The
Collosseum was the largest arena in the Roman Empire. It could
hold... 1/2 population of Rome.
Estimated
that
500
000 people and 1 000 000 animals died here.
100
day games - 9 000 animals slaughtered
Timetable of Games
Morning - Animal
fights
During Lunch - Executions
Afternoon = gladiators
battle reenactment
Flooded
to do navel battles but realised this ... made foundations unstable.
The
audience entered through 80 arches which were numbered 1 to 76
- there were four unnumbered entrances Each spectator had a ticket
bearing one of these numbers and entered through the corresponding
arch. It is said they could all enter within ten minutes.
Only
33 doorways remain and they are numbered 23 to 54 with one unnumbered
entrance.
Roman
records show that during another festival, held in 240 AD, are
staggering: 2,000 gladiators; 70 lions; 40 wild horses; 30 elephants;
30 leopards; 20 wild asses; 19 giraffes; 10 elks; 10 hyenas; 10
tigers; 1 hippopotamus; and 1 rhinoceros were killed.
-
myth that Christians were 'thrown to the loins' here - no evidence
and the Romans kept impecable records.
Gladiatorial
battles were banned by a Christian emperor in 407 CE
Earthquake
847CE destroyed southern side
