The Roman Colosseum: Blood, Politics, and an Empire's Spectacle

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

The Roman Colosseum: Blood, Politics, and an Empire's Spectacle

Listen for free

View show details

The Colosseum is the enduring symbol of ancient Rome, but its story goes far beyond gladiators and emperors. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the Flavian Amphitheatre was built on the site of Nero's private lake, using thousands of Jewish war captives, and how its construction was a masterstroke of political propaganda for the new Flavian dynasty. They discuss the logistics of staging spectacles, from the underground hypogeum with elevators and trapdoors to the massive canvas awning, the velarium, that shielded spectators. They also delve into the darker side: the thousands of animals and humans killed in the arena, and how the very word 'arena' means sand, used to soak up blood. The conversation touches on the Colosseum's later life as a quarry, its partial survival thanks to being consecrated as a Christian site, and the modern debates over its restoration. This episode reveals how the Colosseum was not just entertainment, but a tool for social control and imperial messaging, a microcosm of Rome's might and brutality. #Colosseum #FlavianAmphitheatre #Vespasian #Titus #Domitian #RomanEmpire #AncientRome #Gladiators #Hypogeum #Velarium #JewishCaptives #Nero #DomusAurea #RomanArchitecture #AncientSpectacle #History #FexingoHistory #RomanEngineering Fexingo founder and producer: Ibnul Jaif Farabi Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

No reviews yet