Novak-Coliseum

http://romansurvivalguide.wikispaces.com/Novak (to home page) The coliseum was one of the most significant forms of entertainment in ancient Rome's empire. These massive structures could seat up to 80,000 people, it was generaly used for galdiation, animal fights, and sometimes even re-enactments of mythical events. In gladiator fight the people's opinion were almost always the deciding factor as to whom dies; a thumbs-up ment that the opponent lived, a thumbs-down ment the opponent died. In an animal fight they were ganerally big cats such as lions and tigers, they were kept in cages and were typically very emaciated and mangy. In the re-enactments if the storyline was particularly violent, meaning one of the characters is mauled by animals or burnt to death, the actor would be a ciminal with a death-sentence. Okay, moving on to the less violent aspects I'll explain how entering works for a gladiator: there were many networks of tunnels underneath the ground for gladiators to enter (called hypogeum), there were also pullys and lifts to make dramatic enterances or to lift stage props. For common veiwers to enter, but there were different enterances from those for royalty and important guests.