Colosseo and Foro Romano (Colosseum and Forum) 4.26.10

The words Colosseum and Forum had been written on our list of things to see, and here we were breakfasting with a backpack full of water, ready to go. We couldn't believe it.

Colosseum Perimeter

We joined a tour guide hawking outside the Colosseum when we arrived by double decker bus and for very little euros received a 2 hour walking tour of both locations plus Palatine Hill.  Inexpensive, on-the-spot tours were actually a great way for cliff note highlights to put in perspective the significance and highlights of where we were. We had difficulty with most self guided walks because it is all so new and impressive we didn't know how to focus in on the most historically relevant things.  This tour was just great.

We stood before the massive amphitheatre that had fallen to ruin and learned about Nero and how the Colosseum nickname came about because of the garish colossal statue that he erected to himself just outside. When paganism fell and the roots of Christianity blossomed, this building and the statue was symbolic of the suffering and pagan philosophies and much of it was dismantled and used elsewhere in Rome (except for the statue which the people destroyed after Nero burned the city.) Our hands ran along the rough chisel marks of stones shaped by slaves, lifted and dragged into place by their hands, the same slaves who were sacrificed here for the entertainment of their people. 

Looking down to the Arena

Originally the Colosseum had no catacombs beneath, and it was routinely flooded in order to simulate historic sea battles. But soon that became tiresome to the people who preferred fight-to-the-death battles between man and beasts. We were reminded more than once that slaves were average people like us and the strongest and most viril were parted out as Gladiators. The School of the Gladiators taught them to fight and their incentive was freedom if they prevailed in seven fights, which they rarely did.

Cross of Remembrance

In time, a series of cages and cells were constructed below the wooden floor of the Colosseum and trap doors raised up men and animals by pullies that slaves operated. (Notice them just beyond the new partial floor that was installed for illustration.) After, slaves sprinkled sand on the floor to sop up the blood. Imagine. Today there stands a large simple bronze cross that honors those whose lives were lost here, thousands of them, and whom the Pope visits every year to honor.

The capacity of the Colosseum was 75,000 and had a caste system of seating: the rich sat nearest the ring on level 1; levels 2 and 3 were nobility and citizens in good standing; and the 4th level was for single women. You can see some stone benches here. And to your left, near the main street of Rome that is teeming with traffic, imagine an  underground tunnel that linked the School of the Gladiators with the Colosseum.

Romulus and Remus Ad

We took a break and had a panini and 'still' water before continuing on to Palatine Hill and The Forum, and a tour guide provided a rough historical introduction including the story of Romulus and Remus and the foundations of civilization that are evident today within the palace ruins.

(This ad from the Charles deGaulle airport in Paris symbolizes the the founding brothers of Rome and the stories that they were raised by wolves. Advertising really is culturally motivated!)

The Senate in Decay

The Forum was profoundly different from the Colosseum and its immense reminder of man's cruelty. Here we were very aware of being in a place of great glory, retracing the steps of Julius Caesar and the Senate, and touching the cool marble of sculpted columns 10 high and several tons each that have stood for centuries. The Basilica and Senate chambers were the cultural gathering point where active participation in the democratic ideals went on, even under the weighted thumb of the elite. In the shadow of the Basilica sits clusters of rock walls that separate chambers which were the homes of its regular citizens who came to the Basilica to buy and sell food and their wares and find shelter from the humidity and rain. Here money was exchanged in close proximity to the Roman baths. 

Julius Caesar's Funeral Pyre

We made our way all the way down into the valley of the Forum and found the humble stones of Caesar's funeral pyre, still adorned with fresh flowers by his people who honor their founding father. The continuity of life feels strong and dense as we look up to see nothing but the majestic decay of the glory that once was. In the distance are the buildings of modern Rome that are not far removed from where we stand. It is impossible not to marvel at ancient Rome's arrogant grandness at their assumption of being at the center of the universe.

What remains of ancient Rome
with new Rome just beyond

Excavation continues here, too, and we came upon whole statues recently unearthed that were wrapped in plastic, and areas cordoned off where bulldozers and people with small delicate shovels continued their discoveries of things long forgotten. What a thrilling profession in a world as old as this. Today has been one of the best days we have ever spent anywhere. The Forum was breathtaking.