Colosseum battle. Interesting facts about the Colosseum

Sands Of The Coliseum

Boys, help Dash and his knights upgrade and defeat enemies in fights to strengthen the team, buy weapons and equipment. Lots of levels, a huge number of enemies... You won't get bored!

Welcome to the arena of the ancient Roman Colosseum! In this flash game you have the opportunity to test yourself as a gladiator. Choose the gender and appearance of your hero and go out to fight to the death amid the noise of the stands!

You and your opponent will take turns hitting each other with deadly attacks.

Before starting your move, you must choose where to strike: the head, torso, right or left arm, or one of the legs. Also decide on the strength of the blow: weak, medium or strong. The more powerful the uppercut, the more likely it is to miss. When your opponent's head or body is completely hit, you win! Before the final blow, you can spare the poor fellow or let the blood flow to the delight of the cheering crowd.
It’s quite interesting to play, because the game has a wide character leveling system. You can learn special skills and improve characteristics such as strength, agility, endurance and others. The store has a large selection of weapons and armor. Improve your gladiator step by step.
After defeating all the gladiators in one city, go to others and conquer them. Play for free and become the most powerful warrior in Rome!

Incredible facts

Forgotten and neglected, the 2,000-year-old Roman Colosseum holds many secrets and there are many interesting facts about it.

Ancient Colosseum in Rome

1. Its real name is Flavian Amphitheatre.

Construction of the Colosseum began in 72 AD. e. by order of Emperor Vespasian. In 80 AD e., under Emperor Titus (son of Vespasian), construction was completed. Together with Titus, Domitian (Tito's brother) ruled the country from 81 to 96. All three were Flavian dynasty, and in Latin the Colosseum was called Amphitheatrum Flavium.

2. There was a time when there was a giant statue of Nero next to the Colosseum - the Colossus of Nero.

The infamous Emperor Nero erected a giant bronze statue of himself, 35 meters high.

Initially, this statue was located in the vestibule of Nero's Golden House, but under Emperor Hadrian it was decided to move the statue closer to the amphitheater. Some believe the Colosseum was renamed after the Colossus of Nero.

3. The Colosseum was built on the site of a former lake.

The Golden House of Nero was built after the Great Fire of 64, and there was an artificial lake on its territory. After the death of Nero in 68 and a series of civil wars, Vespasian became emperor in 69.

He nationalized Nero's palace, after which he completely destroyed it, and the land on which he stood transferred to public useto the people of Rome. All the expensive ornaments of the palace were removed and buried in the dirt, and later ( in 104-109 ) the Baths of Trajan were built on this site. The Romans usedcomplex underground irrigation system for draininglake near Nero's house, after which it was filled up and, by order of the emperor, the construction of an amphitheater began, intended for the entertainment of the people of Rome.

4. The Colosseum was built in 8 years.

After the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Emperor Vespasian completely destroyed The Temple of Jerusalem, from which only the “wailing wall” remains, which still stands to this day. After this, he began construction of the Colosseum using materials left over from the destruction of the Golden House.

5. This is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built.

The Colosseum can be called a “double amphitheater” (two half rings connected in the form of an oval). It is made of cement and stone. The length of the outer ellipse of the Colosseum is 524 meters, the major axis is 187.77 meters long, and the minor axis is 155.64 meters long. The Colosseum arena is 85.75 m long and 53.62 m wide, and the walls rise 48 - 50 meters.

The most important thing about this structure is that it is completely built of cast-in-place concrete, unlike other buildings made of bricks and stone blocks.

6. The Colosseum had 5 tiers and separate boxes.

The building was designed to accommodate both the poor and the rich. All spectators were divided into tiers depending on their social status and financial situation. Members of the Senate, for example, sat closer to the arena, and the rest of the residents on other tiers, which were distinguished by a lower price. On the very last - 5th tier - sat the poor. All tiers were numbered I-LXXVI (i.e. from 1 to 76). For People of different status there were different entrances and staircases, and there were also walls that separated them.

7. The Colosseum could accommodate 50,000 spectators.

Each person was allocated a seat only 35 cm wide. Today, not all football stadiums can boast the attendance that the Coliseum had.

Colosseum Arena

8. The battles between gladiators were organized with incredible care.

For 400 years, volunteers fought in the arena, former soldiers, military prisoners, slaves and criminals, all of which served as entertainment for the Romans. But the fighters were chosen for a reason. To enter the Colosseum arena, competing gladiators were selected based on their weight, size, experience, fighting skill and fighting style.

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9. The Colosseum became a cemetery for a huge number of animals.

