Colosseum
The Ancients
History Hit
4.7 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 27 October 2022
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nicknamed the 8th wonder of the ancient world, the Colosseum still stands in splendour today. Located in the heart of Rome, nestled at the bottom of the Palatine Hill, neighbouring the ancient Roman Forum - the Colosseum is nearly 2000 years old. But who is responsible for this colossal amphitheatre, and what exactly was it built for?
Tristan is joined by Dr Nathan Elkins to talk about this monument of Roman imperialism, and to take a look at the role it has played throughout history. Taking 10 years and 3 emperors to be completed - the crumbling marble was once decorated with vibrant colours and architectural features, representative of Roman might and decadence. Home to beast hunts, gladiatorial games, and one of the most remarkable sewage systems in the ancient world - what can we learn about Roman life from one of the world's most famous monuments?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's the Entrance on History Hit. |
| 0:12.3 | I'm Tristan Hughes, your host, and in today's podcast, while we're talking about the Colosseum, |
| 0:18.0 | one of the most famous, coolest structures of ancient Rome. |
| 0:23.9 | An hour, of course, today hundreds of thousands of visitors going to it every year and renowned |
| 0:30.4 | by the big blockbuster movie that was gladiator in 2000. |
| 0:35.7 | It is an incredible structure. |
| 0:37.2 | I remember going to see the Colosseum myself a few years ago, many years ago, just after |
| 0:42.0 | university, and it really does blow your mind, just the sheer scale of it and the architectural |
| 0:47.2 | prowess of constructing it. |
| 0:50.1 | In today's podcast episode, we're going to be talking all about the Colosseum. |
| 0:53.8 | We're going to be finding out why it was built, what was in that area of Rome before it |
| 0:59.1 | was constructed, what activities happened there, how it evolved over time, and so on and so forth. |
| 1:05.8 | What do we know about the construction of it itself, the paintings, the colour, the vibrant |
| 1:10.6 | nature of this monumental structure almost 2000 years ago. |
| 1:17.0 | To explain all, I was delighted to get on the podcast and interview a couple of weeks back |
| 1:21.9 | talk to Nathan Elkins. |
| 1:24.2 | Nathan was wonderful to get him on a show. |
| 1:25.8 | He is an absolute expert when it comes to the Colosseum, and this was a really, really fun |
| 1:30.6 | chat to record. |
| 1:32.4 | So without further ado, to talk all about the Colosseum, here's Nathan. |
| 1:41.8 | Nathan, it is wonderful to have you on the podcast today. |
| 1:44.5 | Thank you for having me. |
... |
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