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The most famous monument in the world,
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the pulsating heart of the Roman Empire
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where heroes where made and broken.
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Two thousand years of human
drama have left their mark
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on the stone, brick, and
mortar of this iconic arena.
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Underneath the grime are
hidden details coming to light
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only now as a controversial renovation project
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returns the Colosseum to its ancient glory.
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This is Rome, the Eternal City,
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the center of the greatest
empire of the ancient world.
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At its heart, was the Colosseum.
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Two thousand years after it was built,
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this iconic monument is in dire need of repair.
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Through a unique public/private partnership,
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the Colosseum is getting a historic facelift.
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I think that beyond being a pleasure,
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it is also our duty to do these things.
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The Colosseum is a symbol that represents Italy.
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It is a monument that everyone worldwide loves.
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Today, restorers carefully
strip away centuries of grime
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to reveal the Colosseum in its original colors.
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The scaffolding stretches to the
top of the imposing monument.
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A lift takes workers up 55 meters
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to one of the most stunning views of the city.
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Beneath this layer of dirt,
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taking away and freeing the monument
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and making it more beautiful aesthetically,
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there are still many things to discover.
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Rome is the most famous city in the world.
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Millions of tourists each year
come to visit the Vatican,
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heart of the Catholic faith and
admire Rome's ancient ruins.
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This monument fascinates because of its
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uninterrupted history.
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People came here continuously
except for a few periods,
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a continual use, a continual transformation.
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Although the Forum was ancient
Rome's political center,
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it was the Colosseum that Romans loved,
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where the emperors paid for quality entertainment
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to win the hearts of the citizens.
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Construction began around 70 AD
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and ended ten years later.
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80, 000 spectators watched
gladiatorial games every day
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for 100 days to inaugurate the arena,
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a celebration fit for the
greatest of all amphitheaters.
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Bread and circuses.
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Get the people bread and circuses,
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a full stomach and something to look at.
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They will never have a revolution.
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That is something the leaders
of Rome understood perfectly.
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The seismic activity and pollution of a modern city
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with a population of six million is taking its toll
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on the Colosseum, the tallest building in Rome
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apart from the great marble monument to
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Italian unification in nearby Piazza Venezia.
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Traffic in the heart of Rome is a constant threat
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to the ancient monuments.
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In a 3-year, 25 million Euro restoration project,
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scientists, engineers, and
artisans are meticulously
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cleaning and repairing the massive monument,
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and preserving the historic
arena for future generations.
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Cinzia Conti is in charge of the massive task,
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which involves using the
tiniest hammers and brushes
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to carefully chip, wash, and
repair grime and damage
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that threatens the structure.
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The surface of the Colosseum
is 22,452 square meters.
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It is an old monument, but it is in good shape.
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It is solid.
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The organization of the
construction site requires that
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we see what there is underneath
the soft deposited layer.
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One man who is often in the public eye
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has taken the fate of the Colosseum to heart,
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and battled through layers
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of Italian bureaucracy to preserve it.
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The owner of luxury shoe and
leatherwear brand Tod's,
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Diego Della Valle, has put his name on the line
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to restore the Colosseum and in the process,
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realized a dream that goes back to his youth.
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I saw the Colosseum as a young boy.
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We went on a school trip,
and we left this small town
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in a bus and we arrived in
Rome after a very long trip.
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And when I saw the Colosseum, it was this
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giant thing and I never forgot it.
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Every time I go to Rome and pass the Colosseum
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on my way to the airport or somewhere else,
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I see it and it pleases me that we are able to
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lend a hand and save something so emblematic.
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Across Italy, major monuments are being restored
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with the help of discreetly branded sponsorship.
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You have a lot of people that say,
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"I want to contribute, and ultimately"
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"I'd like to be recognized for
making that contribution."
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And this is what happened in Ancient Rome as well,
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except for they really put
their names on the monuments.
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Critics warn agains seeing these gestures
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as pure altruism.
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In exchange for his 25 million Euro contribution,
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Della Valle gets the right to
use the logo of the monument
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on his products for years to come
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and print his company's logo on the back
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of the Colosseum's entry tickets.
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Marketing and advertising
potentially worth millions.
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It is not a given, however, that he will do so.
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It is important to do it for the country
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and get nothing in exchange,
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because it is a strong symbolic gesture.
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In the Anglo-Saxon world, those who do this
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sort of operation, sometimes they have sponsorship
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or sometimes they study the mechanisms
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for how it can be useful for their group,
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normal things that I think are good to do.
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But in our case, it was just
a case of, "We are Italians."
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"Here we are, our country gave us a lot."
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"We are proud to be Italians,"
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"and happy to help the Colosseum."
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The Colosseum may be the greatest
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amphitheater of the Romans,
but it was not the first.
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Gladiatorial combat was held at least 250 years
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beforehand in the arenas in Capua and Paestum.
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The breathtaking amphitheater
of Verona in Northern Italy,
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is also older than the Colosseum by 40 years.
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It has been completely restored and rendered safe
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for entertainment and public use today.
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There were other amphitheaters
before the Colosseum.
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The Verona Arena is interpreted
from a historical standpoint
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as a step in the evolution of the amphitheater.
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And it was important for the construction of
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the Flavian Amphitheater
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which is the biggest of the Roman world.
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These ancient amphitheaters, incredibly all
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built before Rome's Arena, shed light on the
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past, present, and future of the Colosseum.
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The Colosseum undergoes the most
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comprehensive facelift of its history
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using simple yet revolutionary
non-invasive techniques.
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Dr. Darius Arya is the Director of the
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American Institute for Roman Culture,
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and has directed excavations of ancient Rome.
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How do you clean the Colosseum?
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Well, right now the exterior is being cleaned
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with manual labor, elbow grease.
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But the main factor that's applied is water.
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Not chemicals, but just water with a nebulizer.
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And that ultimately is gonna loosen up and remove
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the pollution that's secreted on the surface.
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Then you're brushing it out.
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Then you see what kind of
consolidation you need to do.
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Are there chips and cracks?
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Yes, there are, you fill them in.
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So ultimately then it's a
bigger study, a larger study
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on the effects of time on the Colosseum.
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The water should not be sprayed on the Colosseum,
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but rather nebulized.
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The mist that is created produces
a concentrated humidity,
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that lasts over time, for
approximately four hours,
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allowing the layers of dirt to slide down.
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In the sections that have been through
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the arduous cleaning process,
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experts are finding amazing architectural details
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that shed new light on how the
Romans used the Colosseum.
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For the first time, thanks to the scaffolding,
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restorers can see up close the halls
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where bronze shields were
fixed, as well as traces of the
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plinths of the marble statues
that decorated the facade.
