Who built the Colosseum and why?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Who does not know the visiting card of Rome, but when, by whom and for what the Colosseum was built in Rome - Italy? The history of the Roman Colosseum or how it turned from the Flavius amphitheater into the Colosseum. But too much in the history of ancient Rome does not fit together so as not to think about this new wonder of the world and its origin.

One careful glance at the Colosseum is enough to discover that it was immediately built as "ancient ruins". But examples of its rather late construction are perfectly visible. It is known that "the Colosseum was built of stone, concrete and brick." Isn't it strange that CONCRETE was used in such a supposedly very ancient structure? Historians may argue that concrete was invented by the "ancient" Romans more than 2 thousand years ago. But why then was it not universally used in medieval construction?

Rather, all supposedly "ancient" concrete structures are of a much later origin than historians think.

The Colosseum (Colloseo) was built during the reign of the emperors of ancient Rome Titus Vespassian and his son Titus from the Flavian dynasty. Therefore, the Colosseum is also called the Flavian amphitheater. Construction began in the 72nd century AD. e. under Vespassian, and ended in 80 under Titus. Vespassian wanted to perpetuate the memory of his dynasty and strengthen the greatness of Rome, adding to this the triumph of Titus after the suppression of the Jewish revolt.

The Colosseum was built by more than 100,000 prisoners and prisoners. Building stones were mined in quarries near Tivoli (now it is a suburb of Rome with beautiful palaces, gardens and fountains). The main building materials of all Roman structures are travertine and marble. Red brick and concrete were used as know-how in the construction of the Colosseum. The stones were hewn out and held together with steel staples to reinforce the stone blocks.

The amphitheaters of antiquity were marvels of architecture and engineering, which modern specialists never cease to admire. The Colosseum amphitheater, like other such buildings, has the shape of an ellipse, the outer length of which is 524 m. The height of the walls is 50 m. The length of the stadium is 188 m along the major axis, 156 m along the minor axis. The arena's length is 85.5 m, its width is 53.5 m. The width of the foundation is 13 m. To build such a grandiose structure, and even on the site of a dried lake, set a number of important tasks for the Flavian engineers.

First, the lake had to be drained. For this, a system of hydrostatic channels, slopes and gutters was invented, which can be seen even today, once inside the Colosseum. Runoffs and gutters were also used to divert storm streams that flowed into the sewage system of the ancient city.

Secondly, it was necessary to make the mega-structure so strong that it would not collapse under its own weight. For this, the structure was made arched. Pay attention to the image of the Colosseum - in it the arches of the lower tier, above them are the arches of the middle, upper, etc. It was an ingenious solution capable of supporting the colossal weight and also giving the structure the appearance of lightness. Here it is necessary to mention one more advantage of arched structures. Their procurement did not require super-skilled labor. The workers were mainly engaged in the creation of standardized arches.

Thirdly, there was the question of building materials. We have already mentioned here travertine, red brick, marble, and the use of concrete as a bonding mortar.

Surprisingly, the ancient architects figured out even the most advantageous angle of inclination at which to place the seats for the public. This angle is 30 '. On the uppermost seats, the tilt angle is already 35 '. There were also a number of other engineering and construction issues that were successfully resolved during the construction of the ancient arena.

During its heyday, the Flavian Amphitheater had 64 entrances - exits, which made it possible to let the audience in and out in a matter of time. This invention of the ancient world is used in the construction of modern stadiums, which can simultaneously let spectators in streams through different aisles into different sections without creating a crowd. In addition, there was a well-thought-out system of corridors and steps, and people could climb the tiers to their places very quickly. And now you can see the numbers engraved above the entrances.

The arena in the Colosseum was covered with planks. The floor level could be adjusted using engineering structures. If necessary, the boards were removed and it became possible to organize even sea battles and battles with animals. Chariot races were not held in the Colosseum; for this, the Maxim circus was built in Rome. There were technical rooms under the arena. They could contain animals, equipment, etc.

Around the arena, behind the outer walls, in the basement, the gladiators were waiting for their entrance to the arena, there were cages with animals, there were rooms for the wounded and the dead. All rooms were connected by a system of lifts, which were lifted on ropes and chains. The Colosseum counted 38 elevators.

From the outside, the Flavian Theater was faced with marble. The entrances to the amphitheater were decorated with marble statues of gods, heroes and noble citizens. Fences were set up to hold back the onslaught of the crowd trying to get inside.

