What kind of entertainment took place in the colosseum

Wild cats, buffaloes, bears and elephants would all be kept and then made to fight one another. In some parts of the Roman Empire, certain animals died out because their type was in such demand by those who ran entertainment in Rome itself. It is thought that on the day the Colosseum opened, over 5, animals were killed. Those who came to the Colosseum came to see people fight.

Many of these gladiators were slaves or prisoners-of-war. Those gladiators who had fought well but had not won their fight could be spared by the emperor if he was present at an event — a thumbs up meant life, and a thumbs down meant death. These shows were usually free to the public. The emperors believed it was a good way to keep the people of Ancient Rome happy and content with the way the city was being governed. The government provided free bread and free entertainment — a combination they believed would keep happy the many unemployed people in Rome.

The Colosseum was the greatest building in Ancient Rome but much smaller amphitheatres were built in Roman Britain and gladiatorial fights may have occurred in these. Cirencester had an amphitheatre. Chariot racing was put on at the Circus Maximus. Nevertheless, the life of a gladiator was usually brutal and short.

Most people in Roman times did not have much spare time, they were too busy working. They liked board games. We know this because archaeologists have found counters and dice in the ground.

The Romans enjoyed watching fights between gladiators, and fights between people and animals. It is the female equivalent for knighthood, which is traditionally granted to males. Dame is also style used by baronetesses in their own right. Since there is no female equivalent to a Knight Bachelor, women are always appointed to an order of chivalry.

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. On the site of that Golden Palace, he decreed, would be built a new amphitheater where the public could enjoy gladiatorial combats and other forms of entertainment. After nearly a decade of construction—a relatively quick time period for a project of such a grand scale—Titus officially dedicated the Colosseum in A.

Measuring some by feet by meters , the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater in the Roman world. Unlike many earlier amphitheaters, which had been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support, the Colosseum was a freestanding structure made of stone and concrete. The distinctive exterior had three stories of arched entrances—a total of around 80—supported by semi-circular columns.

Each story contained columns of a different order or style : At the bottom were columns of the relatively simple Doric order, followed by Ionic and topped by the ornate Corinthian order.

Located just near the main entrance to the Colosseum was the Arch of Constantine, built in A. Inside, the Colosseum had seating for more than 50, spectators, who may have been arranged according to social ranking but were most likely packed into the space like sardines in a can judging by evidence from the seating at other Roman amphitheaters. Awnings were unfurled from the top story in order to protect the audience from the hot Roman sun as they watched gladiatorial combats, hunts, wild animal fights and larger combats such as mock naval engagements for which the arena was flooded with water put on at great expense.

The vast majority of the combatants who fought in front of Colosseum audiences in Ancient Rome were men though there were some female gladiators. Gladiators were generally slaves, condemned criminals or prisoners of war. The Colosseum saw some four centuries of active use, until the struggles of the Western Roman Empire and the gradual change in public tastes put an end to gladiatorial combats and other large public entertainments by the 6th century A.

Even by that time, the arena had suffered damaged due to natural phenomena such as lightning and earthquakes. In the centuries to come, the Colosseum was abandoned completely, and used as a quarry for numerous building projects, including the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. Beginning in the 18th century, however, various popes sought to conserve the arena as a sacred Christian site, though it is in fact uncertain whether early Christian martyrs met their fate in the Colosseum, as has been speculated.

Restoration efforts began in the s, and have proceeded over the years, as the Colosseum continues to be a leading attraction for tourists from all over the world.