In addition to fights between gladiators, the Romans organized battles between animals and demonstration hunting. In the arena, lions, elephants, tigers, bears, hippos and other exotic animals could be seen being killed or severely injured.

Fights with animals can be seen to this day - this is bullfighting ("tauromachy" - i.e. "bullfight"). Animal fights were called "morning games", and gladiator fights were called "evening games" The winners were given awards in the form of medals (bone or metal), and statistics were kept - the number of fights, victories and defeats.

Of course there were also deaths or gladiators received injuries that did not allow them to perform further. After his career as a gladiator, the former warrior received a lifelong pension.

More than 9,000 animals died during the opening of the arena and another 11,000 were killed during the 123-day festival hosted by Emperor Trajan. According to conservative estimates, during its entire existence, about 400,000 people and more than 1 million animals died in the Colosseum arena.

10. Grand battles on ships.

Surprisingly, the Colosseum arena was specially flooded by about 1 meter so that ship battles could be held. Reconstructions of warships were installed in the arena so that great naval victories could be celebrated. Water flowed through special aqueducts directly into the arena. All this could be seen before the Emperor Domitian, during which a basement was made in the Colosseum, where there were rooms, passages, traps and animals.

11. The Colosseum was abandoned for many centuries.

As bloody gladiator fights lost their spectacle and the Roman Empire began to collapse in the 5th century, the Colosseum ceased to be a venue for large public events. Moreover, earthquakes, lightning strikes and other natural phenomena significantly affected the structure.

It was only in the 18th century that the Catholic Church and many priests decided that the site of the Colosseum should be preserved.

12. The Colosseum was dismantled for building materials.

The beautiful stone and marble from which the Colosseum was made attracted the attention of many people. After the earthquake of 847, Roman priests and aristocrats began to collect the beautiful marble that adorned the façade of the Colosseum and use it to build churches and houses. Also, rubble stone and crushed stone were used in urban buildings for the construction of various city buildings.

It is worth noting that the Colosseum was used as a source of building materials for such buildings as the Palazzo Venice and the Lateran Basilica. The Colosseum marble was also used to build St. Peter's Basilica, the largest building in the Vatican, and the largest historical Christian church in the world.

13. One priest wanted to turn the Colosseum into a cloth factory.

The underground part of the Colosseum eventually filled with dirt, and for several centuries the Romans grew vegetables and stored them inside the building, while blacksmiths and merchants occupied the upper tiers.

Pope Sixtus V, who helped rebuild Rome in the late 16th century, attempted to convert the Colosseum into a cloth factory, with living quarters on the upper tiers and work space in the arena. But in 1590 he died, and the project was not implemented.

The most popular attraction in Rome

14. The Colosseum is the most visited attraction in Rome.

Along with the Vatican and its holy places, the Colosseum is the second most popular attraction in Italy and the most visited monument in Rome. Every year it is visited by 6 million tourists.

15. The Colosseum will finally be updated.

To begin with, it is planned to spend 20 million euros on the development of the arena. Billionaire Diego Della Valle also plans to invest $33 million to restore the Colosseum, which began in 2013 and includes restoring the arches, cleaning the marble, restoring the brick walls, replacing metal railings, and building a new visitor center and cafe.

The Italian Ministry of Culture plans to restore the Colosseum to what it was like in the 19th century. Besides, they want to make a stage in the arenabased on images of the Colosseum from the 1800s, which will cover the underground tunnels that are currently open.

Why does the Colosseum have this name? How has it changed over the centuries? And, most importantly, what secrets does Italy's number one attraction keep?

"Attention, construction work is underway"

In order to build, the Romans took a little over five years: from 75 to 80 AD. The Colosseum was and remains one of the most grandiose buildings: more than 100,000 cubic meters of travertine (lime tuff) were used for the construction of the outer walls alone. The result was "colossale" (colossal): the amphitheater, 189 meters long, 156 meters wide and 48 meters high, was able to accommodate between 50 and 70 thousand spectators on a total internal area of ​​24,000 square meters.

Arena. There were only 80 entrances to the amphitheater, the arena where the battles took place was elliptical in shape, with axes about 80 and 50 meters long, and was probably covered with wooden beams.

One day at the Colosseum

The daily routine in the amphitheater was predetermined and strict. On the evening before the upcoming battle, the "editor", that is, the one who organized the games, offered the gladiators a dinner, which was open to the public: this was done so that the crowd could take a closer look at the participants in the fights. The next morning, the soldiers opened the day with a “parade” in the amphitheater, richly armored and fully armed. Then fights began between animals or between animals and people.