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Another interesting element emerged on the
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second and third floors, where
we found traces of the places
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where the statues were that
decorated the whole facade.
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The delicate and prudent
cleaning revealed this rubric.
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These traces of red were applied in the space
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inside the numbers sculpted on every arch.
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The visitors had access to the 80 archways.
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Each one had a card to enter, entry was free.
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Two thousand years ago,
Romans entered through these
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very same arches to watch the gladiatorial games.
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Federica Guidi is an archaeologist and expert
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on the life of the gladiator in Ancient Rome
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where the emperors had perfected the best way
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to pacify their public.
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The Romans loved the games
whether they were rich or poor
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and the proof that they loved them so much.
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They were passionate about
them and that it was more than
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just a spectacle is that the games spread,
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not only the gladiatorial
games but games in general
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throughout the entire Roman Empire.
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But the origins of this popular Roman tradition
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reached back much farther in the annals of history
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all the way to the great Greek epic, The Iliad.
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It is Homer, whoever he was, who for the first time
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tells us about a series of funeral games
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that the Greek warriors held to honor
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one of their fallen comrades, Patroclus.
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The champions engage in combat, boxing, and races.
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But at the first blood or sign of supremacy of one
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over the other, the fight or the competition stops.
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We would see that in Italy,
things would be different.
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Giorgio Franchetti operates a
school of gladiators in Rome
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and is considered an expert in the ancient games.
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In 264 BC, in a Rome that was
at the height of its empire
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in great territorial, commercial,
and military expansion,
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Titus Livy and Valerius Maximus,
the great Roman historians,
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tell us that the funeral of
an important politician,
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Julius Pera, was celebrated in the cattle market.
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And his children decided to honor his funeral pyre
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by having three couples of gladiators fight.
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And this was the first evidence
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of gladiatorial combat in Rome.
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Gladiatorial combat to the death
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increased in popularity exponentially.
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Every time a great Roman died,
more and more elaborate
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funeral rites, games, and
spectacles were organized.
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As the games became more
important and became an event
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that the public followed and looked forward to,
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the organization became more and more expensive.
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Also because it became an important
investment for all those
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who wanted to embark on a political career,
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they were a good electoral campaign investment.
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The organizers of these grand
shows were called lanistas
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and they rented their services
for the most elaborate events
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which were wildly popular with the Roman public
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and a prime political opportunity.
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In 46 BC, Julius Caesar to inaugurate his Forum,
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Caser's Forum, employed 320 gladiatorial pairs
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though, obviously, there is
no funeral to celebrate.
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And by now they had completely forgotten about
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the sacred funerary aspects of this ritual.
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The greater the enthusiasm for this blood-thirsty
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spectacle, the more need there was to create
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adequate urban spaces for such games.
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Rome did not yet have a place for permanent games
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and constantly had to erect costly wooden seating.
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It was not possible in the late republican period
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to keep the structures for
public entertainment standing.
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They had to be dismantled and there was a reason,
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because they could be places
of assembly of many people
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and therefore dangerous.
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Though the thriving cities of Capua and Pompeii
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already had permanent arenas,
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senators and councils in
Rome were hesitant to allow
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too many gladiators in the city at once.
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Caesar himself at a certain point, Julius Caesar,
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had 5,000 gladiators and they told him,
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"You can't keep them in Rome."
so he moved them to Capua,
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to the training grounds of Capua.
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But Capua is very close to Rome.
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This is the ancient Etruscan city of Capua,
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second only to Rome and Carthage
in strategic importance
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at the time and connected
directly to Rome with the most
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important military highway called the Via Appia.
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Here for the first time, the
two semi-circles of a theater
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were built facing each other around
250
00:16:36,678 --> 00:16:40,024
the central sand-covered stage.
251
00:16:40,025 --> 00:16:44,248
In Latin, "arena" means sand.
252
00:16:44,249 --> 00:16:47,758
Ida Gennarelli is the director
of the archeological site
253
00:16:47,759 --> 00:16:51,350
that houses the remains of Italy's most ancient
254
00:16:51,351 --> 00:16:55,991
amphitheater, the second
largest after the Colosseum.
255
00:16:58,791 --> 00:17:01,884
The Campania Amphitheater of Capua was built by
256
00:17:01,885 --> 00:17:05,842
the veterans colony of Capua in the 1st Century AD.
257
00:17:06,992 --> 00:17:11,780
It has an enormous arena, 164 by 144.
258
00:17:11,781 --> 00:17:14,870
And it is built on three layers.
259
00:17:14,871 --> 00:17:17,016
These arches are made of travertine.
260
00:17:17,017 --> 00:17:19,654
And there is an attic with windows.
261
00:17:22,905 --> 00:17:25,191
For thousands of spectators
262
00:17:25,192 --> 00:17:27,754
to all be able to see the show,
263
00:17:27,755 --> 00:17:31,272
they had to be seated around it and upwards
264
00:17:31,273 --> 00:17:34,510
as in a football stadium of today.
265
00:17:34,511 --> 00:17:38,271
It was an enormous feat of engineering at the time.
266
00:17:40,571 --> 00:17:44,015
The construction techniques
of the Romans are well known.
267
00:17:44,016 --> 00:17:45,628
They built everything.
268
00:17:45,629 --> 00:17:48,650
Aqueducts, amphitheaters, roads,
269
00:17:48,651 --> 00:17:51,012
so they were great engineers.
270
00:17:51,013 --> 00:17:53,495
And, obviously, they put all their professionalism
271
00:17:53,496 --> 00:17:55,392
into the amphitheater.
272
00:17:55,393 --> 00:17:59,248
Thanks as well to the slaves
they had at their disposal.
273
00:17:59,249 --> 00:18:01,928
So you have to imagine the thousands of people
274
00:18:01,929 --> 00:18:05,639
that were required to build this huge amphitheater.
275
00:18:07,154 --> 00:18:10,505
Capua was also the first permanent arena
276
00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:13,505
built of bricks, mortar, and stone
277
00:18:13,506 --> 00:18:17,237
with richly decorated interiors and seating,
278
00:18:17,238 --> 00:18:21,380
setting the style of Roman arenas for centuries.
279
00:18:21,381 --> 00:18:24,089
While Capua's arena is the oldest
280
00:18:24,090 --> 00:18:27,003
and is no longer used for entertainment,
281
00:18:27,004 --> 00:18:30,874
the amphitheater of Verona,
far to the north of Italy,
282
00:18:30,875 --> 00:18:33,979
is an example of an arena that still functions
283
00:18:33,980 --> 00:18:36,630
as a place of entertainment.
