ROMAN FORUM TOURS ROME - ETERNAL TOURS ROME - PRIVATE ROME TOURS - COLOSSEUM PRIVATE TOUR |
|
|
|
|
IMPERIAL FORUM TOUR
A History of the Colosseum by R. G. (2/5) |
In 68 AD he was driven from Rome and eventually committed suicide at the country estate of one of his freed slaves. Nero left no heirs, and an ensuing power struggle began between four Roman generals, each one proclaimed emperor by their troops in quick succession. Vespasian, commander of the legions stationed in Judea, took full power after his three rivals were assassinated one by one. Once he had taken the purple, Vespasian set about establishing a positive public image that would contrast with the now seemingly decadent rule of Nero. He turned his attention to Nero’s artificial lake, and ordered it to be drained. This site then provided the foundations of arguably the most famous and instantly recognizable structures to have survived since antiquity - the Colosseum. Vespasian had taken the land swallowed up by private imperial luxury and shrewdly dedicated it to popular use. In this sense, the Colosseum was intended as a gift to the Roman people from their benevolent ruler Vespasian as well as a testament to the power and glory of both the empire and the emperor. The original and still official name of the Colosseum is, in fact, the Flavian Amphitheatre after the emperor’s family name Flavius - Colosseum being the nick name conferred on the building during the middle ages on account of it’s colossal size.
[Previous Page / Next Page] |
|
|
|
 |
'Eternal Tours Rome are looking good,
their excellent, time-served Guides are
both courteous and professional.' |
|
|
|
|
C. SUETONIUS TRANQUILLUS, 'De Vita Caesarum' (DIVVS VESPASIANVS, VIII-IX) |
|
/ And he undertook new works, also an amphitheatre in the heart of the city, a plan which he learned that Augustus had cherished. / |
|
/ Fecit et nova opera, item amphitheatrum urbe media, ut destinasse compererat Augustum. / |
|
Homespun by WSR
Park Hotel Ginevra
Hip Suites
Old Town Apartments
Hotel Accademia
Vatican Rome Tours
@WordPress
Rome Tours
@Twitter |
