Reply To: Romans Among Us

[Bob Hook]

The Romans are definitely a part of our society, their influence can be found in many aspects of our society. I wanted to focus on just one artifact from their culture to demonstrate their influence on modern society. The Colosseum is a great example to consider.
Originally, known as the Flavian amphitheater in honor of the Flavian Dynasty. The name at some point changed to Colosseum probably in acknowledgment of the “colossal’ bronze statue of Nero that was near. The term colosseum is now commonly accepted as a reference to any large stadium designed for watching sports and entertainment. The structure itself provides an architectural reference for the types of columns it is constructed from. Doric columns on the lower levels, Ionic on the second level and the third level was constructed with Corinthian columns.
The materials of construction were also unique. The walls were constructed of travertine and brick-faced concrete. This was a new building material and concept that is still utilized today. The use of concrete decreased the skills required of the workers and allowed greater error tolerances over cutting and setting a stone. The Romans also began utilizing the concept of urban planning. Unlike the Greeks, they no longer had to rely on the features of the natural landscape to determine the placement of buildings and amphitheaters. Instead, they could shape the landscape to their construction needs.
One final concept that remains prevalent today in our own major event centers is the concept of saved seats. The Colosseum utilized individually marked shards of pottery as tickets and the entry portals were clearly identified with a number. All designed to allow entry and egress from the facility in an efficient manner.