- "(The animals) were starved, had salt poured into
wounds, were taunted and thrown straw dummies of men to make them fighting
mad, and then they were released."
-
- MUNICH -- The Colosseum in
Rome was as sophisticated as a modern stage set, according to archaeologists
who have calculated how an intricate system of gangplanks, trapdoors and
levers was used to bring wild animals into the arena.
-
- Under the 55,000-seat Colosseum, pulleys and ropes were
operated at split-second intervals to connect passages, open gates and
hoist cages from the basement to the floor of the arena.
-
- The system was run by teams of trained slaves who faced
being fed to the animals themselves if their timing went awry.
-
- A team from the German Archaeological Institute involved
in an eight-year project to rebuild the arena - which dates back to about
70 AD - has been astonished by the ingenious designs.
-
- Although the basement of the Colosseum was due to be
excavated in 1812, the watertable was too high at the time and the area
was covered over again. Until now, it has never been properly investigated.
-
- "We found the Romans invested an enormous amount
of energy in making their games ever more spectacular," said Heinz-Juergen
Beste. "We had to do a lot of research to recreate this stage. What
we found was an extremely sophisticated system."
-
- By measuring the floor space and cavities in the walls
where wooden lifts, levers and cages would have been constructed, and comparing
their findings with contemporary accounts of how animals "magically
appeared", the archaeologists have pieced together how the mechanisms
worked.
-
- Beneath the grandeur of the arena lay a netherworld of
gladiatorial schools and storerooms for weapons and props, all linked by
a network of corridors filled with pulleys and levers, animal cages and
gladiators. "I walk down these passages now and it's covered in moss
and damp, but you can still see how it worked," said Dr Beste.
-
- "We can tell that two or three different mechanical
systems were installed. We have found more than 28 lifts used to get animals
into the Colosseum. With a pull of a lever they could send scenery, artificial
forests or castles made of papier-mache into the arena. The animals were
taken down into the basement where they were put into cages.
-
- "From there they were hauled up to a second level,
and the door to the cages opened. The beasts would then run up ramps and
out into the arena."
-
- The highlight of a typical Colosseum schedule was the
afternoon gladiatorial contest, run to a tight timetable by teams of slaves
who worked in poor conditions.
-
- "The spectators would have had plenty of light,
but below ground it was a very different story," Dr Beste said. "It
would have been very dark, with just a few candles or oil lamps to light
the way."
-
- The first recorded fights between gladiators took place
in 264bc and spread rapidly with the growth of the empire. At the height
of the Roman Empire, a network of at least 186 amphitheatres stretched
from Westphalia, in modern-day Germany, to the Euphrates.
-
- The Colosseum in Rome was the largest and most prestigious
arena, where emperors consolidated their reputations by staging ever larger
games.
-
- Rhinoceros and bulls were originally pitted against each
other in the ring but their popularity led to more exotic creatures being
sought. Camels, zebras, tigers, lions and leopards were shipped to Italy
from across the world.
-
- Maltreatment was part of the Colosseum regime. "They
were starved, had salt poured into wounds, were taunted and thrown straw
dummies of men to make them fighting mad, and then they were released,"
said Dr Beste.
-
- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003.
-
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/14/wcolos
14.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/12/14/ixworld.html
|