284
00:18:46,074 --> 00:18:48,872
It is a very large structure that held up to
285
00:18:48,873 --> 00:18:53,019
30,000 spectators, that staged great events
286
00:18:53,020 --> 00:18:55,636
both gladiator against gladiator,
287
00:18:55,637 --> 00:18:58,247
but mostly gladiator against animal,
288
00:18:58,248 --> 00:19:01,152
either ferocious or exotic.
289
00:19:04,183 --> 00:19:08,271
The peaceful period after the
rise of the Emperor Augustus
290
00:19:08,272 --> 00:19:11,895
saw great expansion and new colonies.
291
00:19:11,896 --> 00:19:16,651
And with them, the spread of
gladiatorial games in arenas
292
00:19:16,652 --> 00:19:20,115
by now the hallmark of the Roman Empire.
293
00:19:20,116 --> 00:19:24,867
These epigraphs tell the stories
of famous Roman gladiators
294
00:19:24,868 --> 00:19:27,507
citing them even by name.
295
00:19:29,665 --> 00:19:32,366
For example, one was called Generous
296
00:19:32,367 --> 00:19:35,643
because he was very brave,
and he died after fighting
297
00:19:35,644 --> 00:19:38,004
in many battles here in Verona.
298
00:19:38,005 --> 00:19:43,005
But he died "invictus", without
ever having being defeated.
299
00:19:43,015 --> 00:19:46,349
Another was called Pardon because he moved in a way
300
00:19:46,350 --> 00:19:48,763
that was very feline.
301
00:19:54,574 --> 00:19:57,399
When the gladiator lost, there was this sign
302
00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,755
on the part of the magistrate or the emperor
303
00:19:59,756 --> 00:20:02,563
and the gladiator would be killed.
304
00:20:05,147 --> 00:20:07,483
There are those who say the thumbs-down sign
305
00:20:07,484 --> 00:20:10,742
that has been cited very few times by the sources,
306
00:20:10,743 --> 00:20:13,253
that it might have been a gesture like this.
307
00:20:13,254 --> 00:20:16,090
Or there are those who say
that the thumb went like this
308
00:20:16,091 --> 00:20:19,495
for the sign at the slitting of
the throat of the gladiator.
309
00:20:19,496 --> 00:20:22,755
But the fact is that it is the
emperor who had the power
310
00:20:22,756 --> 00:20:27,174
to decide the life or death
of the defeated gladiator.
311
00:20:32,870 --> 00:20:35,638
And they had their throats slit right there
312
00:20:35,639 --> 00:20:37,707
in front of everybody.
313
00:20:44,417 --> 00:20:46,929
The amphitheater also had entrances
314
00:20:46,930 --> 00:20:49,185
for the different social classes,
315
00:20:49,186 --> 00:20:53,290
as well as separate doors
for the winners and losers.
316
00:20:56,670 --> 00:21:00,351
The two entrances of the arena
were the two main doors,
317
00:21:00,352 --> 00:21:02,630
the triumphant door that faced the city
318
00:21:02,631 --> 00:21:05,071
where the parades came into the arena,
319
00:21:05,072 --> 00:21:08,974
and the door of the losers, the libitinarian door.
320
00:21:10,321 --> 00:21:14,026
The intermediate corridors where spectators moved
321
00:21:14,027 --> 00:21:18,084
through to their places were called vomitoria,
322
00:21:18,085 --> 00:21:21,386
and they were richly decorated as evidenced
323
00:21:21,387 --> 00:21:25,993
by the original pieces housed in the Capua museum.
324
00:21:25,994 --> 00:21:28,523
There was this illusion that they were all equal.
325
00:21:28,524 --> 00:21:31,269
I could be next to someone who was important.
326
00:21:31,270 --> 00:21:33,522
I could be no one or someone,
327
00:21:33,523 --> 00:21:36,389
all there together rooting for our favorites.
328
00:21:36,390 --> 00:21:40,249
It was a great social equalizer but only apparently
329
00:21:40,250 --> 00:21:41,948
because when the show was over,
330
00:21:41,949 --> 00:21:45,658
everyone went back to being what they were before.
331
00:21:45,659 --> 00:21:49,240
Under the early empire, only certain officers
332
00:21:49,241 --> 00:21:53,630
could organize games at their own expense.
333
00:21:53,631 --> 00:21:58,625
The number of gladiators was
limited to 120 per exhibition,
334
00:21:58,626 --> 00:22:01,990
except of course those promoted by the emperor
335
00:22:01,991 --> 00:22:04,255
who could do what he liked.
336
00:22:04,256 --> 00:22:07,003
Every time one of Augustus' successes
337
00:22:07,004 --> 00:22:09,391
needed a surge in popularity,
338
00:22:09,392 --> 00:22:13,751
he took gladiatorial combat to new heights.
339
00:22:14,248 --> 00:22:19,248
The arenas were the venue and
they too had to be spectacular
340
00:22:24,057 --> 00:22:27,375
The Colosseum is still standing today.
341
00:22:27,376 --> 00:22:32,094
But centuries of grime have taken their toll.
342
00:22:32,095 --> 00:22:35,483
The painstaking renovation work is revealing the
343
00:22:35,484 --> 00:22:39,001
original color of the Colosseum
as it might have looked
344
00:22:39,002 --> 00:22:42,364
to the Romans who 2,000 years ago attended
345
00:22:42,365 --> 00:22:45,807
the first gladiatorial combat here.
346
00:22:50,697 --> 00:22:53,756
This is really the fulcrum of this city
347
00:22:53,757 --> 00:22:56,988
and it continues to be.
348
00:22:56,989 --> 00:22:59,357
And there is a destiny to this place,
349
00:22:59,358 --> 00:23:03,449
to be the place of combat also ideological.
350
00:23:07,149 --> 00:23:10,865
Indeed there is fierce debate over how to regulate
351
00:23:10,866 --> 00:23:14,513
private sponsorship of national heritage sights.
352
00:23:14,514 --> 00:23:18,619
In this case, the most famous
monument in the world.
353
00:23:20,329 --> 00:23:22,382
It needed to be restored.
354
00:23:22,383 --> 00:23:25,398
The mayor of Rome called me and asked for help,
355
00:23:25,399 --> 00:23:27,375
and we made ourselves available
356
00:23:27,376 --> 00:23:30,126
and we are very proud to do it.
357
00:23:30,127 --> 00:23:33,004
Two years and several culture ministers
358
00:23:33,005 --> 00:23:35,383
after the initial proposal,
359
00:23:35,384 --> 00:23:39,623
renovation finally got off the ground in 2014
360
00:23:39,624 --> 00:23:42,411
but not without obstacles.
