Did you know? 500,000 men and a million animals were sent to die in the Flavian Amphitheater known as the Colosseum
The shows in ancient Rome and in the Colosseum history in particular were numerous, open to all citizens and generally free; some of them were distinguished by the greatness of the preparations and by the cruelty.
The Romans preferred gladiator fights, those with ferocious beasts (venationes), reproductions of naval battles (naumachia), chariot races, athletics competitions, theatrical performances of mimes and pantomimes
The first gladiator show probably took place in 264 BC. In 105 BC the games became public. The number of gladiatorial shows increased enormously during the Empire. The Flavian dynasty, which began with the emperor Flavius Vespasian, built the largest and most famous amphitheater in the world, the Flavian amphitheater, later known as the Colosseum. Here, according to an approximate count, it is counted that 500,000 men and at least one million animals died.
The favorite show was that of horse racing.
When the emperor appeared in the circus, in the amphitheater or in the theater, the crowd greeted him by standing up and waving white handkerchiefs, paying homage to him and showing him their presence and emotional, almost religious sharing, to his witnessing the same show that was taking place. to common sight.
As reported by a Focus study, the morning was dedicated to venationes: the hunting and killing of wild animals and the fight to the death between them and men. It was a moment much attended by the public, who loved the exhibition of rare animals, the reconstruction of exotic landscapes in the background and the expertise of hunters who on foot or on horseback tackled tigers and lions.
It is not clear, however, where the beasts were kept before going out into the arena. The basement of the Colosseum was not sufficient to contain the hundreds of animals involved in the venationes. According to one hypothesis, they were gathered in a barracks not far from the Colosseum: from there they reached the amphitheater via a special corridor.
After the great hunt, the temperature rose. After the workers had removed carcasses and any corpses from the venatio and sprinkled water and saffron into the air to purify the environment, they moved on to the bloodiest phase: executions, interspersed with athletic competitions and comic interludes.
Those killed were both Roman citizens, foreigners or slaves. For the former, the end was quick and came with a swipe of the sword. The others, on the other hand, could be condemned to the torture of the cross (crucifixio), burned alive (ad flammas) or thrown to the fairs (ad bestias). The most awaited moment of the day, however, were the fights between gladiators. The duels usually took place in a single time and continued until an athlete gave up or died.
