What the Italians call the Flavian amphitheater and Americans call the coliseum was finished in 80 AD. To celebrate, there was a massacre of an estimated 5000 wild beasts. The coliseum has been used during its lifetime for wild animal hunts, as a fortress during the Middle Ages, a quarry for materials until the mid 18th century and from then on has been restored several times. The Colosseum was divided into five sectors according to the social class of the spectators, not to the price of the ticket since the entertainment was usually free. Senators sat on marble in the lower tiers, then came the equestrian order. The plebs were separated by a high wall and had no seats. They stood for the festivities. There was even a section for women after Aigustus passed a special law because he was concerned about indiscriminate mingling of affection in public places which might lead to moral laxity.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 12:58:31 +0000
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