The Colosseum

Booklist

A fascinating account for the Rome-bound traveler as well as the fan of European history.
— George Cohen

Chicago Tribune

It has been, and continues to be, the object of myth as well as the defining symbol of ancient Rome; a romantic ruin to ongoing popular tourist attraction. Filmmakers, too, from Cecil B. DeMille to Ridley Scott, have used it for their own creative impulses. Although work on the building started in AD 72, it did not officially open until AD 80. Authors and classical historians Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard explain how it was built—and at what cost.
— June Sawyers

Evening Standard

Keith Hopkins and Mary Beard, eminent classical historians, have written a superb new cultural history of the Colosseum. As well as documenting the variety of flowers that once grew wild among the ruins, they offer pithy and occasionally hilarious accounts of the three million tourists who descend on the monument each year.
— Ian Thomson

Irish Times

The book covers a wide variety of topics, including—to give but a few examples—the life of a gladiator, which was distinctly unglamorous, the exclusion of women from vast areas of the auditorium, the means by which wild animals were brought to Rome, the duration of the 'shows' (123 days for a Trajan bloodbath, according to one observer), the splendid flora (420 species in 1855, although now diminished by weedkiller), and practical tips for any visitor. The book is a great read.
— John McBratney

New England Classical Journal

In her concise portrait Beard shines a torch into the dark recesses of the building's long history and illuminates a gladiator here, a fresco there, a medieval bullfight there...Here there is a sophisticated interpretation of the Colosseum's meaning and a survey of nineteenth- and twentieth-century responses to the Colosseum, with quotations from Byron, Mark Twain, Henry James and Hitler.
— Debra Aaronson Lawless

New York Review of Books

Gives a sprightly, entertaining account of this archetypal building in all its various incarnations, from the "killing fields" of antiquity to the pilgrim's goal of the sixteenth century, the botanist's paradise of the nineteenth, and the archaeologist's puzzle of today—four different construction crews worked on separate quarters of the building, with conspicuously differing results.
— Ingrid Rowland

Newsday

This architectural icon of the classical world probably has been the subject of more myths and half-truths than any other building surviving from antiquity...This slim book, which would fit into a pocketbook or a knapsack, would make a worthy travel companion for anyone visiting Rome because it sheds so much light on "what is likely to seem at best a confusing mass of masonry, at worst a jumble of dilapidated stone and rubble."
— Spencer Rumsey

San Francisco Chronicle

A lure for travelers since the days of the Grand Tours, this majestic ruin in Rome was, of course, the scene of murderous spectacles in ancient times. The writers, a pair of British academics, recount the origin of the Colosseum on the site of a private lake in Nero's palace, reveal how it was built and operated and draw on archaeology and classical writings to detail the lives of the gladiators. The magnificent, crumbling building still holds pride of place in the Eternal City, and this book provides a readable and informed introduction.
— David Armstrong

The Independent

Racy and occasionally confrontational...This book revels in the accretions of detail and myth. The improbable animal fights; the unfeasibility of flooding the arena to stage mock sea-battles; the claims of Christianity to the place, with a crucifix and 200 days' indulgence accruing in memory of the early Christians who (probably) didn't get torn to pieces by the lions who (probably) weren't there in the first place; the thunder of footsteps on the wooden floor, deafening those in the undercroft with its winches and ramps and the stink and racket of animals and fighting men; the heat in the arena despite the probable shade offered by great cantilevered canvas awnings: first-class scholarship and an engagingly demotic style bring all this into sharp focus.
— Michael Bywater

The Spectator

It is a work of scholarship written with the general reader in mind. The scholarship is worn lightly, and the book is a pleasure to read. It sums up all that is known, and makes it clear that much must remain conjectural. Anyone visiting Rome and making the obligatory sightseeing tour of the Colosseum will do well to read it in advance and keep it to hand; enjoyment will be much enhanced.
— Allan Massie

Library Journal

This slim but extremely well-researched volume attempts to answer two questions-"How should we respond to the bloody images that have come to define the Colosseum in modern culture?" and "Why is it so famous?" A professor of ancient history at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death, Hopkins (A World Full of Gods) and Beard, editor of Harvard's "Wonders of the World" series, of which this title is part, succeed remarkably in dispelling many of the myths surrounding the Colosseum. They refer specifically to Ridley Scott's film, Gladiator,to suggest that the gory spectacles and heavily armored combatants depicted there, as well as in other sources, are not always historically accurate. In fact, the building, originally known as the Amphitheatre, has been the venue for a variety of gatherings throughout its existence-from passion plays to midnight strolls by Victorian tourists to present-day visits from the Pope to perform the rituals of Good Friday. Lively writing brings the Colosseum and its denizens to life in great detail. Highly recommended for academic libraries; while not necessarily the book for those planning a casual vacation to Rome, it is also recommended for public libraries.-Rita Simmons, Sterling Heights P.L., MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A swift overview of the history, design and functions of one of the world's most recognizable buildings. Although Hopkins (Ancient History/Univ. of Cambridge) did not live to see the publication of this work (he died in March 2004), his collaboration with Beard (Classics/Univ. of Cambridge) is a happy one. Part of Harvard University Press' "Wonders of the World" series, this volume does well what all such summary works should do: tell a compelling story, correct historical errors and common misconceptions, animate readers to pursue the subject further. The authors begin with some comments from a Victorian guidebook, then whisk us through some well-known literary works that involve the Colosseum (The Marble Faun, The Innocents Abroad). They also refer occasionally to popular culture-Ridley Scott's film Gladiator (2000), Paul McCartney's 2003 concert in the ruin-and they endeavor, always, to keep in mind that most readers are not classical scholars. We learn that colosseum is a medieval term (the Romans called it the "Amphitheatre" or the "Hunting Theatre"); that Nero neither sat nor fiddled there (it was erected after his death); and that there is no contemporaneous evidence that Christians ever fed lions there (these accounts were written some centuries later). The authors explore what is known about gladiatorial combat, pointing out that there is more to these deadly contests than Hollywood would have us believe. It's not definite, for instance, which way the Romans turned their thumbs to signal life or death. The authors attempt to explain the overall design of the building (above and below ground), but their efforts are hampered not only by the great ongoing debate about that verycomplex question but also by an insufficient number of supporting illustrations. A final chapter offers practical information for tourists. Brisk and illuminating, with much surprising information.