The Colosseum (Wonders of the World)

A joy to read! Light yet incredibly informative, the book does a good job shedding light on what we can and can't say about the Colosseum. In particular, the authors highlight where we just don't have enough information even though popular culture has filled in the details.

In a very easy to understand English that doesn't require an intellectual education, Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard write a history of the Colosseum in Rome ( buildings of this kind were found all over the Roman Empire ). The colosseum was built around 50 AD. Hopkins and Beard discuss the use of the colosseum from it's origin until today. They explain ( among other things ) the way that different social classes were seated. The senators were seated in the front row, alongside the Emperor, behind them were the other aristocrats, Roman citizens and finally slaves and foreigners on the wooden seats instead of marble seats.An interesting question is what kind of games were performed. There were not only Gladiator fights but also animal hunting ( as exotic as elephants, giraffes, and tigers among other ferocious beasts ). An other problem Hopkins/Beard discuss, is how many Gladiators died in a season and if it's true that Christians were meat for tigers, lions, jaguars, bears, and such, all of this because they remained loyal to their religion. It's not easy to understand why the Romans did this. In Imperial Rome there were a lot of religions (Jewish, Egyptian - Isis cult - and several cults of the East.). All their followers lived in peace while staying loyal to their religion. So why the Christians?Veterans and talented Gladiators were worth a lot of money ( moreover their training was expensive and time consuming ). This leads to the idea that on more than one occasion Gladiators fought with wooden weapons and performed a sort of choreography, a bit like stuntmen in modern movies. It was very close to real fighting and made the public sit on the edge of their seat. Hopkins and Beard found no evidence that Christians were thrown in the arena to be devoured by wild animals. It's significant that Christians themselves didn't mention the Colosseum as a place of martyrdom like many other places were.In later centuries the colosseum was used as a stone quarry, a place for building houses, excavating antiquities and so on. In the last chapter Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard give all kinds of advice to tourists who want to visit the Colosseum. At the end of the day you'll know that the Colosseum is more than a place where Gladiators fought.

I really struggled to get through this book, and I have a passion for ancient Roman history. The authors correctly seek to debunk just about every common conception about the Colosseum; they do so on a basis that if you follow their lead, basically says that any conjecture whatsoever from historical clues is reckless and therefore wrong. Well that just about kills most of ancient history does it not?For instance, on the one hand, they correctly point out that the only classical evidence of noble women having affairs with gladiators -- a popular theme right now with the Spartacus TV series -- is based in finding a well-to-do woman caught at the gladiator school in Pompeii -- a woman who was also there with her children and therefore probably more a passer-by than a confidante -- it is equally true that there's no evidence to the contrary -- tell me, how many present day sports figures sleep around...have people changed that much in 2000 years? Sure, conjecture on my part, but the point is that the authors feel compelled to track down everything that is known about the Colosseum and try to debunk it, and by the end of the book, it's just in the way of more solid history and literature in the book.The fact is, we will never know truly what the five stones in front of the Colosseum really are for, but some people have at least made an effort to guess they are base stones for the canvas roof of the Colosseum, to work out the mechanics of how it would work, to do the mathematics to make it a sensible suggestion, and put this forth to scholarly debate -- and come out with a lot of people concurring. Just because the authors cannot find any historical reference to this does not mean it is not so, and instead of trying so hard to debate each conception, why not take the alternate or at least balanced point of view and show the other side -- why they think they are velarium base stones and how it works. Isn't that so much more constructive?I bought this book to really expand my horizons on the more detailed history of the Colosseum, and it's in here. Just be prepared for a rather snobby view of "I know better than all the rest of the historians" approach to the topic, and expect to have to find the balance of the story elsewhere.

This book is full of factual information about the COLISSEUM; however, the names and dates all seem to run together in an impossible jumble that is difficult to retain unless you already have an extensive background in the history of Rome and all of its principal historic figures . The author attributes many changes or policies to dozens of rulers and popes that the average person has little knowledge of. The names, dates, and facts all fun together in a jumble of meaningless information. When Mussolini is mentioned, I was relieved to be able to say, "I know him"! The book would have been much more interesting if the historical characters had been fleshed out more such that the reader develops an interest in what he/she is known for.

This short book gives a quite comprehensive and up-to-date history of this great old Roman monument. One of the authors, Mary Beard, is also the author of Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town, which I read recently (May 2013). Unfortunately, there are no color illustrations, and although there are thirty black and white illustrations and three figures, the reader of a book like this is left hungering for more visuals. Also, some of the black and white illustrations (nos. 8, 20, 24) are so dark and apparently reduced in this publication that one must strain to make out details alluded to in the text. Still, the book is a helpful and informative guide to one of the world’s greatest works of architecture.

Thinking it was time for a non fiction read! I do love anything to do with history, particularly Ancient Rome or ancient Egypt. I have visited the coliseum and stood within its walls, however I wasn’t as well read then as I am now (mid teens!) and I feel I would appreciate seeing it now so much more than I did back then.This was such an interesting read, dealing with the origins of the colosseum, it’s uses, the famous gladiator events, even touching on the morals and ethics surrounding such a horrific and brutal sport.Enjoyable if you are after a little slice of history with a little bit of humour and nostalgia thrown in!

It is a little frustrating at times, because it is too talkie, and has a lot of caveats and drivel about what the book is not, or what Colliseum is not, it does gain momentum after about 2/3 through, but probably not enough to redeem the book in my eyes. This is especially so because I come to expect certain level of quality and research from Prof Beard, and some months before finished her excellent SPQR (which is absolutely brilliant), so in comparison this was a very blah experience. Had I known the style, I would not have bought it. Will stick to single authored Mary Beard books from now on for sure.

This is a very useful book for those who are planning to visit Rome and the Colosseum and for those who were wondering if Hollywood and Christian hagiography have over time painted a really accurate picture of the goings-on in the arena. I'll give you one guess at the right answer.I've used the word 'useful' advisedly instead of words like thrilling or hugely entertaining. The reason is the figures. Almost every chapter of the Colosseum's and the Roman Games' history is drowned in them and you really have to like figures and calculations a lot to be thrilled by this way of history-writing. The book's sleeve notes promise us that this tale will be at times 'hilarious', but that is only for those who are very easily tickled.So, 5 stars for factual information and 3 for entertainment value make for a 4-star rating.

This is such an engaging read! It's a short book (but long enough to cover just about everything you thought you wanted to know) - debunks many myths, and raises all sorts of questions. It also contains a reference to one of the world's greatest farts.What more could you want? Essential reading for anyone interested in Ancient Rome, or about to visit the Colosseum.

Got this for further response and it’s brilliant