Ah, good ol’ Rome. We all know about it, one of the oldest civilizations, named the planets, fun and destructive Roman Gods, blah blah. We also somehow know about the Roman Colosseum- a huge dude, the world’s largest standing amphitheatre, looks like some giant alien bit a huge chunk off of it- yep, that’s the one. I don’t know if you’re here to explore some genuine historical Facts About The Roman Colosseum or it was Rick Riordan’s books that led you here, but these stories about the Colosseum will blow your mind all the same.
Badass women gladiators
Now a lot of us may know the Colosseum from stories of intense, gruelling gladiator battles. But did you know that there was a point in time when even women fought in the infamous battle arena? While this female participation wasn’t widespread, nor did it last long, there is evidence from an art relief of two women gladiators, named by the artist as Achillia and Amazon. And contradicting popular belief, they were often not slaves forced to sacrifice their life for the emperor’s entertainment; it is actually believed that some women freely chose to engage in such fights with a desire for glory and to ‘imitate’ men (considering the societal standards of the time). We can never know for sure, though, since they didn’t have pre-game athlete interviews during those days!
All kinds of supernatural presences
Every haunted house becomes a haunted house because someone died there, and their soul roams the place in search of revenge. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that an ancient place where thousands (probably more) of gladiators bled to death has some beliefs of the paranormal associated with it. Even today, we might hear someone speak of the Colosseum’s very own Canterville Ghost wandering the halls. Another interesting story of the supernatural that surrounds the Colosseum is its image as one of the seven gates of hell. Stories of the gladiator fights talked of the appearance of Charon, the ferryman for the dead, at the end of each fight and him taking the dead victim through to the Underworld. Nope, not the mafia, but the land of the deceased.
The storytellers don’t stop here though. Considering its importance in a place as ancient and mythically charged as Rome, the Colosseum is also viewed by some as a site for magic. Many medieval believers spoke of Virgil, poet (and part-time necromancer, apparently), and how he performed his magic rituals in the inner spaces of the amphitheatre. During the days of its abandonment, the building actually sprouted many strange, wild plants and herbs, and jumping at the chance, some folks spread the word that witches and sorcerers would find ingredients there for their magic potions. Despite the fright, I would probably wander off into the Colosseum just to confirm my belief that magic is real.
The exploits of Mr. Commodus
Despite his laughable name, Emperor Commodus is known to have been the worst ruler Rome ever saw, and that’s coming from a city that found slaughtering men and animals entertaining, so he must’ve been a real bad guy. He was crazy too, it would seem, because it wasn’t uncommon for him to waltz into the arena, without any armor (naked, even), and wrestle with the poor, exotic animals or even gladiators that were destined to die. These fights were obviously rigged, and were just a show of the emperor’s incredible (fake) prowess to the crowd, but he is still known as one of the most successful gladiators in history. Now, you must be thinking, what a brute and a coward, but you might be glad to know that one day, people had enough of him, and plotted for him to be killed by his own wrestling trainer. A happy ending for everyone!
Winning gladiators had their lives sorted
I mean, it’s obviously really sad when you think about all those poor men and women that died during gladiator fights, but hey, on the bright side (if there is one), the successful gladiators had really fun lives! This success was so coveted that some people, desperate for glory, signed up at gladiator schools to train! Victorious gladiators were akin to NBA players in their fame. Kids could buy action figures of those who really outdid themselves in battles.
These men also became immensely popular among women -rich, aristocratic women. And I wish I was kidding about this next part, but I’m not – gladiator sweat was considered as a powerful aphrodisiac, and some Romans used to mix it into their face creams to become… I don’t even know what they were trying to do with it, it was just weird. But yeah, it was pretty dope to be a gladiator, if you could somehow survive and win, that is.
Water, water, everywhere, not any drop to drink
These Romans have made their name in history for being extravagant and flamboyant, and grand gladiator fights and the Colosseum itself are evidence. But I’m sure even their mouths must’ve been left gaping open, when the emperor decided to re-enact naval battles. And this wasn’t the kind of lame theatre production where they held blue silks to make it look like the sea. Nope. The gigantic amphitheatre floor was actually filled with water, and real full-sized ships sailed upon it, filled with soldiers and prisoners. The architectural and technical genius required to accomplish this must’ve been crazy, but hey, that’s Roman talent for you.
The famous Julius Caesar is known to have staged the first such battle, with 4,000 oarsmen and 2,000 fighters on board. But the record for being grand to the point of insanity was set by Emperor Claudius, who had 100 ships sail upon and 19,000 soldiers (condemned prisoners) fight in an enormous artificial sea. These were of course not everyday affairs, but happened just for celebratory purposes. Additionally, the audience found these more boring than animal or gladiator fights, so they quickly became unpopular. Imagine finding such a financially and visually grand event of massacre boring. Can you believe it?!
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