Currently, inside this miracle of the ancient world, only the grandiose scale of the structure testifies to its former greatness and amazing adaptations.

The arena was surrounded by rows of public seating in three tiers. A special place (podium) was reserved for the emperor, members of his family, vestals (maidens) and senators.

The citizens of Rome and guests were seated in three tiers of seats, strictly according to the social hierarchy. The first tier was intended for city authorities, noble townspeople, horsemen (a type of estate in ancient Rome). The second tier had seats for Roman citizens. The third tier was intended for the poor. Titus completed another fourth tier. Gravediggers, actors and ex-gladiators were prohibited from being among the spectators.

During the performances, merchants scurried about between the spectators, offering their goods and food. Details of gladiatorial costumes and figurines-images of the most prominent gladiators were special types of souvenirs. Like the Forum, the Colosseum served as a center of social life and a place of communication for the townspeople.

The beginning of the destruction of the Colosseum was provoked by the invasion of the barbarians in 408-410 AD, when the arena arrived in desolation and without proper care. From the beginning of the 11th century until 1132, the amphitheater was used by the noble families of Rome as a fortress in the struggle between themselves, the Frangipani and Annibaldi families are especially famous. Who were forced to cede the Colosseum to the English emperor Henry VII, who handed it over to the Roman Senate.

As a result of a powerful earthquake in 1349, the Colosseum was severely damaged, and its southern part collapsed. After this event, the ancient arena began to be used for the extraction of building material, but not only the collapsed part of it, stones were also broken out of the surviving walls. So, from the stones of the Colosseum in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Venetian palace, the palace of the Chancellery (Cancelleria), and the Palazzo Farnese were built. Despite all the destruction, most of the Colosseum survived, although in general the great arena remained disfigured.

The attitude of the church to the old monument of ancient architecture has improved since the middle of the 18th century, when Pope Benedict XIV was elected. The new pope dedicated the ancient arena to the Passion of Christ - the place where the blood of Christian martyrs was shed. By order of the pope, a large cross was erected in the middle of the arena of the Colosseum, and several altars were erected around. In 1874, church attributes were removed from the Colosseum. After the departure of Benedict XIV, church hierarchs continued to monitor the safety of the Colosseum.

The modern Colosseum, as an architectural monument, is protected, and its fragments, if possible, were installed in their original places. Despite all the trials that have befallen the ancient arena for millennia, the ruins of the Colosseum, devoid of expensive decoration, still make a strong impression and provide an opportunity to imagine the former greatness of the arena.

Today the Colosseum is a symbol of Rome, as well as a famous tourist attraction.

If you look closely at the brickwork of the inner walls of the Colosseum, you will notice that the edges of the bricks are upholstered, very orderly, and the upholstery was made before masonry, and not over the centuries, which they tried to depict, and the bricks are fastened together with a compound very reminiscent of cement XIX century. All brickwork appears to be about the same and is built from homogeneous bricks. It seems that during the construction of the Colosseum, the appearance of a supposedly centuries-old deterioration of the structure was immediately created forged.

It can be seen even better in the places of the allegedly "collapsed" brick wall. These masonry sites are undoubtedly not real, built in today's "collapsed" form. If the brick wall really collapsed, then its exposed "remains of ancient vaults" look unnatural on the smooth brickwork of the Colosseum. All these "alterations" were erected immediately during the initial construction, so they were confused to show the antiquity of the structure. Real alterations of vaults are inevitable in old houses buried in the ground, they look completely different.

For example, the temple of St. Irene in Istanbul-Constantinople. Countless traces of real alterations are perfectly representative there. Moreover, the upper part of the walls looks much newer than the lower one, in which more transitions are visible. But in the Colosseum, the walls are strangely identical: what's above, what's below.

In real ancient structures, the bottom of the structure is usually located underground or in a pit, if archaeological work is being carried out. The Church of St. Irene goes underground to a depth of 4 meters. And we are talking about a medieval building. And around the Colosseum there is no noticeable sinking into the ground. It turns out that for two thousand years, the arena was immersed in some kind of vacuum and the rules of nature were not in power over it, which apply to all other places on the planet, and are, by the way, the main dating milestone in archeology.

But what to say, if under the guise of reconstruction, absolutely openly, in full view of tourists, with the help of portable scaffolding, the completion of the Colosseum is taking place in our time.

