July 1, 2025

The Colosseum (Colosseo)

   Construction of the Colosseum began in the 1st century under

Emperor Vespasian and was completed by his son,Emperor Titus.

This literally colossal (Italian: colossale) structure measured 188 meters in length, 156 meters in width (elliptical rather than circular), with a perimeter of 521 meters and a height of 57 meters.

It could accommodate 50,000 spectators.

Its size is slightly smaller than that of the Tokyo Dome or Koshien Stadium.

Later on, the marble that decorated its surface and the stones of its upper levels were taken away, leaving it in its present condition.

The seating inside was divided by social status and gender.

Beneath the arena were cages for wild beasts, storage for equipment and tools, and large-scale elevators for moving animals and people.

Spectacles included brutal battles between wild beasts and gladiators, or between gladiators themselves.

Most gladiators were prisoners of war, slaves, or criminals.

Although successful gladiators could earn wealth, Romans considered them “barbarians.”

Their social status was extremely low—on par with prostitutes—and they were often despised.

Gladiators underwent long-term training at special schools before being allowed to fight in the arena.

However, those convicted of serious crimes were taken directly from prison to the arena, given no training, and forced to fight without armor—most of them lost their lives.

At the training schools, former gladiators served as instructors, and highly skilled doctors and massage therapists helped with their conditioning.

The trainees were strictly drilled in marching, weapon handling, footwork, and even how to cut arteries with their swords.

They practiced attacking straw mannequins and gained experience through sparring matches.

To prevent injuries and rebellions, trainees were given wooden weapons rather than metal ones.

Those who couldn’t keep up with the training became venatores (beast fighters) or were subjected to harsh punishments.

Some even took their own lives.

One trainee choked himself by thrusting a stick used for cleaning latrines down his throat.

Another stuck his head into a wagon wheel while being transported, and then died.

Some, unwilling to fight their comrades for Roman entertainment, strangled each other to death,instead.

The dormitories for trainees were strictly monitored, and they were locked in at night.

They were given highly nutritious meals, mainly consisting of barley.

In ancient Rome, barley was thought to increase body fat and reduce bleeding.

However, since wheat was the staple food for ordinary citizens and barley was considered livestock feed, gladiators were derogatorily referred to as “barley eaters.”

In the mornings, wild beast hunts were held.

Fierce animals like bears, tigers, lions, and leopards, as well as exotic ones like elephants and giraffes gathered from around the world, were released into the arena, where beast fighters killed them.

These fighters were armed and sometimes survived the battles.

But fights between unarmed criminals and wild beasts were effectively public executions, and most of the criminals were devoured.

In the afternoons, executions were held.

The condemned were given weapons and forced to fight each other to the death, or they were killed by gladiators.

After the executions, gladiator matches would begin.

When a match ended, spectators could choose whether the loser should be spared or executed.

The victor was awarded a palm branch, and those with outstanding performances received a laurel crown.

Some were praised by poets, had their portraits painted on vases, and received riches or the affection of noblewomen.

Gladiators typically fought three or four matches per year and died before or retired after around 20 fights.

The survival rate was about one in twenty.

The emperors provided these spectacles to gain popularity among the people and distract them from the many problems plaguing society.

After the legalization of Christianity, these bloody spectacles gradually declined and were abolished by the mid-6th century,

Incidentally, the English word “arena” comes from the Latin word harēna, meaning “sandy ground.”

Sand was spread on the floor of the arena to absorb blood.

That is how the word "arena" was born.

Even places like Yokohama Arena and Saitama Super Arena are named after “sandy ground.”

I never knew that.