Deadly Lunch

Lunch hours at the Colosseum were reserved for executions of those sentenced to death: people were burned at the stake, crucified or given to wild animals. All this took place in the format of a live show.

The highlight of the program

The most anticipated show was the afternoon show - duels between gladiators: Munera. According to a common interpretation, the gladiators entered the field in a column, stood in front of the emperor and shouted: “Ave caesar, morituri te salutant.” In fact, Caesar was greeted very rarely.

The mystery of the name

In the beginning it was called the Flavian Amphitheater (Anfiteatro Flavio) because it was built by the emperors Vespasian and Titus of the Flavian dynasty. The name "Colosseum" appeared only in the Middle Ages: the most popular theory is that the amphitheater received the name "Colosseo" due to the fact that it was built next to Nero's "Colossus", a statue that was located a few meters from the amphitheater. Others say that the name comes from its location, because the amphitheater was built on a hill where the Temple of Isis (Collis Isei) once stood.

There is also an interesting legend about the origin of the name “Colosseum”: once upon a time on the site of the Colosseum there was a pagan temple where the devil was worshiped. And at the end of each ceremony the priests asked the followers: COLIS EUM? (Do you love him? I mean, the devil).

Sun protection and seat reservations

On particularly hot sunny days, the Colosseum was covered with a curtain of about 80 triangular pieces of canvas, which were stretched through 320 support cables. The reason is easy to understand: the curtain protected spectators from sunburn during daytime shows.

Seats in the Colosseum were strictly reserved. The upper rows contained wooden benches intended for the public, while the seats for privileged guests were decorated in marble. Anyone could take part in the show, entry was free, but changing the seats assigned to each of the visitors was not allowed. The senators of Rome sat in the front row along with the Vestals, behind them were the soldiers (equites), and in the attics places were reserved for slaves and foreigners.

The first elevator in history and the scenery for the "performance"

One of the first examples of working elevator systems was the system operating at the Colosseum. The arena and basement areas were actually connected by elevators.

The basements consisted of alternating corridors. Some contained sets of scenery for battles, which, thanks to a system of cables, were raised into the arena, others contained animals and gladiators preparing for battle.

The scenery was installed in the arena in advance. Gladiators and animals ascended to the arena immediately at the start of the battle on the first prototype of the elevator. Thanks to these systems of rise from underground space, the show took on a more exciting character: warriors and wild animals appeared in the arena as if from nowhere.

The Colosseum gave life to many of Rome's historical landmarks

The marble facade and some of the interior of the Colosseum were used to build various civil buildings in Rome, such as the Palazzo Barberini. After being neglected for a long time, the amphitheater was actually used by the Romans as a source of building materials. This continued until the 18th century, when a sudden love for the ancient ruins of Rome arose. It is estimated that only one-third of what was left of the Colosseum was the original structure.

In the thirteenth century, a palazzo of the Roman Frangipane family was built inside the amphitheater, and later other civil houses.

The Colosseum was also damaged by numerous earthquakes. Thus, in 851, an earthquake provoked the collapse of two rows of arches on the south side and the amphitheater took on the asymmetrical aspect familiar to us.

Colosseum and swimming pool

Inside the amphitheater, at one time there were also water fights, “Naumachie”: these were shows in which gladiators (or convicts) reenacted famous naval battles from Roman imperial history.

The pool also hosted a peaceful water show in which women participated.

According to Martin Krepper, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Edinburgh, the water flowed through a series of internal wells and pipes under the stands. It took about 7 hours to fill the entire arena.

Scary and terrible

During the times of gladiatorial fights, the Colosseum acquired an ominous reputation, such that it was considered one of the seven gates of hell (tens of thousands of people died in the arena). They say that the Colosseum even hosted devilish rites, for which the blood of those killed in the arena was used. In the Middle Ages, then, gangs of bandits used the arena to bury victims. And in the 16th century, wizards and sorcerers flocked here, who used grass with magical powers that grew among the blood and ruins for witchcraft.

Jungle Colosseum

For several decades, botanists have been studying plants that grew spontaneously inside the Colosseum. We are talking about more than 350 different species of plants that have taken root among the ruins - some of them are of absolutely exotic origin and their growth is supported by the unique microclimate of the amphitheater.

Coliseum and Hollywood

The Colosseum has been the location for many films, but the film that brought it even greater worldwide fame, Gladiator, was not filmed inside the amphitheater. A series of unresolved issues prompted director Ridley Scott to film the gladiatorial fight scenes at the Roman amphitheater El Jem in Tunisia and a fake Colosseum specially built for filming in Malta. It took just 19 weeks to build the amphitheater, but the structure was made of wood and only partially: most of it was recreated on the computer in post-production.