The Vatican does not strongly hide the history of the building. In the Vatican Palace, you can see a fresco showing the freshly designed ruins of the Colosseum! An angel with a compass and a building angle is drawn next to it. He helps build the Colosseum. But to whom? Really - to the pagan emperor, which would be inappropriate for an angel? Not at all. The name of the builder, as well as the year of construction, are directly indicated on the fresco. Next to the image, it is written: "THE SEVENTH YEAR OF POPE PIA VII"

Since Pope Pius VII ruled in 1800-1823, we are talking about 1807! The same year is repeated once more in the inscription under the fresco:

AMPHITHEATRUM FLAVIUMA, PIO VII CONTRA, RUINAM EXCELSO FULCIMENTO SOLIDATE ET PLURIFARIAM SUBSTRUCTIONE MUNITUM ANNO MDCCCVII.

Translation: AMPHITHEATER FLAVIUS Pius VII, THE RUINS OF EXCELLENT REST ON FIRM AND, ABOVE, ON DIFFERENT BASES, BUILDER YEAR 1807.

So, the construction of the Colosseum as "ancient" ruins begins in 1807. True, 1807, according to the fresco, is only the beginning with the creation of the project, after which the construction of the ruins was to begin. Are you curious to know the year the scam ended? Oddly enough, this can be read on a marble tablet that hangs above the entrance to the amphitheater. On which the year of the so-called reconstruction of the Colosseum is indicated in 1852, in the seventh year of the reign of Pius IX (1846-1878). This is the real date of the completion of the construction of the Colosseum - 1852, a century and a half ago.

After its construction, the Colosseum was heavily publicized. And on July 7, 2007, he even got into the list of the so-called "new seven wonders of the world", taking second place there after the Great Wall of China.

But if the Colosseum was erected in the 19th century, then on what basis was it attributed to Emperor Flavius Vespasian, who allegedly lived in the 1st century. Let's turn to the generally accepted traditional history.

“The Colosseum is the largest Roman amphitheater and one of the wonders of the world. Located in Rome on the site of a pond. The construction was started by the emperor Vespasian Flavius, and was completed by his son in 80 AD. Emperor Titus Flavius … Initially, the Colosseum was called, by the name of the Emperors Flavius, the Flavian amphitheater, its current name (in Latin Colosseum, in Italian Coliseo) was stuck with it later …. This place was for the citizens of Rome a place of fun and spectacle … The invasions of the barbarians marked the beginning of the destruction of the amphitheater. In the XI-XII centuries, the amphitheater was used as a citadel by the Roman families of Annibaldi and Frangipani. Then the Flavian amphitheater passed to Henry VII, who presented it as a gift to the Roman people. Back in 1332, a bullfight was held here. But most likely, in 1332, bullfights took place not in the current Colosseum, but in that city amphitheater of Italian Rome, which was later converted into the Castle of the Holy Angel, but since then its regular defeat begins …

The word "amphitheater" itself combines two Greek words meaning "double theater" or "theater on both sides" and very accurately conveys the architectural features of this type of ancient Roman architecture. As for the name "Colosseum", according to one version it comes from the Latin "colosseum", which means "colossal, and on the other, it is associated with the nearby giant statue of Nero, which was called" Colossus. "Both versions have equal rights to exist, fortunately, they agree on one thing - they emphasize the cyclopean dimensions of the Colosseum. It is not for nothing that more than 100 thousand cubic meters of natural stone were used for its construction, with 45 thousand for the outer wall. It is not surprising that a special road was built for the supply of marble. As for the name "Flavian Amphitheater", it is due to the fact that the Colosseum became a collective building of representatives of this imperial dynasty - Vespasian, Titus and Domitian built it for 8 years, from 72 to 80 AD.

The construction was started by Vespasian after his military victories in Judea, and the construction was already completed by his son Titus, according to the well-known historian Suetonius - “At the consecration of the amphitheater and hastily built nearby baths, he (Titus - ed.) Showed a gladiatorial battle, wonderfully rich and lush; he also arranged a naval battle in the same place, and then there he brought out the gladiators and released five thousand different wild animals in one day. This beginning of the history of the Colosseum to some extent determined its further fate - for a long time it was the main place for specific entertainment shows that are so familiar to us from modern cinema and fiction - gladiator fights and baiting of animals, only a small part of the fun that attracted Romans to the arena. The reign of Emperor Macrinus was marked by a strong fire for the Colosseum, however, by order of Alexander Severus, it was restored, and in 248, under Emperor Philip, it celebrated the thousand-year existence of Rome with great solemnity.