361
00:23:42,412 --> 00:23:45,002
Worries, frustration?
362
00:23:45,003 --> 00:23:49,118
No, displeasure at seeing that sometimes small men
363
00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:52,397
put at risk the reputation
of something so important
364
00:23:52,398 --> 00:23:55,995
for the prestige of the
country, but not a big deal.
365
00:23:55,996 --> 00:23:59,570
Small men, small problems.
366
00:24:00,535 --> 00:24:04,044
Two thousand years ago, the Emperor Vespasian
367
00:24:04,045 --> 00:24:08,625
set out to build the greatest
amphitheater of all time,
368
00:24:08,626 --> 00:24:12,115
a place where enthusiastic crowds were treated to
369
00:24:12,116 --> 00:24:15,501
the gory spectacle of duels to the death,
370
00:24:15,502 --> 00:24:19,653
and the merciless massacre of wild animals.
371
00:24:21,143 --> 00:24:25,641
The massacre was most of all of animals, so much so
372
00:24:25,642 --> 00:24:30,491
that even Cicero in the second
half of the 1st Century BC,
373
00:24:30,492 --> 00:24:33,512
complained that in the Orient they were having
374
00:24:33,513 --> 00:24:36,179
trouble finding panthers.
375
00:24:36,180 --> 00:24:39,121
This is the sign of how much the wild animals
376
00:24:39,122 --> 00:24:42,036
were almost going extinct.
377
00:24:45,427 --> 00:24:49,255
But exactly who were the gladiators?
378
00:24:49,256 --> 00:24:52,480
In the beginning, it was
prisoners, prisoners of war,
379
00:24:52,481 --> 00:24:55,649
who entertained the Roman public in the arena.
380
00:24:55,650 --> 00:24:59,260
It is not by chance that the
first armor gladiators wore
381
00:24:59,261 --> 00:25:03,005
were called Samnite, Gaelic, and Thracian
382
00:25:03,006 --> 00:25:05,977
named after the enemies of Rome.
383
00:25:10,164 --> 00:25:13,370
Each type of gladiator could be recognized in the
384
00:25:13,371 --> 00:25:18,119
amphitheater from afar by their helmet and armor.
385
00:25:21,659 --> 00:25:24,263
This is a typical Thracian helmet.
386
00:25:24,264 --> 00:25:27,375
It is perfectly recognizable by this crest
387
00:25:27,376 --> 00:25:29,394
that ends in an animal head,
388
00:25:29,395 --> 00:25:32,995
unique and special to the Thracian helmet.
389
00:25:34,901 --> 00:25:38,697
They were prisoners of war, criminals.
390
00:25:39,570 --> 00:25:42,416
Some even volunteered.
391
00:25:42,417 --> 00:25:45,236
They were desperate Romans who signed contracts
392
00:25:45,237 --> 00:25:48,498
that were legally binding and of saturation
393
00:25:48,499 --> 00:25:51,499
in hopes of fighting their way out of debt
394
00:25:51,500 --> 00:25:54,982
despite becoming social outcasts.
395
00:25:54,983 --> 00:25:58,895
But they were also famous.
396
00:26:09,565 --> 00:26:12,382
They put their lives at risk in combat.
397
00:26:12,383 --> 00:26:15,745
And in exchange they received ambivalent sentiment,
398
00:26:15,746 --> 00:26:19,488
a feeling of formal disgust, "Oh, my god."
399
00:26:19,489 --> 00:26:24,166
"How disgusting it is to become
a gladiator, how horrible."
400
00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:27,756
But in fact we know that gladiators were heroes.
401
00:26:27,757 --> 00:26:30,637
They were looked up to like today's football stars,
402
00:26:30,638 --> 00:26:32,762
like today's celebrities.
403
00:26:32,763 --> 00:26:35,374
So one the one side, they were despised and
404
00:26:35,375 --> 00:26:38,274
disapproved of as men who sold themselves.
405
00:26:38,275 --> 00:26:41,269
On the other hand, there was admiration.
406
00:26:41,270 --> 00:26:43,649
There is this ambivalence that is constant
407
00:26:43,650 --> 00:26:46,089
in the games of the Romans.
408
00:26:49,663 --> 00:26:53,899
The fact is they became slaves
even if they were free men.
409
00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:55,894
It was viewed as being wrong.
410
00:26:55,895 --> 00:26:58,744
In fact as soon as they entered as new recruits
411
00:26:58,745 --> 00:27:00,747
and were brought into the training grounds
412
00:27:00,748 --> 00:27:02,790
that would embrace them as new athletes
413
00:27:02,791 --> 00:27:05,650
for a month, three months, five months,
414
00:27:05,651 --> 00:27:07,829
however long they were on the contract for,
415
00:27:07,830 --> 00:27:12,010
the first thing that was done
to them, is they were whipped.
416
00:27:13,003 --> 00:27:15,315
In the arena, you are a hero.
417
00:27:15,316 --> 00:27:17,994
In the arena, all eyes are on you.
418
00:27:17,995 --> 00:27:20,633
But outside, you are a slave.
419
00:27:20,634 --> 00:27:23,850
In the end you are someone
lowering yourself for money,
420
00:27:23,851 --> 00:27:26,086
and doing something degrading.
421
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:35,497
Their popularity was undeniable
especially it is said
422
00:27:35,498 --> 00:27:40,174
among the high society Roman
women who attended the games.
423
00:27:40,175 --> 00:27:43,659
The gladiators were strong, athletic,
424
00:27:43,660 --> 00:27:47,550
and according to legend very desirable.
425
00:27:47,551 --> 00:27:49,262
The women desired them.
426
00:27:49,263 --> 00:27:51,131
They thought they were beautiful.
427
00:27:51,132 --> 00:27:53,475
The high society women from good families
428
00:27:53,476 --> 00:27:56,066
ran away from home for them.
429
00:27:56,067 --> 00:27:59,264
In the training grounds of Pompeii, they found
430
00:27:59,265 --> 00:28:03,480
among all these male skeletons,
a skeleton of a woman.
431
00:28:03,481 --> 00:28:06,642
They say she was a rich matron who had paid to come
432
00:28:06,643 --> 00:28:10,761
to see her favorite gladiator,
something that was documented.
433
00:28:10,762 --> 00:28:12,937
There are those who say with a smile.
434
00:28:12,938 --> 00:28:16,135
In any case, she died happy.
435
00:28:16,136 --> 00:28:19,247
Roman matrons dumped their husbands and children,
436
00:28:19,248 --> 00:28:23,359
and boarded a ship with a group
of itinerant gladiators.
