subject: Fun Facts About The Roman Colosseum [print this page] The raging competitors who are as brutal as wild beasts stand in the midst of the overheated Amphitheater Flavio, the much-awaited gladiator game starts, the cheers and roars of eighty thousand spectators deafen the whole arena, the lanista (referee) separates the opponents with a long pole, a trumphet sound is blown to stop the dual when one of the opponents is brutally hurt and falls to the ground, there is no place for mercy, the loser is beaten to death, and finally a supreme referee checks the loser's immobile body to put an end to the mortal dual This is not some imaginative story as you think! Even now if you visit the ancient Roman Colosseum in Italy, the huge arena will speak loads and loads about this "fight to death" game. This is not it! There are more facts of Colosseum that will make your jaw drop in surprise. Let's discuss some of them!
The Symbol of Life: The Colosseum in Rome, which was once called the Arena of Death' is now called as the Symbol of Life'. This transformation is due to the impact created by the campaign run by the City Council of Rome and Amnesty International against capital punishment. According to this campaign, a well-known monument will be lit with a bright golden light for two days whenever an execution takes place or a nation abolishes capital punishment anywhere in the world. And that monument happened to be the ancient Roman Colosseum.
One of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Colosseum in Rome prides itself as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. It is a real shock that this monument earned almost a hundred million votes in the campaign conducted by a private Swiss foundation to find the Seven Wonders of the World in 1999. Finally, the Roman Colosseum emerged as one of the wonders among the shortlisted seventy seven on 7th July, 2007.
Ostriches in Fights: The Roman Colosseum is not just a place for fights, but also for entertainment that always focused on a lot of animals. For instance, elephants were trained for circus acts, giraffes were used in marches, and there are more! One of the intriguing facts of Colosseum is that ostriches were also used but not for entertainment as you think. They were used in fights, which were believed to have only lions. These powerful birds were used by emperors to draw their chariots. Also, it is believed that the Emperor Elagabalus gave these birds as gifts to his guests.
Aren't these facts interesting? You can get to know more facts of Colosseum once you happen to visit this place. All you have to do is plan a vacation to Italy. Get help from PerilloTours.com to make your trip memorable.
