The Colosseum & The Roman Forum
Everyone has their bucket list when they get to a new place, especially if it’s a historic place like Rome. Regardless of where you are in this city, you will either be walking on history, looking at history, breathing history and in the case of those doing guided tours like me listening to History.
Somehow, this last two days of tours in Rome have been quite out of the Ordinary. You know when you have seen a place in postcards, calendars, movies, billboards to mention but a few and have always fancied being there one day then that one day finally comes to past? It’s an unforgettable feeling! That’s what being in Rome these last two days has been, like I was in the movies – not sure which one exactly though!
The saying that we don’t remember every moment we breath but remember those moments that take our breaths away is what best describes those movie-like moments I had these last two days. In my bucket list today were two major site visits: visit to the Roman Forum and a grand tour of the nearby Colosseum.
Situated at the center of Rome is what the citizens of the ancient city colloquially called the Forum Magnum. For 21st century homo sapiens like you and me, the rectangular forum only has ruins of several important ancient government buildings in stock for us. Of course it’s also ecstatic to stand in the midst of these ruins then realizing your feet are being supported by what used to be the center of Roman public life.
Our guide told us it was the center of triumphal processions and elections, criminal trials, venue for the cheesy public speeches and the nucleus of commercial affairs. With uncountable numbers of tourists (and a bunch of college students), it would be right to say the Forum is the most celebrated meeting place in the world, in all of history, and even in modern tourist Rome.
The breath taking moment was when we dared to hike to The Capitoline Hill. The view of the sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations were remarkably impressive! The Forum also had a number of shrines and temples such as the Temple of Vesta.
Walking down slope from the Forum, right in front of me, just east of the Forum, stood what any engineering student like me would describe as one of the greatest works of Roman engineering and Architecture! Capable of seating a total of 50,000 to 80, 000 people, the elliptical Colosseum is definitely the largest amphitheater that was ever built in the Roman Empire. It’s said that its construction began in 72 AD under the then Roman emperor Vespasian and construction works completed in around 80 AD under Titus. Between 81 AD and 96 AD, while Domitian reigned as emperor, further modifications to the architectural masterpiece are said to have been done. The name “Amphitheatrum Flavium” is said to have logically been derived from both Vespasian’s and Titus’s family name.
The size of the Colosseum and the time in which it was built brings to mind several interesting questions whose answers I truly have not! Practically speaking, the construction works were for sure depressingly labor extensive! Now, where in Rome did the labor come from? Well, a part of me wants to conclude there was some slave labor involved. Migrant labor? Not so sure how big a deal immigration was back then but certainly sure they would need all kinds of labor to mag all those blocks, regardless of where such labor came from.
Next question: why in the ancient Roman empire did these emperors build the Coliseum for? The most obvious reason to me is of course every emperor wants to leave behind something iconic with their name or family name attached to it. No historian can refute that! But is that all? I don’t think so!
Actually, the most obvious reason should have been to kill boredom! Oh yes, in case you were wondering, boredom existed then too. In fact, it must have been such a traumatizing problem in the late 70’s AD that Domitian decided to initiate the construction of such a massive structure as the Coliseum just to deal with it! In other words, the most obvious reason for the construction should have been for entertainment purposes. Now that, no historian can truly refute!
Now if you think football American football is the most exhilarating form of entertainment that draws a very big crowd to watch a contest on who has the most concussion proof skull, you are right! But just because you are probably American or possessed like me about the game and also because this is 2016. Trust, the ancient Romans had a rather crude taste for entertainment. You will soon find out the origin of the term Crude Entertainment!
These ancient Romans had the time of their life enjoying gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts (I would have loved this one, especially if the animals were lions), executions (there’s crude for you), re-enactments of previous battles, and several dramas mostly based on Classical mythology.
As one can tell, these kinds of entertainment soon make one weary! At least it did to the ancient Romans and that’s why the entertainment purpose of the Coliseum soon vanished into the thin air! Those who’ve read the history books told us that it was later used for housing and workshop purposes. In fact, despite its crude pagan background, it came to be used as a Christian Shrine. No wonder I could see a cross still firmly standing on the western side of the inner arena.
With two of my bucket list items with a tick right beside them, I could not help but call it a wonderful day as I dared to lead all those who had had enough of the breath taking moments back to hotel Villafranca! Honestly, I didn’t actually know the entire way back to the hotel. Neither did anyone else who decided to follow me. This was leadership in action! I learnt one of the most valuable leadership lessons through this walk back to the hotel.
As Nelson Mandela once highlighted, a leader only knows he’s leading when all his followers are in front of him/her. In other words, Great leaders lead from behind! I only knew the part of the journey from the Coliseum to a place we had all been to before as a group. This gave me the confidence I need to lead the group. I knew where we all needed to get, how we would get there and surely why he needed to get there! So I volunteered to lead the way and the people followed me. All I wanted was to lead them to place from where they would all be confident enough to continue moving towards the hotel completely on their own, without me! And yes, we got to that point and I soon took my place at the back and happily followed feeling very accomplished! That to me was visionary leadership!
It was a fantastic day, one well spent, and very fulfilling indeed! Now let me go get ready for Sienna and Arezzo!
