L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano W hen in Rome … it's a no- brainer that the famed Colosseum is at the top of most visitors' list of "must see" attractions. In fact, this forerunner to our modern arenas plays host to about 4 mil- lion tourists a year, second only to Rome's Vatican City. Besides instant recognition of the breath- taking iconic structure, the majority who visit, and most of us, know the facts about the Colosseum, right? It was built during the Roman Empire's glory days, they fed Christians to the lions there, and wow…the gladiator shows must've been something! But do they…do we…really know the captivating details behind this magnificent ruin? As with many intriguing his- torical sites, misconceptions become entwined with truth – and before long, it's all taken as undeniable fact. And so it goes with the Colosseum. True, it was built during a prosperous time in Rome's history, and true - a lot of gory "entertainment" took place within its walls. But there's much more that shapes the tale of this compelling piece of Italian history. Let's begin with a look at the birth of Rome's Colosseum. During the nefarious and brutal reign of Nero (37 – 68 AD), hedonistic extravagances were the norm, at least for the ruler and his inner circle. The center of Rome, prime real estate in any era, was the location of Nero's lavish Domus Aureas (palatial grounds), including a man-made lake solely for his personal plea- sures. As the old saying goes, enough was enough and Nero's rule came to a welcome end. In an attempt to reconcile and regain the confidence of the citi- zens, ruling Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty decreed the building of a magnificent arena for the people upon the grounds where the now-emptied lake stood. Begun in 70 AD, this feat of engineering genius was complete in just under ten years at the hands of over 60,000 Jew- ish slaves. Known as the Flavian Amphitheater, the emblem of Rome's public refocus was offered as a gift to the citizens. And what a gift — entrance was free, and even the snacks and wine were on the house. Despite Vespasian's gal- lantry, the name didn't stick. In 128 AD, Emperor Hadrian want- ed to leave his mark on the Colosseum and ordered the gar- gantuan 100-foot-tall bronze stat- ue of Nero-turned-sun-god moved to the structure's entrance. Known as Colossus Neronis, legend has it that the statue's name became associated with the amphitheater, and it wasn't long before Colosseum became a popular nickname with a lot of staying power. Another lesser known legend contends that when the amphitheater had fallen into ruin, satanic rites were held within its walls. "Colis eum?" – "Do you worship him?" (in reference to the devil), chanted the witches. Say it quickly enough, and well… there you have it! Which of the two theories are truth – or close enough to it — we will never know. One can thank author Henryk Sienkiewicz for the common belief that the Colosseum was the epicenter of Christian perse- cution during the Roman Empire. His 1895 novel Quo Vadis, followed up with a 1951 movie version, portrayed an end- less stream of Christian-as-lion- food, which then cemented the pretense of fact in our minds. Although Christian persecution that occurred under Nero and others was a tragic reality, the tossing of humans to wild beasts on the Colosseum floor was much more "inclusive" when it came to Roman entertainment. Known as damnatio ad bes- tias, the sentence of death by wild animals was a blood sport occupying a part of most day- long games or events at the Colosseum. Criminals, which included Christians, prisoners of war, runaway slaves, and any other unlucky soul condemned to death were the fodder for what was basically intermission between morning theatrical spec- tacles and afternoon gladiator games. It's estimated that over 400,000 souls met this fate throughout the years on the Colosseum's oval floor. Another implausible statistic hovers over the Colosseum's his- tory like a dark cloud — the massive killing of exotic beasts. These venationes were consid- ered high sport and fed Roman audiences the surprise and novel- ty they craved. The presentation of creatures from throughout Rome's conquered regions brought applause and allegiance to the providers, or editors as they were called — often the emperor in charge. During the opening events of the Colosse- um, over 9,000 animals were slaughtered alone. And the killing continued almost 400 years, leaving several species extinct, others permanently dis- placed from their natural habi- tats, and a death count of almost one million. Gladiator fights as glamor- ized in the movies were an actu- ality within the Colosseum games and often brought the most fervor from the crowds. Slaves and criminals were selected as contestants, then trained, fed, and put to life-or- death battle. And was it true that "thumbs up" from the emperor meant allowing the conquered gladiator to live, and "thumbs down" …well, you know…? Another myth busted! Thumbs down actually meant "throw your sword down," thus sparing the favored gladiator to fight again. It's amazing to think that a public arena built 2,000 years ago was not that archaic com- pared to today's super stadiums. Over 80 ground floor arches, each donned by a larger-than-life statue of an athlete, welcomed up to 50,000 spectators. Still vis- ible are the stone-carved corre- sponding numerals (Roman, of course!) that matched a ticket- holder's number. An elaborate network of underground tunnels, chutes, rooms and cages (the hypogeum) beneath what was the arena floor have revealed intricate systems of riggings and elevators used to raise and lower complex scenery and props, as well as unwitting animals and contestants. The design also allowed flooding up to five feet deep for elaborate navel battles to be played out. And if the noonday sun got a bit too hot, hoist into place the gar- gantuan canvas awning rigged to shade the entire amphitheater! By the 6 th century, the Colosseum was no longer used for public entertainment. Opu- lent pageantry and sheer brutali- ty faded to memory as the Colosseum played a number of new roles: a cemetery, a hub of workshops and housing, a family fortress, and after the 1349 earthquake, a stone quarry, among others. Fortunately, a series of Popes beginning in the 16 th century recognized the his- torical significance of the Colos- seum and halted the stone-by- stone decimation. Major renovation projects throughout the last two centuries have brought new life to Rome's famed amphitheater. With a steady stream of annual visitors through its gates, the Colosseum still lives up to its original pur- pose to entertain the masses. However, it will cost you a ticket and the snacks aren't free! Its real name was Flavian Amphitheater, but for the world it remains the Colosseum, a symbol of Rome and Italy everyone knows Rome's Colosseum: there's more than meets the eye PAULA REYNOLDS LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

• Cover