437
00:28:25,179 --> 00:28:28,626
But gladiators were not just male.
438
00:28:28,627 --> 00:28:32,727
Female slaves and prisoners also fought.
439
00:28:37,416 --> 00:28:39,451
The gladiator women weren't allowed to fight
440
00:28:39,452 --> 00:28:40,934
as equals though.
441
00:28:40,935 --> 00:28:43,128
They were made to fight over the lunch hour
442
00:28:43,129 --> 00:28:45,160
with the dwarves and the others
443
00:28:45,161 --> 00:28:48,380
while the spectators waited
for the real entertainment,
444
00:28:48,381 --> 00:28:51,794
the real antagonists, the men.
445
00:28:55,414 --> 00:28:59,662
Despite the fame and fortunes some might achieve,
446
00:28:59,663 --> 00:29:04,663
most gladiator's lives were hard and dangerous.
447
00:29:04,764 --> 00:29:07,862
As the gladiators became celebrities,
448
00:29:07,863 --> 00:29:12,370
the men who managed them became rich and powerful.
449
00:29:12,371 --> 00:29:16,853
These manager agents were called lanistas.
450
00:29:17,352 --> 00:29:20,252
Until the time of the Emperor Domition,
451
00:29:20,253 --> 00:29:25,028
they invested in and trained
whole gladiatorial teams.
452
00:29:25,928 --> 00:29:29,525
A good lanista, a good manager, is one who knew
453
00:29:29,526 --> 00:29:33,480
how to read the human qualities
he had in front of him.
454
00:29:33,481 --> 00:29:37,259
You were skinny and fast, you will be a Retiarius
455
00:29:37,260 --> 00:29:40,649
armed likely with a trident and a net.
456
00:29:40,650 --> 00:29:44,677
You were big and muscular, I
will make you a Thracian.
457
00:29:44,678 --> 00:29:47,520
I will turn you into a mammalian, heavily armed
458
00:29:47,521 --> 00:29:50,437
but able to sustain frontal assaults.
459
00:29:55,397 --> 00:29:59,368
The gladiators were assessed, fed a rich diet
460
00:29:59,369 --> 00:30:01,518
and then specially trained,
461
00:30:01,519 --> 00:30:05,255
not always with real arms however.
462
00:30:05,256 --> 00:30:08,838
The scene was far different
in front of the Roman public
463
00:30:08,839 --> 00:30:12,740
inside the arena, where gladiators were outfitted
464
00:30:12,741 --> 00:30:16,143
for each type of battle or game.
465
00:30:18,563 --> 00:30:21,923
These are called clematis, these high ones.
466
00:30:21,924 --> 00:30:23,915
But there were other shapes, too.
467
00:30:23,916 --> 00:30:27,638
For example, these that were called ocreas.
468
00:30:27,639 --> 00:30:32,072
So many kinds of swords and
shields, all of different sizes
469
00:30:32,073 --> 00:30:35,397
and each to be given to a specific gladiator.
470
00:30:35,398 --> 00:30:38,839
Training involved using
wooden swords such as these,
471
00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:42,338
the rudis, because they were
considered safe weapons,
472
00:30:42,339 --> 00:30:44,407
they couldn't cause wounds.
473
00:30:44,408 --> 00:30:46,754
And also because, let's not forget,
474
00:30:46,755 --> 00:30:49,761
that these people weren't the crème de la crème,
475
00:30:49,762 --> 00:30:52,897
so leaving them with weapons at their disposal
476
00:30:52,898 --> 00:30:55,332
was not the wisest choice.
477
00:30:56,226 --> 00:31:00,521
The Spartacus Revolt, however,
showed just how vulnerable
478
00:31:00,522 --> 00:31:04,653
society could be to these professional mercenaries.
479
00:31:04,654 --> 00:31:08,640
Spartacus was an ex-soldier from the Roman legions
480
00:31:08,641 --> 00:31:12,007
who was condemned to slavery and retained to become
481
00:31:12,008 --> 00:31:16,651
a gladiator here at the gladiator school of Capua.
482
00:31:16,652 --> 00:31:20,538
In 73 BC, he led a slave uprising
483
00:31:20,539 --> 00:31:24,000
against the Roman republic which quickly spread
484
00:31:24,001 --> 00:31:26,642
across the entire South of Italy.
485
00:31:29,422 --> 00:31:32,388
It took two years for the
Senate to take the problem
486
00:31:32,389 --> 00:31:35,842
of the rebellious gladiators of Capua seriously
487
00:31:35,843 --> 00:31:38,357
because they tended to underestimate them,
488
00:31:38,358 --> 00:31:40,832
so as not to give them the satisfaction of sending
489
00:31:40,833 --> 00:31:42,984
the best legions against them.
490
00:31:42,985 --> 00:31:45,752
Because it would mean admitting they were stronger
491
00:31:45,753 --> 00:31:49,304
than they should have been, but they were.
492
00:31:55,888 --> 00:31:59,906
The impressive underground
labyrinth of the Capua Arena
493
00:31:59,907 --> 00:32:03,627
has only become accessible for viewing recently.
494
00:32:03,628 --> 00:32:07,083
This is where gladiators and animals were kept
495
00:32:07,084 --> 00:32:09,522
before entering the arena.
496
00:32:09,523 --> 00:32:13,378
Trapped doors and elevators
allowed scenery and animals
497
00:32:13,379 --> 00:32:15,919
to be lifted onto the wooden stage
498
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:18,797
which was covered in sand.
499
00:32:18,798 --> 00:32:23,017
Here doctors would stitch up wounded gladiators.
500
00:32:23,018 --> 00:32:28,018
The smell of death infested the tiny corridors.
501
00:32:28,213 --> 00:32:30,655
Canals of water ran underneath
502
00:32:30,656 --> 00:32:34,025
to wash away the blood and waste.
503
00:32:36,865 --> 00:32:38,744
These were the cellars.
504
00:32:38,745 --> 00:32:41,201
This is where they managed the stage machinery
505
00:32:41,202 --> 00:32:42,992
to marvel the public.
506
00:32:42,993 --> 00:32:46,242
Trapped doors, pulleys, and
planks, where the beasts,
507
00:32:46,243 --> 00:32:48,910
gladiators, machines, rocks,
508
00:32:48,911 --> 00:32:51,483
everything that could enthrall the Roman public
509
00:32:51,484 --> 00:32:54,009
was brought onto the stage.
510
00:32:58,285 --> 00:33:02,495
However, not all combat was to the death.
511
00:33:02,496 --> 00:33:04,631
It was in the lanista's interest
512
00:33:04,632 --> 00:33:08,569
to keep the gladiators alive as long as possible.
