Fascinating Animation Reveals the Inner Workings of the Colosseum in Ancient Rome
Big, complex venues and meticulously crafted entertainment are two things that may feel very modern, but somehow they aren’t. At the Colosseum in Ancient Rome, dazzling shows and and epic fights took place, bringing the masses together. But don’t be fooled by the looks of this landmark today. As an animated video by Deconstructed shows, based on thorough research, the Colosseum was an engineering marvel that was well ahead of its time.
To truly capture the grandeur of this building, Deconstructed recreated the entire Colosseum from the ground up, digitally. Rather than looking at the actual gladiatorial games and performances, the animators devote their time to showing how they happened, from how crowds were controlled on the way in and out, to the way animals and gladiators were holstered onto the arena—seemingly out of nowhere.
More so, the team makes a deep dive on two points that prove how advanced the Colosseum was. The first is the naumachia, or naval battles staged at the Colosseum. To bring these to life with boats and all, the arena was turned into a lake with water supplied by nearby aqueducts and then drained by a channel system connected to the city’s sewers. The other is the velarium, a sweeping retractible awning made of 240 separate parts that protected guests from the bright sun, as being there for hours on end during the sun would have been unpleasant.