L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano T he Colosseum i s a s y m b o l o f Rome and Italy, w i t h w h i c h e v e r y o n e i s familiar, even those who've never visited us. It is majes- t i c a n d g r a n d i o s e , a s i t s n a m e s u g g e s t s , b u t a l s o reassuring in a way: just like a n o l d f r i e n d o r a g r e a t grandfather who still dis- penses advice to the family, the Colosseum has always been there, as sturdy as a rock. It is precious and icon- ic, so nobody was surprised w h e n , i n 1 9 8 0 , i t b e c a m e part of the UNESCO World Heritage and when, in 2007, it became one of the New S e v e n W o n d e r s o f t h e World. The ancient Romans knew i t a s t h e F l a v i a n amphitheater: the name "Colosseum" only appeared in the Middle Ages and its origins, in fact, are a bit of a mystery. Most likely than not, the word, which is Latin f o r " c o l o s s a l , " w a s u s e d b e c a u s e t h e t h e a t e r w a s erected near Nero's "colos- sus," a very large statue of the emperor. However, oth- ers believe its name origi- n a t e s f r o m t h e b u i l d i n g ' s l o c a t i o n , o n a h i l l w h e r e , once upon a time, there was a temple dedicated to Isis: from there, the Latin sen- t e n c e c o l i s I s e i ? " D o y o u worship Isis?" Not everyone thought that the temple was Isis' though: according to s o m e , t h e r e w a s d e m o n i c worship going on there, so rather than colis Isei, people would say colis eum, do you worship him: him being the devil or some sort of pagan demon. A very colorful history, that of its name, but in fact but its history as a whole is very colorful and there are a thing or two we may like to delve into a bit more. For instance, when it was in use, the Colosseum was widely considered one of the seven gates of Hell: I mean, a lot of people died there, so it cer- tainly was eerie when you think about it. But there is more because some believed the blood of those who per- ished on its soil was used f o r d a r k r i t u a l s . I n l a t e r c e n t u r i e s , d u r i n g t h e Middle Ages, when it had been lying unused for cen- turies, local criminals had the habit to bury their vic- tims there, and in the 16th c e n t u r y , i t b e c a m e v e r y p o p u l a r a m o n g m e n a n d w o m e n w h o p r a c t i c e d magic, because of the many particular botanical species t h a t g r o w t h e r e . Y e s , because the Colosseum is not only an important piece of history, but also a natural e n v i r o n m e n t t o b e p r e - served: some 350 species are growing within its walls, some of which are not typi- cal of Italy, but thrive in the peculiar micro-climate of the amphitheater. Its history can also help us understand better how a n d w h y t h e m o n u m e n t changed through the cen- t u r i e s . B e c a u s e t h e Colosseum we see today is not quite what the ancient Romans used to see, and not solely because a conspicu- ous part of it is missing. I t s c o n s t r u c t i o n b e g a n under the rule of Vespasian, sometimes around 70 AD, but it was officially inaugu- rated in 80 AD by another Emperor, Titus, and further modified ten years later by D o m i t i a n . T h i s e l l i p t i c a l beauty, with its 189 meters in length, 156 in width, and 48 in height, is the largest amphitheater in the world. In its heyday, it could host, i t i s e s t i m a t e d , b e t w e e n 50,000 and 87,000 people, just like today's sports are- n a s a n d s t a d i u m s . A n d while you probably had to queue to get in, it may have What's missing from the Colosseum? GIULIA FRANCESCHINI A view of the … missing part of the Colosseum (Photo: Sborisov/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Continued to page 18

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