513
00:33:19,181 --> 00:33:21,752
The armor and the components of the equipment
514
00:33:21,753 --> 00:33:25,491
were also studied to balance
the offense and the defense,
515
00:33:25,492 --> 00:33:28,697
so that the combat would last as long as possible.
516
00:33:31,397 --> 00:33:34,107
Not just the emperors and magistrates
517
00:33:34,108 --> 00:33:36,405
decided the fate of the gladiators,
518
00:33:36,406 --> 00:33:41,251
but also the lanistas who acted
as referees in the games.
519
00:33:42,015 --> 00:33:46,357
Frescos and epigraphs of ancient gladiatorial rites
520
00:33:46,358 --> 00:33:49,792
recall there was often pressure from the public
521
00:33:49,793 --> 00:33:53,184
to spare popular gladiators' lives.
522
00:33:55,464 --> 00:33:58,210
It would be crazy to go and kill a gladiator,
523
00:33:58,211 --> 00:34:00,390
a favorite of the crowds, when the crowd
524
00:34:00,391 --> 00:34:05,013
is asking for the gladiator's life to be spared.
525
00:34:05,014 --> 00:34:08,375
Today, the only form of "fight to the death"
526
00:34:08,376 --> 00:34:12,388
still practiced is the bullfight, a spectacle that
527
00:34:12,389 --> 00:34:16,601
still thrives in Spain and
the Spanish-speaking world.
528
00:34:19,901 --> 00:34:23,024
Behind the scenes, the younger toreros prepare
529
00:34:23,025 --> 00:34:27,010
their magnificent clothes called traje de luces
530
00:34:27,011 --> 00:34:31,265
or robes of light, while the more senior matador
531
00:34:31,266 --> 00:34:35,215
prepares mentally to kill the bull.
532
00:34:35,216 --> 00:34:38,284
It is an ancient rite and not without risk,
533
00:34:38,285 --> 00:34:41,024
both for the toreros, the picadors,
534
00:34:41,025 --> 00:34:44,752
and of course the matador.
535
00:34:44,753 --> 00:34:48,372
The killing technique is the
gauge of the matador's value,
536
00:34:48,373 --> 00:34:52,506
just as the ancient Romans
judged the valor of a gladiator
537
00:34:52,507 --> 00:34:56,509
by his capacity to escape and deliver death.
538
00:34:56,510 --> 00:34:59,915
The arenas of 2,000 years ago guaranteed
539
00:34:59,916 --> 00:35:02,718
a unique form of entertainment,
540
00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:07,383
a magnificent show with complex
scenery, exotic animals,
541
00:35:07,384 --> 00:35:12,369
music and often an unforgettable bloodbath.
542
00:35:13,199 --> 00:35:17,632
Rome, however, was the last
city to get its own arena,
543
00:35:17,633 --> 00:35:21,383
and building it was a special feat of engineering.
544
00:35:21,384 --> 00:35:22,999
The construction of the Colosseum
545
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,355
was an enormous undertaking.
546
00:35:25,356 --> 00:35:29,250
There were already several large amphitheaters
547
00:35:29,251 --> 00:35:31,710
being built throughout Italy at the time.
548
00:35:31,711 --> 00:35:33,519
But this one had to be the biggest,
549
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:35,817
this one had to be the best.
550
00:35:35,818 --> 00:35:39,354
Building this mega-arena in the heart of Rome
551
00:35:39,355 --> 00:35:42,508
was more than a triumph of engineering.
552
00:35:42,509 --> 00:35:45,514
It was an astute political ploy on the part
553
00:35:45,515 --> 00:35:48,522
of an ambitious dynasty of emperors who took
554
00:35:48,523 --> 00:35:52,606
the Roman Empire to new heights of power.
555
00:35:55,526 --> 00:35:58,779
Nearly 500 years after the earliest gladiatorial
556
00:35:58,780 --> 00:36:02,760
combats were recorded, Emperor Vespasian,
557
00:36:02,761 --> 00:36:06,063
first of the Flavian Dynasty, had a unique
558
00:36:06,064 --> 00:36:09,029
opportunity to build an arena in the heart of
559
00:36:09,030 --> 00:36:11,366
the empire's capital city.
560
00:36:11,367 --> 00:36:16,301
But also to destroy the memory
of his predecessor, Nero.
561
00:36:17,047 --> 00:36:20,772
The city's geography favored his plan.
562
00:36:20,773 --> 00:36:23,636
The Rome of Julius Caesar and Augustus
563
00:36:23,637 --> 00:36:26,646
expanded fast and chaotically.
564
00:36:26,647 --> 00:36:31,131
And in 64 AD, a great fire burned nearly
565
00:36:31,132 --> 00:36:33,766
a quarter of the city to the ground.
566
00:36:33,767 --> 00:36:36,267
Although Nero has been both blamed for the
567
00:36:36,268 --> 00:36:40,028
disaster and accused of infamously fiddling
568
00:36:40,029 --> 00:36:44,775
while Rome burns for being at
the theater during the fire,
569
00:36:44,776 --> 00:36:48,833
other reports have him participating
in the relief effort,
570
00:36:48,834 --> 00:36:52,863
and actually paying for the
reconstruction of the housing.
571
00:36:54,973 --> 00:36:58,933
The history books, the successors aren't very kind,
572
00:36:58,934 --> 00:37:03,081
and so we have a rather stilted image of Nero,
573
00:37:03,082 --> 00:37:05,654
when Nero was a person who modernized the city,
574
00:37:05,655 --> 00:37:09,508
gave it new infrastructure,
gave it a new fire code.
575
00:37:09,509 --> 00:37:12,378
After the big fire of Rome in 64,
576
00:37:12,379 --> 00:37:14,999
many areas became available to build on
577
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,872
because the fire had destroyed most of Rome.
578
00:37:17,873 --> 00:37:20,501
So Nero took advantage.
579
00:37:23,194 --> 00:37:26,490
For the first time, urban planning was applied
580
00:37:26,491 --> 00:37:31,090
to the chaotic city with wider
streets and brick buildings.
581
00:37:31,091 --> 00:37:35,771
But Nero also carved out a
huge area for a new palace,
582
00:37:35,772 --> 00:37:38,823
which extended on to the Appian Hill to the north,
583
00:37:38,824 --> 00:37:40,870
the Palatine Hill to the west,
584
00:37:40,871 --> 00:37:43,244
and the Caelian Hill to the south.
585
00:37:43,245 --> 00:37:48,245
He called it the Domus Aurea, the Golden House.
