Editing Colosseum (section)

== Use ==
[[File:Ave Caesar Morituri te Salutant (Gérôme) 01.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|''[[Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant]] (Hail, [[Caesar (title)|Cesar]], those who will die salute you)'', by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]], 1859]]
The Colosseum was used to host [[gladiator]]ial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, called {{Lang|la|[[Munera (ancient Rome)|munera]]}}, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige and were immensely popular. Another major attraction was the animal hunt, or ''[[venatio]]''. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as [[rhinoceros]], [[hippopotamus]]es, [[elephant]]s, [[giraffe]]s, [[aurochs]], [[wisent]]s, [[Barbary lion]]s, [[Leopard|panthers]], [[leopard]]s, [[bears]], [[Caspian tiger]]s, [[crocodile]]s and [[ostrich]]es. Battles and hunts were often staged amid elaborate sets with movable trees and buildings. These events could be huge in scale; [[Trajan]] is said to have celebrated his victories in [[Dacia]] in 107 with contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days. During lunch intervals, executions ''[[Damnatio ad bestias|ad bestias]]'' would be staged. Those condemned to death would be sent into the arena, naked and unarmed, to face the beasts of death which would literally tear them to pieces. Acrobats and magicians would also perform, usually during the intervals.[[File:Jean-Leon Gerome Pollice Verso.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|''[[Pollice Verso (Gérôme)|Pollice Verso]]'' (''Thumbs Down'') by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]], 1872]]

During the early days of the Colosseum, ancient writers recorded that the building was used for ''[[naumachia]]e'' (more properly known as ''navalia proelia'') or simulated sea battles. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. There is also an account of a re-enactment of a famous sea battle between the [[Corfu|Corcyrean]] (Corfiot) Greeks and the [[Ancient Corinth|Corinthians]]. This has been the subject of some debate among historians; although providing the water would not have been a problem, it is unclear how the arena could have been waterproofed, nor would there have been enough space in the arena for the warships to move around. It has been suggested that the reports either have the location wrong or that the Colosseum originally featured a wide floodable channel down its central axis (which would later have been replaced by the [[hypogeum]]).<ref name="claridge" />

''Sylvae'' or recreations of natural scenes were also held in the arena. Painters, technicians and architects would construct a simulation of a forest with real trees and bushes planted in the arena's floor, and animals would then be introduced. Such scenes might be used simply to display a natural environment for the urban population, or could otherwise be used as the backdrop for hunts or dramas depicting episodes from mythology. They were also occasionally used for executions in which the hero of the story — played by a condemned person — was killed in one of various gruesome but mythologically authentic ways, such as being mauled by beasts or burned to death.

=== Modern use<span class="anchor" id="Today"></span> ===
[[File:Rom Colosseum Sept 2021 3.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Colosseum, 2021]]
Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways that were once used for transporting wild animals and gladiators to the arena, opened to the public in summer 2010.<ref>{{cite news|first=Nick|last=Squires |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7849829/Colosseum-to-open-gladiator-passageways-for-first-time.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7849829/Colosseum-to-open-gladiator-passageways-for-first-time.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Colosseum to open gladiator passageways for first time |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=23 June 2010 |access-date=30 January 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, [[Pope Benedict XVI]] led the [[Stations of the Cross]] called the [[Scriptural Way of the Cross]] (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum<ref>{{cite book|author=Champlin, Joseph M. |title=The Stations of the Cross With Pope John Paul II |publisher=Liguori Publications |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-89243-679-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Vatican Description of the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum |url=http://www.pcf.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000421_via-crucis_en.html |website=pcf.va |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603105242/http://www.pcf.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20000421_via-crucis_en.html |archive-date=3 June 2013 }}</ref> on [[Good Friday]]s.<ref name="wayofthecross-frommers"/>

====Restoration====
[[File:Colosseum under renovation in Rome, Italy (Ank Kumar) 03.jpg|thumb|Colosseum under renovation, 2015]]
In 2011, [[Diego Della Valle]], head of the shoe firm [[Tod's]], entered into an agreement with local officials to sponsor a €25&nbsp;million restoration of the Colosseum. Work was planned to begin at the end of 2011, taking up to two and a half years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12256813 |title=Rome Colosseum repair to be funded by Tods shoe firm |publisher=BBC |date=21 January 2011 |access-date=16 April 2012|work=BBC News }}</ref> Due to the controversial nature of using a [[public–private partnership]] to fund the restoration, work was delayed and began in 2013. The restoration is the first full cleaning and repair in the Colosseum's history.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Silvers|first1=Eric|title=The Colosseum's Badly Needed Bath|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304518704579521583112244014|access-date=7 September 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=25 April 2014}}</ref> The first stage is to clean and restore the Colosseum's arcaded façade and replace the metal enclosures that block the ground-level arches. After three years, the work was completed on 1&nbsp;July 2016, when the Italian minister of culture, Dario Franceschini, also announced that the funds have been committed to replace the floors by the end of 2018. These will provide a stage that Franceschini says will be used for "cultural events of the highest level."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://skift.com/2016/07/03/italy-completes-a-long-overdue-restoration-of-romes-iconic-colosseum/|title=Italy Completes a Long Overdue Restoration of Rome's Iconic Colosseum|date=3 July 2016|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728181623/https://skift.com/2016/07/03/italy-completes-a-long-overdue-restoration-of-romes-iconic-colosseum/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The project also includes creating a services center and restoring the galleries and underground spaces inside the Colosseum.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Colosseum Won't Be Restored in a Day, but Work Is Finally Scheduled to Start|url = http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/colosseum-wont-be-restored-in-a-day-but-work-is-finally-scheduled-to-start/|access-date = 17 June 2015|first = Elisabetta|last = Povoledo|date = 31 July 2012}}</ref> Since 1&nbsp;November 2017, the top two levels have been opened for guided visits. The fourth level held the marketplace, and the top fifth tier is where the poorest citizens, the plebeians, gathered and watched the show, bringing picnics for the day-long event.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italymagazine.com/news/colosseum-open-top-levels-public|title=Colosseum To Open Top Levels to the Public|first=Silvia|last=Donati|date=5 October 2017}}</ref>