152 



THE COLOSSEUM OF ROME 



"\Vas commenced by Vespasian and finished by Titus (A. D. 79) This 

 enormous building occupied only three years in its erection, and cost as 

 much as \vould build a capital city. We have the means of ascertaining 

 exactly its original dimensions, and its accommodations, from the great 

 mass of wall which is still entire ; although the very clamps of iron and 

 brass that held together the ponderous stones of that wonderful edifice 

 were removed by Gothic plunderers, and succeeding generations have 

 resorted to it as to a quarry, for their temples and their palaces; yet the 

 " enormous skeleton" still stands in prodigious majesty ! The colosseum 

 is of an oval form, and occupies the space of nearly six acres. It may 

 be justly said, with Messrs. Cresy and Taylor, who visited it in 1813, 

 " to have been the most imposing building, from its apparent magnitude, 

 in the world ; the pyramids of Egypt can only be compared with it ia 

 the extent of their plan, as they cover nearly the same surface." The 

 greatest length, or major axis, is six hundred and twenty feet, the greatest 

 breadth, or minor axis is, five hundred and thirteen feet. The outer wall 

 is one hundred and fifty-seven feet high in its whole extent; the exterior 

 wall is divided into four stones, each ornamented with one of the orders 

 of architecture. The cornice of the upper story is perforated for the 

 purpose of inserting wooden masts, which passed also through the 

 architrave and frieze, and descended to a row of corbels immediately 

 above the upper range of windows, on which are holes to receive the 

 masts. These masts were for the purpose of attaching cords to, for 

 sustaining the awning which defended the spectators from the sun or 

 rain. Two corridors ran all round the building leading to staircases, 

 which ascended to the several stories; and the seats which descended 

 towards the arena, supported throughout upon eight arches, occupied so 

 much of the space that the clear opening of the present inner wall next 

 the arena is two hundred and eighty-seven feet by one hundred and 

 eighty feet. Immediately above and around the arena was the Podium, 

 elevated about twelve or fifteen feet, on which were seated the 

 emperor, senators, ambassadors of foreign nations, and other distin- 

 guished personages in that city of distinctions. From the podium to the 

 top of the second story, were seats of marble for the equestrian order; 

 above the second story the seats appear to have been constructed of wood. 

 In these various seats eighty thousand spectators might be arranged 