According to surviving eyewitness accounts, 60 lions, 32 elephants, 40 wild horses and dozens of other animals such as moose, zebras, tigers, giraffes and hippos were killed during the "celebrations". In addition, the game was not limited to animals, and enthusiastic spectators were able to contemplate the fights of a total of 2,000 gladiators. Centuries passed, and the Colosseum still retained the status of the main cultural center of Ancient Rome, and the nature of the performances for the townspeople practically did not change - only in 405 the emperor Honorius imposed a ban on gladiatorial fights, since this contradicted the spirit of Christianity, which, starting from the time of Constantine Great, became the state religion of the Roman Empire. However, bestial persecution continued to delight the Romans until the death of Theodoric the Great. The period of the Middle Ages was the time of the decline of the Colosseum - in the XI-XII centuries, it served as a fortress for the noble families of Rome rivaling each other, Frangipani and Annibaldi, who, as a result, were forced to cede the Colosseum to Emperor Henry VII, especially succeeded in this field. The latter donated the famous arena to the Roman Senate and people, thanks to which, until the first third of the 14th century, various games were still held in the Colosseum, including bullfights.

Paradoxically, but the reason for the further decline of the Colosseum was its magnificence. The fact is that the walls of the Colosseum were built of large blocks of travertine marble, which was mined in the city of Tivoli. The marble blocks were fastened with steel brackets, since they were carefully ground together and did not require mortar for better adhesion. The materials used, as well as the construction technology itself, led not only to the fact that the Colosseum was able to exist for many centuries, but also to the fact that for the Romans of the 15th-16th centuries. it has become a source of the most valuable materials, moreover, easily disassembled into separate parts. The Colosseum marble contributed its share to the construction of the Venetian Palace, the Chancellery Palace and the Palazzo Farnese.

Only in the 18th century did the popes change their utilitarian approach to the Colosseum, so Benedict XIV took it under his protection, turning it into a kind of Christian sanctuary - a huge cross was erected in the middle of the arena, which was framed by altars in memory of the torture, the procession to Calvary and the death of the Savior on the cross. This complex was dismantled at the end of the 19th century.

The outer side of the Colosseum consisted of three tiers of arches, between which were located half-columns, in the lower tier - Tuscan, in the middle - Ionic, and in the upper - Corinthian style. The surviving images of the Colosseum from the time of its glory allow us to conclude that the spans of the arches of the middle and upper tiers were decorated with statues. Above the upper tier, a fourth floor was built, representing a solid wall, which was cut by Corinthian pilasters into compartments and had a quadrangular window in the middle of each compartment. The cornice of this floor had special holes for the installation of wooden beams, which serve as a support for the awning stretched over the arena. At the ends of the major and minor axes of the ellipse, there were four main entrances, which were three-arched gates, two of which were intended for the emperor, and the rest were used both for ceremonial processions before the start of the performances and for transporting animals and necessary vehicles to the Colosseum.

The spectators were seated in the stands in accordance with their social status:

- the bottom row, or podium (lat. podium) was intended for the emperor, his family and the highest nobility of Roman society.

Note that the place of the emperor towered above the rest.

- further, in three tiers, there were places for the public. The first tier belonged to the city authorities and persons from the class of horsemen. The second tier was reserved for the citizens of Rome. The third tier was occupied by the lower classes.

Under the arena, there was a complex labyrinth for the movement of gladiators and the maintenance of predatory animals, which were used for performances.

In general, the structure of the Colosseum alone, even without taking into account its scale, would be enough to rightfully call this structure one of the "wonders of the world". It organically combines the symbolism of the power of Rome, architectural complexity, which speaks of high technological culture and the pagan riot of the pre-Christian past of the empire. One building embodies a huge layer of history of one of the most ancient states, the cradle of European history. The Colosseum is a true heritage of world culture, one of the few threads that makes the connection between times and eras visible.

Let's go back to the likely story. So, in the XV and XVI centuries. Pope Paul II used material from the amphitheater for the construction of the Venetian palace, Cardinal Riario - for the construction of the Chancellery palace, Pope Paul III - for the Farnese palace. The Colosseum has nothing to do with it - just the stone and brick of the old city of the XIV century. was used for papal buildings, after which the old part of Italian Rome and turned into ruins. However, most of the amphitheater survived, Sixtus V wanted to use it and built a cloth factory, and Pope Clement IX used the amphitheater building as a saltpeter factory. In the eighteenth century. the popes came to their senses or decided that it was possible to earn more on pilgrims than on saltpeter. Benedict IV (1740-1758) ordered the installation of a grandiose cross in the arena, and a row of altars around it in memory of the death of the Savior on the cross, who removed the cross and altars from the Colosseum only in 1874, probably, they too strongly contradicted the alleged antiquity of the Colosseum, giving it frankly Christian appearance, that's why they were removed.

