Description
Book SynopsisGo behind the scenes to discover why the Colosseum was the king of amphitheaters in the Roman worlda paragon of Roman engineering prowess. Early one morning in 80 CE, the Colosseum roared to life with the deafening cheers of tens of thousands of spectators as the emperor, Titus, inaugurated the new amphitheater with one hundred days of bloody spectacles. These games were much anticipated, for the new amphitheater had been under construction for a decade. Home to spectacles involving exotic beasts, elaborate executions of criminals, gladiatorial combats, and evenwhen floodedsmall-scale naval battles, the building itself was also a marvel. Rising to a height of approximately 15 stories and occupying an area of 6 acresmore than four times the size of a modern football fieldthe Colosseum was the largest of all amphitheaters in the Roman Empire. In A Monument to Dynasty and Death, Nathan T. Elkins tells the story of the Colosseum's construction under Vespasian, its dedication under Titus,
Trade ReviewElkins' focus on the political and ideological importance of the Flavian amphitheater and the events it housed offers a valuable addition to the growing body of general audience resources on Rome's Colosseum.
—Elisha Ann Dumser, University of Akron,
Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsPrologue. Opening Day at the Colosseum
I. The Rise of a New Dynasty
II. A Modern Amphitheater in Ancient Rome
III. An Amphitheater in the Heart of Rome
IV. A Hundred Days of Games
V. The Colosseum and Its First Games in Flavian Art and Literature
Epilogue. The End of the "Flavian" Amphitheater
Acknowledgments
Notes
Suggested Further Reading
Index
