Show Romes Rome's Famed Coliseum Most lost Notable Ruin of Worlds World's Greatest Empire I Desecrated Desecrated Dese Dese- se- se crated by Ruthless Government Care Tak Takers ers It Tt costs th the tho Government of Italy about OOOO a year to k keep p up ui the Coliseum the tho most Impressive Impress awl Imposing ruin In the world and tho the most conspicuous type typo of Roman noman architecture and civilization Fifty or sixty masons are aro kept at work all tho the while repairing breaks and cracks for tor tear fear of endangering the live of the tourists who constantly visit tho the place They are working under the tho direction of an nn architect nn and engineer employed bythe bythe by bythe the Minister of Public Instruction People Peo- Peo pie with artistic taste complain about this restoration but It Is absolutely necessary In order to save tho the ruin At Atthe Atthe Atthe the same time It was not necessary sary for forthe the t caro takers after the fall of the Papacy Pary Pa Pa- pacy ry to to tear out tho the shrubs and plants Which decorated this this- most stately sol rol- solemn sol sol- emp maj majestic Ue pile of stone Before 1870 the tho gaunt aunt an and azid bare Interior th tho glorious walls wails and the titanic arches s and embellished with garlands garlands gar gar- lands of green and In places large trees grew from the cracks In the stones The crypts and vaults were cushioned with mosses with the same effect that ono one sees In tho the Scottish abbeys and the Castlo of at It was then the most beautiful as well veil ao aa tho the most Imposing structure In existence and BO to great was the variety of vegetation and foliage tollage which sprang from the soil soU that had been saturated with the blood of the tho martyrs that a Ii botanist named Deakin published a a. catalogue of the tlora flora of the Coliseum Identifying 42 species In tearing awa away this foliage a the workmen o did an Immense amount J afe of fe J damage h more than h the tho decay of or a a. century would cause o the roots of the trees and shrubs had hud wormed their wa way Into intI the cracks and crevices and had clinched themselves stoutly resisting re re- rc- rc th the attempts attempt at their eviction T There ero Is a n. popular notion that St. St Patar's Peters Peter's Peters Peter's Pe Pe- ter's tars cathedral could be placed Inside of the Coliseum but that Is not quito true St. St Peters Peter's Is in III the form of a cross The Coliseum Is oval 1790 1700 feet In circum circumference fer- fer ence nce 6 feet at tho major axis and 55 feet at the minor axis St. St Peters Peter's is feet long by wO feet feat wide so that If It were shaped a n little differently It might be squeezed e within the Coliseum e walls wails i The rhe dome doma of f S1 St. St hl ter's Ie t la is feet t high the walls wails of tho Coliseum are arc 1 17 7 feet and they were probably thirty or forty feet teet higher once orce There has been a a. good d deal al of or discussion discussion discus discus- sion Ion AS al to the seating capacity of the Coliseum but nobody can cnn tell exactly what It was was' The estimates run all the way from t to There wore were eighty 1 entrances tr n and n eighty stairways s sand and four tiers of boxes and seats eats for tor the different ranks of society the e nobility Ob 3 h surrounding g lI the Imperial g b box o on both sides and the soldiers and sailors ors having free entrance Into what we would call the peanut t gallery I which was about b Pi tt I feet feat gt from the ground Free a admission was given to the sailors because they handled the awnings that were stretched o er the seats of the nobility when the sun was too bright for comfort It Is said that the amphitheatre could be emptied of spectators In ten minutes the corridors aud and the stairways all being wide The Coliseum like that other wonder of the world the e Pyramids o of Egypt w was built b by Oj Jewish I l labor m and completed d dw by captives 1 whom Titus brought t from Jerusalem sil after 1 et the c conquest estro The t ta a architect architect archi archi- was a Jew Jew Tew who was converted to Christianity and afterward suffered martyrdom In the arena The material for the Coliseum came chiefly from Neros Nero's famous golden house which covered an area of nearly a square mile Including the courts and a a. portion of It occupied the place where the Coliseum Colt Coil seum stands Much of ot the material In Neros Nero's house came from temples and palaces erected by his hll hi predecessors and hence It was perfectly natural for the theP P Pope pe and the Princes of Rome to use the material In the Coliseum to build their churches and palaces The records show I that four of ot the most famous of the Roman Roman Roman Ro Ro- Ro- Ro man palaces the Farnese Barberini Ven Venezia and were built bunt entirely entirely en en- from materials taken laken from Its walls wails and each one of them was erected by a cardinal who afterward became Pope Wo We know that without counting the material taken from Neros Nero's house the Coliseum cost the Emperor Vespasian 3 and It t was only about half done when ho aJl died d T The decorations t had dd not i yet direction b P gun of f the t They 1 Emperor were done Titus l u under and must the have cost as much more because there were acres of or richly sculptured marble acres of t mosaics and acres of gilded g bronze e The Tho Ironwork W l of the Coliseum olf was va all pulled out during the middle ages to be made over Into arms because metal was scarce in those days Contemporary writers have given us a a. vivid account of the ceremonies attending attending attend attend- ing log the dedication of the Coliseum by the tho Emperor r Titus which C afforded o on an opportunity opportunity f R for a display of l magnificence e cOt and d extravagance which remains unrivaled to the tho present day One of or the I was a battle between women gladiators to tho eternal disgrace of the morals of or Imperial Rome Another act on the pro pro- gramme was a battle between a a. squadron squad squad- ron ran of drafts and a flock of ot cranes and 1000 animals Including beasts of every de description de- de from wolves to elephants and were Introduced Into the arena to fight with slaves The e show v was closed t by flooding the arena with r water fe and making a a. fake lake upon which was given givers a representation of a sea fight tight between the Corinthians and the as re related related related re- re by At the close of the performance the Emperor was found weeping for during the excitement an accident accident ac so- occurred which the astrologers In InT Interpreted interpreted In- In as a an omen of death Ho ex exclaimed exclaimed ex- ex claimed T r that he c did ng not deserve e y to dl die but expired a n few days later on September Septem Septem- ber 18 IS 81 SI being a little more than 39 years old The Emperor Hadrian once celebrated his birthday by turning the arent aren Into a forest and Intro Introducing a n. thousand wild beasts Including more molo than a hundred lions and as many lionesses es and tigers Gladiators were sent In to kill them and the tho spectacle must havo have been very ing log Emperor descended Into the arena himself dressed in a lions lion's skin with his hair sprinkled with gold dust He lie called himself Hercules and fought both occasion g J gladiators It Is written and e wild that beasts he kl killed On d dorcz one lions with his bow and arrows the animals animals ani ani- ani- ani mals being thrown Into the arena by trap trapdoors trapdoors doors from below similar I 1 suppose to the trap Ps used for throwing throwing- pigeons 1 and andas andas as et they struck r the ground i u bewildered fl floe oe d the Emperor shot them one after another The first martyrdom In n the e Coliseum u tl was that f of St. St u ut t the disciple of of John Antioch the gc Evangelist Lions were and let the te tel l loose first b bishop upon g him and devoured d him except e lf the largest r bones es which I ho the 6 Christians u collected t ting during during dur dur- ing the night and have since preserved lu us St. St Clem Clements Clement's nt's church dedicated to his memory here In Rome Rome Rome Correspondent Correspondent Correspondent Corre Corre- Chicago Times |