So, under Clement IX (1592-1605) a cloth factory worked on the site of the Colosseum, and before that there was probably just a pond. Nothing of the kind in those days, most likely, was not even in sight. Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) was probably the first to think of erecting some kind of grandiose structure. But he also clearly intended to erect not an "antique amphitheater", but a monument to Christian martyrs. However, his successors took matters the other way. It was with them that the real construction of the modern Colosseum began, portrayed as supposedly "an easy restoration of the ancient amphitheater."

Here is what the Encyclopedic Dictionary reports: “The popes who ruled after Benedict XIV, in particular Pius VII and Leo XII, fortified the walls threatening destruction with buttresses (we read between the lines: they built the walls), and Pius IX repaired a number of internal passages in the amphitheater (we read between the lines: lined up the inside). The Colosseum is guarded with great care by the modern government of Italy. By his order, under the guidance of scientists archaeologists in the arena excavated basements that were once used to bring people and animals and decorations into the arena, or damming the arena to arrange "naumachia".

Particularly ridiculous is the thought of historians about the "naumachiyah" - naval battles represented in the water-filled arena of the Colosseum. At the same time, no intelligible explanations are given - how exactly and with the help of what mechanisms could water fill the arena of the Colosseum? Where are the drain and filling pipes? Water pressure devices? Watertight walls with traces of water filling? All this is not in the Colosseum.

Now let's look at the history of the Roman Colosseum in historical sources, and what they tell us about this ancient amphitheater, and even the Flavians. After all, they were supposed to tell about such a remarkable structure as the Colosseum. But it so happened that not a single chronicle of the Colosseum mentions anything. Here are two of the most striking examples.

The obverse annalistic collection is a detailed presentation of world and Russian history, usually dating back to the 16th century. The second and third volumes describe in detail the history of ancient Rome. And, fortunately, especially a lot of space is devoted to the reign of Emperor Flavius Vespasian, who, according to historians, founded the Colosseum amphitheater. In general, the Obverse Chronicle is a very detailed chronicle and contains more than sixteen thousand beautiful color drawings, made especially for the kings. Therefore, even if there is no mention of the Colosseum - neither in the text nor in the drawings - then we have to conclude, then in Moscow in the 16th-17th centuries. they knew nothing about the Colosseum. Amazingly, there are really no such references.

But maybe the Front vault is silent about the Colosseum simply because it does not at all concern the buildings erected by the first Flavius in Rome? No, it’s not like that. The obverse vault describes in sufficient detail how Vespasian, returning to Rome from the Jewish War, immediately started the construction of huge and amazing buildings. But the Colosseum is not mentioned among them. And in general, nothing is said about the theater. It speaks only of temples, treasuries, libraries. Here's an excerpt:

“Vespasian thought about how to create an altar for an idol and soon erected something that surpassed all human imagination. And he put all the valuable garments there, and everything wonderful and inaccessible was collected there and put in plain sight. For the sake of all this, people around the world travel and work, just to see with their own eyes. He hung the Jewish curtains there, as if proud of them, and all the vestments embroidered with gold, and ordered to keep the books with the laws in the ward."

The obverse vault tells about the remarkable structures of Vespasian in Rome, built after the end of the Jewish War. But the Colosseum is not mentioned among them.

Nothing is reported about the Colosseum and the Lutheran chronograph of 1680 - the world's chronicle collection, which describes in detail all the Roman incidents. It, like the Facial vault, only informs about the construction of a “temple of peace” by Vespasian at the end of the Jewish war: “Christ is 77 years old, the temple of peace is being built, the decorations of the temple of Jerosalim are being laid in it, and there are vessels of Judaic gold. The law and the crimson veils in the chambers were preserved by Vespesian's command."

This concludes the description of Vespasian's buildings. About the Colosseum - and in general, about any amphitheater built by Vespasian in Rome, the Lutheran Chronograph is completely silent. Moreover, the detailed index of names and titles given at the end of the Chronograph does not contain the name “Colosseum”. There are no similar names either. How is it that the Colosseum is not mentioned in the Lutheran chronograph, as well as in the Observatory. Although it was written in 1680 and, it would seem, its author should have known about such an outstanding structure as the Colosseum. And to call it exactly "Colosseum". After all, this name, as historians tell us, has been assigned to the Colosseum since the VIII century. Why is the author of the second half of the seventeenth century. doesn't know him yet? It turns out that in the seventeenth century. Europe really didn't know anything about the Colosseum yet.