586
00:37:49,156 --> 00:37:53,111
Between the buildings, stood a massive square pool.
587
00:37:53,112 --> 00:37:55,918
In the enormous entrance to the palace,
588
00:37:55,919 --> 00:37:58,839
he built a huge statue of himself
589
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,387
as a colossus, a giant.
590
00:38:02,388 --> 00:38:05,650
But over time, bit by bit the Domus Aurea
591
00:38:05,651 --> 00:38:09,168
and the grounds around it were all dismantled,
592
00:38:09,169 --> 00:38:11,933
so we have very little to see.
593
00:38:11,934 --> 00:38:15,251
When Nero was deposed, shortly afterwards
594
00:38:15,252 --> 00:38:17,255
the house was abandoned.
595
00:38:17,256 --> 00:38:21,024
And to further destroy any
trace of their predecessor,
596
00:38:21,025 --> 00:38:24,385
successive emperors built on top of it.
597
00:38:24,386 --> 00:38:28,544
Roman architects had mastered
the art of civil engineering,
598
00:38:28,545 --> 00:38:32,281
with bridges, aqueducts, and roads.
599
00:38:32,282 --> 00:38:35,494
And now a space in the city's heart
600
00:38:35,495 --> 00:38:37,868
became available to build in.
601
00:38:37,869 --> 00:38:40,751
It's done by teams of workmen
that are very skilled,
602
00:38:40,752 --> 00:38:42,375
they've done this before.
603
00:38:42,376 --> 00:38:44,642
And this is ultimately something that is lost.
604
00:38:44,643 --> 00:38:47,567
Because we can't build something
of this scale by hand.
605
00:38:47,568 --> 00:38:51,793
We do with mechanized means,
and cranes, and machines.
606
00:38:51,794 --> 00:38:54,625
This was all done by hand.
607
00:38:54,626 --> 00:38:59,352
This was all done by brute
force and physical labor.
608
00:38:59,353 --> 00:39:01,653
And then when you're building your scaffolding,
609
00:39:01,654 --> 00:39:02,959
it's made out of wood,
610
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:06,093
When you're hoisting up material, it's cranes
611
00:39:06,094 --> 00:39:08,762
that are made of wood with metal pins
612
00:39:08,763 --> 00:39:11,499
and ultimately ropes that are made by hand.
613
00:39:11,500 --> 00:39:14,115
This is how you build the Colosseum.
614
00:39:14,116 --> 00:39:18,148
The Forum stands in a valley
beneath the Palatine Hill,
615
00:39:18,149 --> 00:39:20,920
where the Imperial Palace was.
616
00:39:21,385 --> 00:39:24,643
The palace dominated the Circus Maximus,
617
00:39:24,644 --> 00:39:28,651
the main chariot racing stadium
and today, the venue for
618
00:39:28,652 --> 00:39:33,652
political rallies, soccer
celebrations, and rock concerts.
619
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:40,246
The Circus Maximus was enormous.
620
00:39:40,247 --> 00:39:42,828
It could accommodate hundreds of thousands
621
00:39:42,829 --> 00:39:45,396
of spectators at a time,
622
00:39:45,397 --> 00:39:48,233
last built in its final phase
by the Emperor Trajen,
623
00:39:48,234 --> 00:39:49,912
which is partially excavated.
624
00:39:49,913 --> 00:39:53,391
But it extended for over 500 meters.
625
00:39:53,392 --> 00:39:55,632
Overlooking the Circus Maximus
626
00:39:55,633 --> 00:39:58,916
were the spectacular emperors' palaces
627
00:39:58,917 --> 00:40:02,003
from where they had the best
view of the entertainment
628
00:40:02,004 --> 00:40:05,357
and could interact with the Roman public below.
629
00:40:05,358 --> 00:40:08,388
It was a great opportunity
to communicate and over time
630
00:40:08,389 --> 00:40:11,415
the emperor always had a palace with a circus,
631
00:40:11,416 --> 00:40:13,903
also (mumbles).
632
00:40:15,676 --> 00:40:18,996
To the west of the palace was Nero's pool,
633
00:40:18,997 --> 00:40:21,983
which was to become the site of the Colosseum.
634
00:40:26,396 --> 00:40:30,000
Vespasian found the coffers of Rome empty
635
00:40:30,001 --> 00:40:33,771
and turned to a shocking
expedient to fill them again.
636
00:40:33,772 --> 00:40:37,967
He made Romans pay to use the public urinals.
637
00:40:37,968 --> 00:40:41,747
And he was rather practical so
you can imagine for example
638
00:40:41,748 --> 00:40:45,667
when he said, "Let's tax the public lavatories."
639
00:40:45,668 --> 00:40:47,054
So that if you're going to the bathroom,
640
00:40:47,055 --> 00:40:48,639
you got to pay a fee.
641
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:50,636
This is the kind of practical benefits
642
00:40:50,637 --> 00:40:52,244
that he is all about.
643
00:40:52,245 --> 00:40:54,500
A lot of people don't really
agree with that at the time,
644
00:40:54,501 --> 00:40:56,060
but he says, "You know what, you know",
645
00:40:56,061 --> 00:40:57,506
"this is what we have to do,"
646
00:40:57,507 --> 00:41:00,256
"every single penny makes sense."
647
00:41:00,257 --> 00:41:02,538
When his children complained and said,
648
00:41:02,539 --> 00:41:04,863
"My god, dad, no, but why?"
649
00:41:04,864 --> 00:41:06,360
"It's disgraceful."
650
00:41:06,361 --> 00:41:10,497
"But you can't put a tax on
urinals, it is scandalous!"
651
00:41:10,498 --> 00:41:14,273
Vespasian took a asistencia, a
coin, and threw it at his son
652
00:41:14,274 --> 00:41:17,985
and said, "Non olet!", it doesn't smell.
653
00:41:17,986 --> 00:41:21,972
Nero's artificial lake was the perfect foundation
654
00:41:21,973 --> 00:41:24,074
for Rome's new amphitheater.
655
00:41:24,075 --> 00:41:27,907
And work began in 70 AD to build the arena
656
00:41:27,908 --> 00:41:30,416
the imperial capital deserved
657
00:41:30,417 --> 00:41:32,959
at the foot of Vespasian's residence
658
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:35,742
and a stone's throw from the Forum.
659
00:41:35,743 --> 00:41:40,005
Before the Colosseum, you have
a long history of various
660
00:41:40,006 --> 00:41:43,821
locations in Rome used for gladiatorial spectacles.
661
00:41:43,822 --> 00:41:46,755
The earliest document in use
is in the Forum Boarium
662
00:41:46,756 --> 00:41:49,615
of the cattle market in 264 BC.
