Third time lucky

My mother asked me if I was having a busy day when I booked Hong Kong and then Rome, because let’s face it, it’s never been a favourite of mine. Despite this, I have been encouraged to dig deep and feel the love for the history it represents and the share genius of the Romans who have gone before. Maybe it was the contrast from Hong Kong, perhaps it was the benefit of shoulder season travel and the fact no one is around….or maybe its third time lucky, whatever it was, today I got it and finally, I am excited by Rome.

I spent a long time researching private tours and eventually landed on one designed for children that had great reviews. Francesco did not disappoint and three hours with him in the Colosseum and forum filled years of missed history lessons, igniting  a passion in Caleb in particular for all things Roman that is likely to follow us for years to come.

This is not my first trip to the Colosseum but today I enjoyed it under the sunshine and without the crowds. Built in eight years during the Flavin dynasty, we are talking some nearly 2,000 years ago that the biggest amphitheater in the world was built. Seating somewhere in the realms of 60-80,000 Romans, this was the place to come every couple of weeks between April and October to watch ‘gladiator theatre’ unfold. Schools nearby trained them in the arts of battle and favour and fortune favoured the brave, while the lions made light sport of the unlucky. Not for the faint hearted, Flavian Amphitheatre, as its more correctly known, killed 9,000 animals in its inaugural games and an uncounted number of slaves hidden conveniently from view in an underground labyrinth of tunnels. Trap doors allowed for dramatic stage entry and just like today where we have security and barriers, so too did the Roman’s least someone rich and powerful fall to their death in the excitement of the moment. 

Pulling in a crowd at stadium today is complicated as the right price point needs to be found for optimal return on investment. In Roman times, it was free, a gift from the rich, doors wide opened people came and enjoyed the entertainment and free bread. Really it was just a means of controlling the population and making them feel their taxes were well spent, seriously who doesn’t love a big day out under the sun. Being sun smart isn’t a new invention, nor too the claim of a retractable roof, indeed the Roman’s can lay claim to that with a complex pulley system that provided a shade sail to enclose the Colosseum. And today just as the Corproate boxes seperate a group from the masses, so too special seating for those favoured by the Emperor, today the way paved by remanints of marble signalling the path trod by the rich and famous.

Of course the thing about Rome is wherever you turn there is history, indeed standing in the Colosseum looking out you are greeted by the arch of Constantine (the Great). Renowned for many things, administrative, financial and social reforms, his greatest gift to history was the legitimatising of Christianity. Indeed if this arch looks familiar chances are you’ve been to London and seen Marble arch, surprisingly similar.

Original roads lead you from the arch to the forum, nestled between the Palatine and Capitoline hills.  The forum was the centre of everything, here they pontificated, held trials, worshiped and made deals.  There is something to be said for walking the same stones tread by Cesar.

At its height, the Roman Empire had north of 30 million people and expanded across 5 million square kilometres. The first Emperor, Augustus Cesar, following the assignation of his great uncle Julius, found a city of clay but left a city of marble initiating large scale building projects when he wasn’t reforming the law and winning over new territories.  Defeating his rival Marc Antony and plundering Cleopatra’s treasure ensured his soldiers were paid and therefor their continued loyalty.  Throw in a few tax reforms and a lot can be achieved in a 40 year reign.

Fast forward 500 years, the greatest superpower was crumbled.  Financial crisis, inflation and over taxation increased the separation between the rich and the poor.  Money poured into military was at the expense of maintaining infrastructure which fell into disrepair.  When the military might declined, so too did the influx of slaves upon which Rome’s greatness was built and labour shortages left fields untilled further adding to an economic misery merry go round.  Christianity was spreading and challenging the divine status of the Emperor.  Throw in the pressure of ruling in turbulent times and corruption and political instability is sure to make an appearance.  Every crisis needs strong leadership and  the same expansion that made the empire great presented the challenge of East and West working together.  While the Byzantium star was rising and Constantinople the seat of power in the East, Rome was left vulnerable and open to attack by the Barbarians in the West.  

Rome certainly wasn’t built in a day and neither did it decline in a day, but it is an all too familiar story.  While third time lucky for me, history has a way of repeating itself whilst conveniently forgetting the past.