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In the first of three episodes about gladiators in ancient Rome, Emily and Cam explore the world’s most iconic remnant of ancient gladiator games: the Roman Colosseum. They talk about the appearance of the building, then and now; the origins of the building as part of the emperor Vespasian’s effort to legitimize his power; and the cycles of destruction and renewal that produced the ruin that survives in Rome today.
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00:10 - Introduction
05:38 - The Colosseum as it was in ancient Rome
16:08 – Why was the Colosseum built? Vespasian and the legitimacy of the Flavian dynasty
26:06 - The survival of the Colosseum after antiquity: cycles of destruction and renewal
33:54 - Final Thoughts and a meditation by the Venerable Bede
By Emily Jusino, PhD (Classics) and Cam Hawkins, PhD (Ancient History)5
55 ratings
In the first of three episodes about gladiators in ancient Rome, Emily and Cam explore the world’s most iconic remnant of ancient gladiator games: the Roman Colosseum. They talk about the appearance of the building, then and now; the origins of the building as part of the emperor Vespasian’s effort to legitimize his power; and the cycles of destruction and renewal that produced the ruin that survives in Rome today.
Visit our homepage to subscribe and to find us on social media:
----------
00:10 - Introduction
05:38 - The Colosseum as it was in ancient Rome
16:08 – Why was the Colosseum built? Vespasian and the legitimacy of the Flavian dynasty
26:06 - The survival of the Colosseum after antiquity: cycles of destruction and renewal
33:54 - Final Thoughts and a meditation by the Venerable Bede