The Life and Travels of Sherckle: Rome: The Coliseum

We have watched and enjoyed the PBS The Tudor's series...watched as they had jousting as their weekend entertainment. Just another day on the castle grounds... Oh, oops! Henry (as in Henry VIII) ...was injured & subsequently died? Such sport! Makes me think that, despite our present day reports, society is just a little bit 'tamer' than it was in 1550. You think Henry had problems? Flash back about to 72AD when the Roman Coliseum was first started. ...When killing became a spectator sport & they needed a huge amphitheater to hold 50 thousand people who would gather to watch some criminal or chosen individual to play the main character and star in the enactment of his own death.

(Lets get this outta the way first-off: I wasn't great in high school world history, and I have never cared much or watched an entire gladiator movie. Way back in design school we learned about the amazing structure of the Roman Coliseum & marveled at the fact that way back in 72AD they could even think about designing an edifice like this never mind have the capabilities of building it. So I was astounded to learn of its full dismal history while sitting in the cool dampness of a rainy Rome morning....under one of its covered colonnades...listening to Rick Steve's walking tour description of the Coliseum.)
Animals vs. animals; men vs. lions, tigers, hippos or bears; and, last but not least, gladiator vs. gladiator. The contests were bloody & gruesome and cruel, ending with one of the combatants dead. The arena aroma so tainted throughout the different acts that they would spray perfume to camouflage the overwhelming smell of blood. During its 100-day grand opening festival 2,000 men and 9,000 animals were killed! (I think I'll go back to living in my naiveté and focus on the architecture and the engineering feat, thank you!)
The Coliseum was 4 stories high, covered 6 acres and, before the pilfering of the marble veneer started, it was brilliant white with marble facing over a brick superstructure. Taking cues from the Greeks it had a mixture of column styles and ox-drawn carts made 200 trips daily from Tivoli for four years to bring the travertine to Rome.