Plans for a new stage at the Colosseum have been unveiled in Italy. The flexible, wooden slat design will give the public a view of the Roman monument not seen for hundreds of years.
Centuries after being removed, the Colosseum will be getting a floor againImage: Imago/robertharding
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The Colosseum in Rome will be getting a new arena floor, allowing visitors to see the nearly 2,000-year-old structure from the point of view of the gladiators who once fought there.
Italy's culture minister unveiled the winning design on Sunday, with the project slated to be completed by 2023.
What are the plans?
An engineering firm from Milan beat out 10 competitors with their design for a wooden-slat stage.
The 3,000-square-meter (32,300-square-foot) structure will extend over the currently floorless Colosseum, covering the remains of walls and tunnels that were once below the floor of the arena.
The new stage will be lightweight and flexible, able to provide ventilation for the ruins beneath it.
A video of the design posted by the Culture Ministry shows the structure can be completely retracted if needed.
The rainwater that gathers in the lower levels will be collected and used for the toilets at the Roman monument.
Once installed, visitors will be able to stand in the heart of the Colosseum, the same perspective that gladiators and slaves forced to fight saw in ancient Rome.
According to the ministry, the new stage is also entirely reversible — meaning it can be easily removed in the future should plans for the monument change.
'Ambitious project'
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said the project will allow the public "to see the majesty of the monument."
"It's another step forward toward rebuilding the arena, an ambitious project that will aid the conservation of the archaeological structures while getting back to the original image of the Colosseum and its quality as a complex scenographic machine," Franceschini said.
A new exhibition examines the lives of ancient Roman gladiators
Gladiator fights were not exactly as Hollywood made them out to be. An exhibition in Hamburg separates fact from fiction.
Image: Gallo Römisches Museum
The equipment: Different kinds of gladiators
Small statues preserved from ancient Rome show us how gladiators were equipped. This figure from the 1st century AD depicts a so-called "Murmillo," a heavily armed gladiator. He typically wore a sword (not preserved on the statue), a bronze helmet and a shield, as well as a metal leg covering on his left leg.
Image: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
Different kinds of gladiators
In the early days of gladiator fights, combatants were equipped almost identically. But over time, different types of gladiators with different outfits and fighting styles came into being. Fights between a Murmillo fighter (his helmet pictured) and a so-called "Thraex" fighter were the most common. A "Retiarius" fighter entered combat with a trident and weighted net.
Image: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
Fighting with helmet and sword
Duels between Murmillo and Thraex took place mainly in the first two centuries. The picture shows a Thraex helmet with a visor that protected the eyes. The head protection was typically crowned by a comb. A Thraex sword was bent differently than that of the Murmillo and could also be used to stab behind a Murmillo's shield.
Image: Luc Daelemans
Leg coverings and a shield for protection
Thraex fighters wore long metal coverings on both legs because they were only equipped with a small shield. The Murmillo, meanwhile, had a long shield and only a short leg covering. The "ocrea," the official name of this leg protection, were made of metal and attached to the shin with straps. They were usually decorated elaborately, like this "ocrea" from Pompeii (pictured).
Image: Archäologisches Museum Hamburg
Clues about history
Who the gladiators were and how they fought can be deduced from written sources and inscriptions from the period. Illustrations on stone also provide information about their armor and what they wore. Pictured is a clay oil lamp that depicts a gladiator in uniform. Archaeologists are also working to understand the lives of gladiators through excavations and scientific research.
Image: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
What visitors to the exhibition can expect
With original artifacts and reconstructions, life-size figures, films and interactive elements, the exhibition "Gladiators - Heroes of the Colosseum" brings visitors into a bygone era and gives them a glimpse into what it was like to fight as a gladiator. The exhibition runs until February, 28, 2021 in the Archaeological Museum Hamburg.
Image: Gallo Römisches Museum
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He added that it will also be used to host cultural events in the Colosseum in the future.
A symbol of Italy
The Colosseum, the largest ancient amphitheater still standing, was constructed in the first century AD.
The original arena floor was removed in the 1800s when archaeological digs were carried out on the lower levels of the monument.
Starting last week, visitors were once again permitted inside the Colosseum. It had been shut for over 40 days due to coronavirus restrictions.
Currently, up to 1,260 people are allowed to visit per day and must adhere to a one-way path through the structure.
Prior to the pandemic, the monument saw as many as 25,000 visitors a day.
