Rome: Colosseum

 The Colosseum: Death Dome of the Ancients. 

  The Colosseum is weird, most of the monuments in italy, the really famous ones, are way bigger than you’d think but the Colosseum seems to fluctuate.

 When I first walked up  I thought “Wow, this is way smaller than I thought it was.” But it isn’t. Not at all. In the subsequent pictures, look for the people who are standing on the ground directly next to it. That’s the real scale.

Panorama: When we walked over to the Colosseum we ended up on a hill with some parked cars, look in the botom right hand corner of the picture.

Those teeny–tiny dots are people who are actually CLOSE to the Colosseum.

Detail: Included, people for scale.

This is Constantine’s arch. Yes, the same Constantine who took Christianity mainstream.

They built it right next to the Colosseum. I find that kind of hilarious.

Included: Dad.

The Morning Sun on the Colosseum.

Detail: Constantine’s arch. 

The back side of the Colosseum. 

Fun Fact: The whole thing used to be covered in marble, but people in the middle ages stole it to build churches and such. 

Inside there’s a little museum of stuff they’ve found, I liked this guy’s beard.

I also like this Owl.

Because it’s cute.

There used to be cool columns like this everywhere in here, but there was a fire and then a riot and then the whole middle ages, so there’s only a couple of column bits left. 

Mosaic depicting what sort of entertainment you could expect. 

Included: An owl.

More column bits.

Scene: Dad enjoying the view.

Portrait: this is what happens when you ask somebody who isn’t a photographer to take your picture. 

In case you can’t tell, that the Colosseum behind us.

Panorama: The Colosseum really messes with your sense of scale, try and Spy all the different sizes of people! Especially: Contrast the people standing right next to me {Bottom right} with the people standing one level above me {3/5ths of the way up on the left} with the people standing on that platform in center.

Panorama: The Colosseum, Walking up angle. 

I Spy: The People on this side vs. The people on the other side of the rim.

Panorama: The whole place use to be as high as the tallest part in the center there, but it fell down sometime in the past.

This is where the old town used to be, we went and looked at that afterwards {And you’re going to see it tomorrow!} But right here you can see half a church, some columns,  and the top of another arch.

I forgot to take a picture of the accompanying card, so I have no idea who this is. 

BUT: He is ROCKIN’ that skirt.

Detail: Through one of the arches.

The Colosseum wasn’t only for the classic “Lone Christian vs. Slave/Lion/Other Christian” Apparently sometimes they would block off this first level and fill it with water and have mock sea–battles.

Although most of the time it was a slaves fighting for his freedom, {Kill the Lion, walk out with your freedom. Die, and it’s still a win for the establishment because it gave the suckers a show.}
There was this one story on a placard in the museum where one day it was this one guy Vs. about 20 scary zoo animals {Elephants, Tigers, Rhinoceroses, your classic Lions, but also smaller stuff with sharper teeth that I wouldn’t want to mess with} and he won. Which is pretty cool, but I think he was an emperor, not a slave fighting for his freedom.
So he could’ve rigged it.

Detail: Included: People, for scale.

If you keep your eyes open patterns are everywhere.

Detail: There used to be another level, but it burned.

This is the basement, actually just the ground floor, where they would keep things they would need pretty soon, victims, props, animals or whatever. You can actually take a tour of this area, but you need a special tour and it was too confusing. 

Portrait: Dad.

Detail: They’ve partially reconstructed the old floor so you can stand “Where the gladiators did” but again, you needed a special tour to get out there. We walked all around but couldn’t find a way in.

Detail: Moss. There’s a surprising amount of foliage in the colosseum.

Detail: another column cap.

Detail: One of the classic scenes. 

Detail: A cat. Just wandering around.

Italian Vignette: Levels of the Colosseum.

Portrait: Dad looking pensive.

Detail: Curves on top of curves.

Detail: Missing, one column. If found please return to Column Cap, the Colosseum, Rome.

It”s kind of hard to see, but there’s a cross right there. 

I’m not sure why it’s there, the inscription wasn’t a ton of help. 

Monument to dead christians, maybe?

Portrait, Dad at the Colosseum.

Tomorrow: The Ruins of Rome!