Social Structure in the Colosseum
The Ancient Roman Social Structure in the Colosseum
Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And unquestionably, the Colosseum, which is built by 80 AD and offering gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, is generally known as the most impressive monumental architecture in the Imperial Period. As an symbol of the wealth and power of the Roman Empire, it is easy to see that the Roman strict social order has a significant impact on the design of the Colosseum and has penetrated into every corner of both interior and exterior structures. In this essay, it is going to explore and analyze how the Roman social structure is reflected in the structure of the Colosseum, especially in terms of the classical order of the exterior appearance, the seating arrangement and the design of entrances and exits.
Not only does the Colosseum combine a mix of materials, the mix of styles is also one of the most remarkable features in this entirely free-standing elliptical building. Following the belief of innovators that “the strongest should be placed lowermost”2, the Colosseum creates the most logical and reasonable sequence of the use of the classical orders to embrace a building with more than one storey: Doric on the bottom, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third.3 However, more than just an excellent logical engineer
Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And unquestionably, the Colosseum, which is built by 80 AD and offering gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, is generally known as the most impressive monumental architecture in the Imperial Period. As an symbol of the wealth and power of the Roman Empire, it is easy to see that the Roman strict social order has a significant impact on the design of the Colosseum and has penetrated into every corner of both interior and exterior structures. In this essay, it is going to explore and analyze how the Roman social structure is reflected in the structure of the Colosseum, especially in terms of the classical order of the exterior appearance, the seating arrangement and the design of entrances and exits.
Not only does the Colosseum combine a mix of materials, the mix of styles is also one of the most remarkable features in this entirely free-standing elliptical building. Following the belief of innovators that “the strongest should be placed lowermost”2, the Colosseum creates the most logical and reasonable sequence of the use of the classical orders to embrace a building with more than one storey: Doric on the bottom, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third.3 However, more than just an excellent logical engineer
Bibliography: Barton, I.M. In «Introduction.» In Roman Public Buildings, ed. I.M. Barton, Exeter: University of Exeter, 1989. 1-5 Robert Chitham, The Classical Orders of Architecture, Routledge, 2005, 182. Stefan Grundmann, and Furst Ulrich, The Architecture of Rome: An Architecture History in 400 Individual Presentations, (Edition Axel Menges, 1998), 35. Ayse Bike, Baykara. The Entertainment Structures In Roman Pergamon. METU, 2012, 23. "Colosseum Reflected Social Class in Ancient Rome" NBC Today Show, New York, NY: NBC Universal, 05/13/1999. Accessed Wed Sep 5 2012 from NBC Learn: https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=6012 Hopkins, Keith. The Colosseum Wonders of the World. Profile Books, 2011, 109 Dunstan, William E. Ancient Rome. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010, 350 Luciani, Roberto. The Colosseum: architecture, history, and entertainment in the Flavian amphitheatre, ancient Rome 's most famous building. The University of Virginia: Istituto geograficoDe Agostini, 1990, 32-72.