Rome: The Eternal City

Part II

The structure appeared on the horizon, seemingly out of nowhere. It was unmistakable; a symbol of a city, an empire, and it certainly lived up to its name: the Colosseum. 

The name may have had nothing to do with the size of the amphitheater itself, though the structure was the largest amphitheater in the Roman Empire, but rather could have referred to a colossal statue of the emperor Nero that was erected nearby. The construction of the Colosseum was begun by the emperor Vespasian, but the true significance of the area begins with Nero. During Nero’s reign, the emperor confiscated 350 acres of public land from the city center and erected a grossly extravagant compound, including a palace and a sort of water park. Following the suicide of Nero, Vespasian tore down the evidence of Nero’s tyranny and ordered that the Colosseum be built, returning the city center to the public and beginning the age of games, hunts, and gladiators.

The Colosseum saw the deaths of many prisoners and slaves, either by execution or in battle but the space has far more significance than the brutal games that took place inside its walls. The Colosseum has been reused, reconstructed, and repurposed countless times throughout its long and tumultuous history, even being used as a marketplace in the 7th century, bringing about long-gone iron beams and odd holes that are still visible across the walls and columns of the building. Additionally, the architecture, particularly the use of the Doric, ionic, and Corinthian architectural orders, served as inspiration for Renaissance architects, like Brunelleschi, as they sought to encapsulate the rebirth of classical Roman antiquity in their work. Much like the city of Rome, the Colosseum has been living and breathing since its birth, and, because of its role in the roots of the history and culture of Italy, it would be very hard to kill. 

Again, I was amazed, not by the immense columns or the vast crowds of people gazing up, but by this stark reminder of an ancient history nestled in a modern city. Everywhere we looked in Rome, there seemed to be fragments of the past standing the test of time and evoking the collective memories of not just a city or nation, but reminding the world of the role these places played in humanity’s history.