2015-07-04
【Aiden in English】
The Colosseum implies enormous, gigantic, and ginormous. The root comes from the prefix "Colo," which indicates significance. So now that you know what the word "Colosseum" means. Built under Emperor Titus in the 1st century, about 3,000 years after the Great Pyramid of Egypt, the Colosseum hosted several gladiatorial shows we still enjoy today. The Romans had a time of prosperity known as the Golden Age. Their subjects in art, literature, and philosophy blossomed. But entertainment took a very, ah, somewhat bloodier path. It is estimated that over the years, more than 1 million animals and millions of humans were slaughtered in the games and executions. The Colosseum was built with 80 exits and a total seating capacity of more than 50,000. It was estimated that everyone could leave safely in 6 minutes, too. As more entertainment was expected, the Romans included another entrance for animals to fight. They also pitted enslaved people against enslaved people, and obstacles were set up to make the games more interesting. The structure consisted of four parts, each designed for a different class. The bottom row was for the performers, while the closest and lowest row was for the upper class. The 2nd floor was given to the middle and the peasants. The 3rd floor was still left for them, but enslaved people could sit and watch on that floor. If a middle-class member needed a seat, an enslaved person had to give up his. Today, the Colosseum is undergoing renovation, and all sides are covered with scaffolding. However, this continues to amaze me. The world struggles to achieve what people accomplished two thousand years ago. They didn't even have trucks or bulldozers back then. The Colosseum was built in a circular dungeon dug by the workforce. And it's not just this building. The Egyptian pyramids were a feat so incredible that people thought aliens had built them. The Great Wall of China was constructed over generations, and thousands of men worked day and night. Not to mention the Roman Pantheon and the Greek Parthenon. What drives those people, I don't know. But we could enjoy the full view if they didn't have to destroy it. The Colosseum was to the Romans as the Pyramids to the Egyptians and the Great Wall to all Chinese. It is fantastic for the workforce, and although it can’t match modern buildings today, the knowledge of the amount of effort put into this truly makes it spectacular. 【紅霞譯】
羅馬“力量”角斗場象徵浩大、雄偉、壯觀，其詞源前綴無外乎“大”，現在你明白 “角斗場”詞義指的是什麼意思。 提圖斯“尊貴”帝王統治期間，於公元1世紀開始興建羅馬角斗場。比起埃及大金字塔，角斗場要推遲大約3,000年之久，不過，從前在這裡舉行的競技項目即使到了今天仍能引起大家強烈共鳴。古羅馬歷史上曾有過所謂的黃金盛世，那個時代藝術、文學、哲學領域可謂百花齊放，到處一派繁榮景象，不過娛樂生活卻觸目驚心，鬥士與鬥士之間短兵相接看上去血腥殘酷。據估計，多少年來，100多萬頭牲畜和超過50萬人慘遭屠殺。 羅馬角斗場總計設有80個出口，可以容納50,000名以上的觀眾，並能在短短6分鐘之內安全疏散所有在場人員。隨着古羅馬人娛樂水準日趨提高，他們還為參賽動物提供了專門入口，角逐多在奴隸之間進行，競技場地同時人為設置不少障礙物以確保比賽的刺激性。整個建築物立起四層，並劃分四個等級，地表部分用於表演，而靠得最近樓層最低的則為達官貴族；第二層為中產階級及平民百姓，第三層雖然仍由這些人組成，但地位卑微的奴隸可以到該層坐下來觀摩；不過一旦中產階級的民眾需要座位，那麼奴隸必須讓出自己的位子。
如今羅馬角斗場正開展大規模修復工程，腳手架遍地橫生，然而這些絲毫影響不到我對它的濃厚興趣。2,000多年前古人打造的罕世佳作在當下看來絕非輕而易舉，何況那時根本沒有卡車或推土機之類的工具；角斗場正中被修成圓形地獄般結構，如此浩瀚建築全部依賴人力作業，其偉大之處遠遠超越作品本身。埃及金字塔堪稱舉世無雙，過去一直被視為出自外星人之手；中國萬里長城天下聞名，那是靠幾代人夜以繼日的努力。且不多說古羅馬萬神殿和希臘帕台農“少女”神廟，真不知是什麼力量驅使前輩屢創奇蹟，要不是天災人禍歲月磨蝕，我們肯定能欣賞到更加完美的圖畫。 正如金字塔被視為古埃及智慧的結晶，而長城算成中國人勤勞的象徵，角斗場同樣稱得上古羅馬力量的體現，儘管它們不能與今天時髦建築同日而語，但值得稱道的是所有這些豐功偉績完全由勞苦大眾親手築成，人類只有把聰明才智與卓越奮鬥結合在一起，才能使世間萬物變得美好。 Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2015: World's Smallest Country, Holy See(梵蒂岡·世界最小的國家) 2015: Roma, the Eternal City of Italy(意大利羅馬·永恆之城) 2015: All Roads Lead to Rome, Italy(意大利·條條道路通羅馬)
2014: July 4th Party(獨立節聚會) 2013: 四年級獨立節(Fourth-Grade Patriots) 2012: 三年級獨立節(Third-Grade Patriots) 2009: 天生的節拍(Natural Beats)  Original Façade w/ Backdrop of Roman Forum
(原始立面與背後的古羅馬廣場 07-04-2015)  Exterior Showing Partially Intact Outer Wall & Mostly Intact Inner Wall
(外牆部分完整與內牆大多完整 07-04-2015) 
Gladiator Gate (角鬥士門) 
Emperor's Gate (帝王門) 
Consul's Gate (觀眾入口 07-04-2015) 
Dead Man's Exit Gate (死人出口門)  Arena & Hypogeum (競技場與地下室 07-04-2015)
 Flavian Amphitheatre (弗拉維“金色”圓形劇場 12-27-1995)
 Raked Area Once Held Seating (傾斜區域曾為座位 07-04-2015)
 Cross Dedicated to Christian Martyrs & Placed in 2000 by Pope John Paul II
(千禧年由教皇約翰·保羅二世樹立的獻給基督教殉道士的十字架)  Pockmarked Colosseum Arches (麻點般鬥獸場拱門)
 The Roman Emperor's Boxes (古羅馬皇帝包廂)
 Window & Shield (窗戶與擋板)
 Sepolcro degli Scipioni in the Early 3rd Century BC
(西庇阿“法杖”之墓·公元前3世紀)  Wedding Photos (婚紗照)
Crosslinks(相關博文): Italy(出遊意大利)
Europe(歐洲掠影) 6th Grade(初中一年級)
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