The Colosseum by Zander

The Colosseum by Zander

The Colosseum section that was rebuilt.

Today was our first full day in Rome. So we had to see some sights. We went to the Colosseum. In the Colosseum, lots of killings that took place. For the Romans there was some medical benefits from having people kill themselves regularly besides having entertainment.  The Colosseum  was where the Gladiators fought. The Colosseum was the biggest stadium of the ancient time and all the modern stadiums are built like the Colosseum.  

What is left of the passage ways under the stands in the Colosseum.

In the Colosseum, Gladiators fought animals, each other, in chariots, and sometimes in boats.  The Gladiators fought to the death. If they put up a good fight, then the king would let them live. So if you were a Gladiator then,it was useful to be as dramatic so you were spared. I am unsure if this is true, but there might have been navy battles in the Colosseum. I think that it didn’t make sense, because their boats wouldn’t be able to fit into the stadium. Plus if they did not flood the stands, then there would not have been more them a few feet of water in the stadium. But if I was a spectator, I think that it was cool to see a navy fight. But in the Colosseum, they brought chariots into the arena. I think that it was pretty cool. I think that it would have been pretty cool to watch all the people fight.  I don’t think that they should have killed each other for other people's pleasure.

The pulley system under the Colosseum to lift
 the contestants onto the stage.

The Gladiators were well trained entertainers. They were picked out of people who were sentenced to death and criminals. Some citizens became Gladiators but they had a pretty good chance of dying. The Gladiators were trained to fight with swords, shields, and all sorts of other weapons. They were always kept fit and well cared for. When they fought, they had to look their best, because the Gladiator's owner made sure that they looked good, so more people would come to watch the show. When a gladiator fought and lost, the king could tell the other fighter to spare him, but it would only happen if the king liked him, or if he put up a good fight and the crowd liked him. At the really big shows, over 60,000 people would come and once, over 20,000 gladiators and animals would fight and die for them. There were some other benefits for the Gladiator's fights. The blood from the fight was used to cure people with epilepsy. I didn’t think that that was very nice, and it was really disgusting. There were some benefits, weird customs, and some really disgusting things that happened in the Colosseum, but it is a great structure and was really fun to go to.

What is really cool about the Colosseum, is that its plan is replicated in all the modern stadium.  There are 2 stands that go all the way around the stadium. They are positioned so that everyone in both rows can see. Under the stadium, there are exits that go inside the stadium and under the stands.  The structure that supports the stadium is an arcade. It is in a circle so that all the arches support each other. The reason that it is so famous is that there are almost no flaws in it and that all the modern stadiums are made like it.

Posing in front of the arena in the Colosseum.

The Colosseum is an amazing place. If you are traveling to Rome, then you have to see it. But what is really amazing is that it was built over 2,000 years ago and it is almost exactly like the ones that we have today. I have been looking forward to seeing the Colosseum since the world tours started. It surpassed my expectations by far. The only thing that I wish that I could see is an actual Gladiator fight, but I know that  it will never happen.