principles of the Colosseum. Sports such as football, basketball, soccer, and track, all consist of an â€Å"arena† where dominate athletes will participate in showcasing their elite and overpowering athletic abilities, competiting either as a team or individually to be the best. Surrounding that â€Å"arena† can compare the Colosseum’s idea of an appropriate spectators view was given but at a price, exactly like our society today. It you nad t money you could afford the best seat in the stadium, and if you didn’t, you had to settle for a seat that didn’t have nearly as good of a view. It is apparent more space as provided for the spectators, because for the sake of being able to entertain a large crowd. Within a stadium are important areas to an athlete, in Rome these areas were passageways within the bottom layer of the Colosseum and the gladiators would be training and working on their combat skills and preparing for their battle (Lugli 1). A more common comparison would be a football stadium in which there are training rooms for the athletes and the locker room where all of the pre-game preparation is done. The athletes put all of their focus on the training, because the sport has major importance to them. The Colosseum impacted more than athletics, but also the Architecture that we see today is still being used and the ideas are being improved. When you look at the Colosseum you can see columns, arches, and other detailed designs within in the walls. Much like the Romans, Americans tend to salvage the good remains of buildings so that they can be used elsewhere. Today there are many buildings that have the same type of construction. Two examples being The White House and the Washington Capitol Building, two buildings represent power much like the Colosseum, both buildings consisting of the similar style columns and arches. You could sit here and try and convince yourself that there are differences between these buildings and the Colosseum, like it not being a similar shape but its not about that, the main importance would be how the structure is being held up and that would be with the strong, sturdy pillars that carry the image of power. This idea has been carried on through schools, Police departments, Courts, and even some banks have had similar structures. All of these buildings symbolize a lot of power over people for their own individual reasons. Though many will debate that perhaps the Colosseum is no longer important to ociety, It can be studied not only for its fascinating architecture but it can be used as a reminder of the sports that we have today and where our modern sports evolved from. The building itself is fascinating in the way it was put together with the lack of technology back then. Today something like that could be built faster and could be even more stable and perhaps more unique. The designs and the arches used could be even more developed and its look could be more eccentric, but acquiring the travertine block was difficult during this era, which adds to the significance of this marvelous building. How to cite Colosseum, Papers