A look at this most extraordinary of human monuments and the violent , brutal society which revelled in it.
The Colosseum in Rome is one of the world's most amazing buildings. Built over 10 years during the reign of the Emperor Vespasiano in c. 72AD, at 160 feet high this immense oval stadium was home to the most violent and deadly spectator sports in history, and the making of many "gladiator" heroes.
Using state-of-the-art computer graphics, this book brings the world of Ancient Rome to life and shows how and why this most extraordinary of human monuments was built.
New research debunks the myths perpetuated in the film Gladiator and helps us understand the nature of these games - why the chariot races of Gladiator could not have happened within the Colosseum walls, for instance. Here for the first time, new evidence reveals exactly how the Colosseum was regularly flooded with water for the spectacle of deadly sea battles.
Written by Peter Connolly, an expert on the history and architecture of the Colosseum, the book compiles research to explain the training methods used at the gladiator schools, as well as examining the brutal society of Ancient Rome.