663
00:41:49,616 --> 00:41:51,970
But ultimately through the republic, it's really in
664
00:41:51,971 --> 00:41:54,136
the Roman Forum itself, that you have the
665
00:41:54,137 --> 00:41:57,848
occasional games held temporarily.
666
00:41:59,098 --> 00:42:02,252
Vespasian understood perfectly that the right time
667
00:42:02,253 --> 00:42:05,894
had come to build something really big.
668
00:42:05,895 --> 00:42:09,275
Think about a work site the size of the Colosseum,
669
00:42:09,276 --> 00:42:12,764
how many jobs it gave, the demolishing of the area,
670
00:42:12,765 --> 00:42:15,190
the recovery of the pool for building,
671
00:42:15,191 --> 00:42:17,917
the building materials transported there.
672
00:42:19,159 --> 00:42:23,012
The stone used to build the
Colosseum is travertine,
673
00:42:23,013 --> 00:42:25,886
an ancient type of limestone rock formed
674
00:42:25,887 --> 00:42:28,532
hundreds of thousands of years ago
675
00:42:28,533 --> 00:42:30,744
from the calcium carbonate deposits
676
00:42:30,745 --> 00:42:33,923
of ancient sulphur warm springs.
677
00:42:33,924 --> 00:42:37,251
As the climate changed and the springs dried up,
678
00:42:37,252 --> 00:42:39,757
travertine was left behind.
679
00:42:39,758 --> 00:42:42,531
Its special qualities made it perfect for the
680
00:42:42,532 --> 00:42:46,268
grand monuments of Ancient Rome.
681
00:42:46,269 --> 00:42:48,517
Travertine, geologically, has holes
682
00:42:48,518 --> 00:42:51,352
which are technically called vacuoles.
683
00:42:51,353 --> 00:42:55,358
They are resistant to water,
they do not absorb water.
684
00:42:55,359 --> 00:43:00,077
They can hold water like a
glass, but the water remains.
685
00:43:00,567 --> 00:43:02,508
This is extraordinary.
686
00:43:02,509 --> 00:43:05,648
Here is the limestone as if we were in a cave
687
00:43:05,649 --> 00:43:08,632
with stalactites and stalagmites.
688
00:43:08,633 --> 00:43:11,235
It helps you understand that the hole is rich
689
00:43:11,236 --> 00:43:14,850
with limestone, so it cannot absorb water.
690
00:43:16,269 --> 00:43:19,699
These quarries in the hills of Tivoli near Rome
691
00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:22,741
have been providing the raw material for buildings
692
00:43:22,742 --> 00:43:26,376
and statues since the very earliest times.
693
00:43:26,377 --> 00:43:29,323
Until very recently, travertine was almost
694
00:43:29,324 --> 00:43:31,581
exclusively quarried in Italy.
695
00:43:31,582 --> 00:43:33,986
Today it is mined worldwide.
696
00:43:33,987 --> 00:43:35,910
But Italy has been perfecting the
697
00:43:35,911 --> 00:43:40,476
extraction process for 2,000 years.
698
00:43:40,477 --> 00:43:42,927
Alessandro Dandini De Sylva works
699
00:43:42,928 --> 00:43:45,766
in Fratelli Pacifici quarries,
700
00:43:45,767 --> 00:43:49,021
one of the largest travertine quarries in Italy.
701
00:43:51,401 --> 00:43:53,778
There are other quarries in the world.
702
00:43:53,779 --> 00:43:58,039
Mexico, China, and Turkey, our biggest competitor
703
00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:00,738
in Europe, but here in Italy we have
704
00:44:00,739 --> 00:44:03,746
the highest capacity for extraction.
705
00:44:03,747 --> 00:44:07,590
And nobody has been able to do it quite as well.
706
00:44:07,591 --> 00:44:11,429
The principle area in Italy is Tivoli, the same
707
00:44:11,430 --> 00:44:14,975
place that the Romans quarried
stone for the Colosseum
708
00:44:14,976 --> 00:44:19,158
and the other monuments of Rome
more than 2,000 years ago.
709
00:44:22,270 --> 00:44:25,997
Although travertine looks porous, it is also
710
00:44:25,998 --> 00:44:30,492
extremely hard and polishes up to look like marble
711
00:44:30,493 --> 00:44:34,631
although its chemical constitution
is more like limestone.
712
00:44:34,632 --> 00:44:37,796
The qualities of this stone are its easy working
713
00:44:37,797 --> 00:44:42,322
characteristics, and strength
as a construction material.
714
00:44:42,323 --> 00:44:45,913
It is an extremely solid
stone, but at the same time
715
00:44:45,914 --> 00:44:49,434
not very hard to work like for example marble.
716
00:44:51,154 --> 00:44:53,635
We can say with certainty that the surface
717
00:44:53,636 --> 00:44:56,616
of the Colosseum was like this.
718
00:44:56,617 --> 00:45:00,142
The surface was left rough and grainy on purpose.
719
00:45:03,142 --> 00:45:07,246
This was a monument for the
public, for spectacles, games,
720
00:45:07,247 --> 00:45:10,079
so the surface had this roughness,
721
00:45:10,080 --> 00:45:12,295
while the monuments made for the emperor
722
00:45:12,296 --> 00:45:15,518
or dedicated to the gods were made of marble,
723
00:45:15,519 --> 00:45:19,203
smooth, shiny, and reflective of the Sun.
724
00:45:23,413 --> 00:45:28,145
But how exactly did the Romans
mine and cut the travertine
725
00:45:28,146 --> 00:45:31,363
and then transport the massive blocks of stone
726
00:45:31,364 --> 00:45:35,974
to the Colosseum construction
site in the heart of Rome?
727
00:45:35,975 --> 00:45:38,994
The Romans had the quarry near the Hvanna River
728
00:45:38,995 --> 00:45:41,204
which was convenient because they loaded the
729
00:45:41,205 --> 00:45:43,946
travertine blocks onto boats that could be
730
00:45:43,947 --> 00:45:46,625
floated all the way down to Rome.
731
00:45:49,275 --> 00:45:52,629
The first challenge the Roman
engineers faced was to
732
00:45:52,630 --> 00:45:55,972
get the building materials to the construction site
733
00:45:55,973 --> 00:45:59,719
which in itself was a massive transport operation.
734
00:46:00,666 --> 00:46:04,070
From the Tiber River, the stone had to be moved
735
00:46:04,071 --> 00:46:07,862
to the heart of the city where at last Vespasian's
736
00:46:07,863 --> 00:46:11,564
grand plan could be put into action.
61105
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