Let's turn now to the "antique" writers. What do they know about the greatest amphitheater of ancient Rome, the grandiose Colosseum? It is believed that Suetonius, Eutropius and other "antique" authors wrote about the Colosseum. It is also believed that the Colosseum was supposedly glorified by an "antique" poet of the 1st century AD. Martial. And he even tried to classify it as one of the seven wonders of the world, surprisingly anticipating the decision of contemporary historians (in 2007) to classify the Colosseum as one of the “seven new wonders of the world”.

But did the "antique" writers really speak about the Colosseum in Italy, and not about some other amphitheater? But then, perhaps, the real Colosseum is not in Italy, but in some other place? And one more important question. When, by whom and where were the allegedly "ancient" works that are now generally known and speak of the Colosseum discovered? Is it in the Vatican? And after it had been decided to build the Roman Colosseum, and it was required to create a history for it, to find "primary sources" that "confirm" its existence in the past?

Take, for example, the book of Suetonius (in the rest, approximately the same is written). Suetonius reports on the construction in Rome by the emperor Vespasian, upon his return from the Jewish War, of several structures at once: the Temple of Peace, another temple, a certain unnamed amphitheater in the middle of the city. Suetonius writes: "… Vespasian also undertook new construction projects: the Temple of Peace … the Temple of Claudius … the amphitheater in the center of the city …". Modern commentators believe that Suetonius is talking about the Colosseum here. But Suetonius does not at all call the amphitheater the Colosseum and, in general, does not give any details about it. He writes simply about the "amphitheater". Why is it necessarily the Colosseum? There is no evidence of this.

Eutropius in his "Brief History from the Founding of the City" attributes the construction of the amphitheater to the emperor Titus Vespasian, the son of the emperor Vespasian. But he also does not provide any data that would allow the amphitheater of Titus to be identified with the Colosseum. It is only sparingly reported that Titus Vespasian "erected an amphitheater in Rome, during the consecration of which 5 thousand animals were killed in the arena."

Another "antique" historian, Sextus Aurelius Victor writes in the "History of Rome" that during the reign of Emperor Flavius Vespasian in Rome, the restoration of the Capitol was begun and completed … the Temple of Peace, the monuments of Claudius, the Forum, and an enormous amphitheater was created. But even here there are no details to identify this amphitheater with the Colosseum. It is not said what size the amphitheater was, nor how it was arranged, nor where in the city it was located. And again the question arises: why is it the Colosseum? Maybe Aurelius Victor meant a completely different amphitheater?

Etc. The reports of Roman writers give absolutely no reason for identifying the Flavian amphitheater with the current Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

As for the "Book of Spectacles" by the Roman poet Martial, where he is believed to have glorified the Colosseum, there is also nothing in it that would unequivocally point to the Colosseum. And this book itself may turn out to be a fake, because, as noted long ago, it is suspiciously different from the rest of Martial's works. "A collection of 14 books of epigrams has come down to us from Martial, not counting a special book of poems, also called epigrams, but relating exclusively to the games of the amphitheater under Titus Flavius and Domitian." And even if the "Book of Spectacles" by Martial is the original, then all the same, where is the evidence that it is about the Colosseum? There is no such evidence.

It may well be that Martial and Roman historians are not talking about the Colosseum in Italy at all, but about another amphitheater. Moreover, the ruins of a huge Roman amphitheater, which is very suitable for these descriptions, do exist. But this is by no means the Italian Colosseum. Unlike the Colosseum in Italy, this one, the Colosseum, is not advertised by historians at all. They surrounded him with deathly silence and try to pretend that he does not exist.

Nowadays, the Colosseum is under the special protection of the Italian government, work is underway to collect randomly scattered marble fragments and install them on the supposedly intended place. Archaeological excavations and restoration work, going hand in hand, have led to a number of remarkable discoveries. However, nowadays, the defenders of this unique monument face new problems - from numerous tourists, many of whom are not averse to taking something "as a souvenir" to the negative impact of atmospheric pollution on the stone of the Colosseum, vibration caused by city traffic and other factors technogenic character.

Despite its complex history and difficult existence today, the Colosseum, albeit in the form of ruins, has retained such a majestic appearance that, according to the results of the vote, in 2007 it was recognized as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World.