The History of Italy cannot be told without taking into account the Colosseum in Rome. A piece of Roman architecture dating back to the year 80 A.D., in Ancient Rome. It is one of the most emblematic monuments of the city and today receives the designation of Historical Heritage of Rome. Despite its relevance, not only in Italy, but in the whole world, its history is not entirely clear. It is evident that it is not necessary to look at the Colosseum to see that it has been destroyed.
There are many voices that defend that it is due to the collapse by seismic movements. However, although they have a part of reason, it has been demonstrated that all the damage that has been caused cannot only respond to earthquakes. Investigations have uncovered that it was a prolonged looting, many of them promoted by Popes. Various materials such as travertine stone, marble and iron were extracted from the colosseum.
The reuse of these materials was destined to the construction of churches, walls and palaces. Even St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican has materials from the Colosseum. For all these reasons, we speak of the Colosseum as a monument and a ruin at the same time.
The Roman Colosseum
Any visitor to Rome has a mandatory stop: the Roman Colosseum. Inaugurated in 80 A.D., it has survived looters, natural cataclysms and wars to the present day. It is evident that its design has been modified over the years, and that is a question that many people have. What has happened to the upper half of the Colosseum?
Thanks to the work of archaeologists, geotechnicians and documentaries it has been possible to recover step by step what happened with the disappearance of part of the Colosseum, which has been attributed to natural and human causes. The Colosseum is 188 meters long and 155 meters wide, built on an ancient artificial lake. It is a work of engineering that has been much studied by researchers with a capacity for 50,000 spectators.
Where is the missing part?
The most widespread theory about the whereabouts of the missing part of the monument has been the action of natural phenomena such as earthquakes. It is true that in 1349 there was a devastating earthquake, but the magnitude of the damage does not correspond only to that event. For this reason, it is believed that the progressive destruction has been due to the impact of earthquakes and the dismantling of the building over the years.
Earthquakes and looting
Thanks to geophysics it has been discovered that the Colosseum was built on variable terrain. On the one hand, the north side rests on a more stable sand and gravel terrain, while the south side, being on ancient alluvial deposits, is much more prone to resonance from earth movements, making it more unstable. For this reason, it makes sense that it is the southern part of the façade that is most affected. However, it is not believed that the damage is only due to seismic activity.
The other theory that is gaining more and more weight is that, during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Colosseum was ruthlessly looted. Materials such as marble, iron, transvert and many others were used and torn from the walls of the Colosseum to build churches, walls and palaces. Moreover, much of the Colosseum’s tavertine ended up being used in the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. It is worth noting that Popes such as Nicolas V, Sict IV and Pius II agreed with and promoted this looting.
What happened to the Coliseum?
This looting took place for years, until the 19th century, when Popes such as Pius VII, Gregory XVI and Pius IX promoted the restoration of the monument. They were the work of Giuseppe Valadier and Raffaele Stern, whose repairs are still visible today. It is almost romantic to think of the idea that the city of Rome is built with the remains of the Colosseum. Not only is it still present, but also in almost all of the city’s landmarks. However, we can neither forget its history nor ignore the fact that it is a debt of ruin caused, for the most part, by human action.
