The Colosseum. A place, with its imposing arcades, that has become a symbol of an epoch - a place that, like few others, is impregnated with blood, glory, death, and power.

A hundred days of festivities and games were proclaimed for the inauguration of the Colosseum in 70 a.d. Presiding over this was the emperor Titus, together with the highest religious dignities. The Vestal Virgins, dedicated to their cult of the sacred fire, threw the people little globes of wood containing tablets on which was written what the lucky ones had won. An actual lottery that anyone could win a simple flask of wine or even an entire horse.

During these one hundred fatal days, thousands of ferocious beasts brought from the borders of the empire, fell in the arena. Thousands of gladiators left the arena dragged by the hook of death with which the servants, dressed like Charon (mythical ferryman for the underworld), pierced their bodies to take them to the "spoliarium". There, they would have been undressed and bereft of what little blood remained in their veins. Romans believed that the blood of the gladiators held the ability to heal impotency. So many people sent their slaves, in disguise, to buy a little of the magic cure. For the few gladiators left alive from the combat, there was instead the glory, the wealth, and the possibility of some secret hours of love with the most desirable women through-out the entire city. Secret hours, surely, because a noble woman could never have shared her bed with a man of such low rank, although a vigorous and passionate man. Unforgettable hours for the poor gladiator that, usually being condemned to death or a prisoner of war, couldn't believe his unexpected fortune.

Of all the 50 amphitheatres that the Romans built in the various parts of their huge empire, the Colosseum was the biggest, and slowly became the most famous. The amphitheatres were a true Roman architectural creation. They evolved from theatres, whose semicircular shape was limiting for a type of show like those of the gladiatorial games in which there was no need for a frontal view. So one day some architect, whose name has been lost between the pages of history, had the idea to build a large elliptical amphitheatre: "a theatre in the round". All the big amphitheatres made of stone rose during the Imperial age, the most sumptuous and decadent period of ancient Roman history.

By this stage, Romans had already absorbed other cultures, above all the Greek one, and had abandoned the healthy and frugal virtues of the republican age. They had only retained the frightening value of the thrill of death. A populous continuously expanding and continuously at war, needed to remind itself that it was better to have an honorable death rather than a dishonorable life. Here is why, in the many numerous and valid schools that rose to train the gladiators, one of the main things they were taught was how to die. When one of the gladiators gave up in a fight, lying on the ground he threw his sword. If he didn't receive the show of mercy that only the emperor could concede, there was nothing else for him to do but offer his neck to the winning sword of his adversary. With a quick and steady blow his life was ended, amidst the screams and shouts from the public.

But now, let's move to another place.










...And the Great Roman Forum

Today, a place of beauty and mystery. Although one could say that of almost any of the archaeological sites of ruins that surround the Mediterranean, there are some things about this place that makes it different from all the rest. In fact, there are many things. When you descend into the Forum you see many piles of bricks, stones, and the occasional column that is still left standing, or the remains of a once great temple. Comparatively speaking, there are many other ruins in the world that are in better condition than here. But the historical events, the legends, the significance of this place, makes it quite unique.

Why unique? Well, for starters it was the religious, business, and political center of Rome, i.e. the city center. This is where it all began. The kingdom, the republic, and the empire. Unfortunately what we see now is not alot. That is because of Popes and others who used the materials of the ancient ruins for their own purposes. What one can do, is use the imagination of what went on in this fantastic historical treasure chest. But, maybe you could use a little help. That's what we're here to do.

Imagine that you are standing near the house of the King, called the Regia. There are twelve men waiting outside the house. Each one carrying a spear in one hand and a shield in the other. No, they aren't soldiers, they are priests and they are performing a solemn ritual. A kind of hopping dance. A dance which had song, movement - 2 short jumps on the same foot and a third one as long as the first two on the other foot - and sound - that of the spears hitting the shields -.

These men were called the priests of Salii, dedicated to the God of war named Mars. This festival happened twice a year, in March and October to commemorate the opening and closing of the war season for the Romans. The word "salii" is still used today in Italian. It's used as a verb "salire" which means to jump. This ritual started during the period of the second King of Rome in about 700 b.c.

Now let's turn the corner and walk to the Basilica Emilia and jump ahead in time to about 410 a.d. There is a great fire and the building is being destroyed. What is so amazing during this event, is that when we peer closely to the entrance and look through the miasma of churning black smoke, we see men escaping. These men are not running, they are walking as quickly as they can carrying a heavy, cumbersome load. Finally they can be seen clearly and we can see what their load is. Gold coins. The Basilica Emilia was a place of business and money transactions. When the barbarians set fire to it, the men inside scooped up their money in their togas and ran for safety. Although when they left the building, some coins fell from their grasps. Those coins melted from the extreme heat of the fire and fused into the foundations of the basilica. They can still be seen today.

Finally, for our last little time trip, let's jump back in time to one of the greatest events in history. All we need to do is turn around and look to the center of the Forum. Today there are the meagre remains of a temple, but in 44 b.c. it was a sight of a great funeral. Julius Caeser had been assassinated and the people gathered for the service. They were angered and wanted revenge for they had loved Caeser very much. After Mark Antony roused the crowd with his ever famous speech, - starting in the monologue of Shakespeare with "Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears."- they cried out for revenge and, in a fury, lit a fire in the center of the Forum using whatever materials they could find. This became the funeral pyre for Caeser. Later the people and senate of Rome deified him. Made him into a God. And they built a temple on the spot where he was cremated in his honor.

These stories are really just the tip of the iceberg of this grand arena of history. One can see now why the Great Forum is indeed unique from all the rest. All anyone really needs is a storyteller to spark their imaginations and to make this place come alive. To hear the great voices of history and to understand how the Romans affect our lives even today. To think that between these piles of bricks, stones and marble, one of the greatest empires of the world began, right here in the past......