, 1874-10-31
ROME'S COLOSSEUM.
Interesting Results Of Excnva-
tfOns.
Old-Time Entertainments.-.Recent Dis
ooyeries- uaas Of tho
Arena.

The excavations in tho Colosseum have nov
reached certain degroe Of completion. and for
exceed in general interest any OF ths important
works Of exploration which, ainco tho commence
meut Of this coutury. have restored 30 much OF
the remains OF tho auciont city to light. Every
Sunday and holy-day afternoon numbers OF poo
pie Of all clasaee look tflor8 10 examine. disct,Hs
md gaZo In wondering admiration NJ tue gigantic
contradictions gradually being dtsintorred, 70 CO.
1ossal In their Dimensions a. almost to throw
into tho shade TINT portion Of the otliGco which,
for tho last six contursH at loAst bus boon looked
upon a. fully iuatifYing ita name Of Colossus
among buildings. .........
It is scarcely on oxaggeration to say tint what
u now bolng rovoaiaa
x1c1TEH Az MUCH WONDER
In pll who look upo1, it for tho first tfmo as the
building iu a ita integrity did in tho Saxon pill
erims whom they burst forth with the roll
known exclamation recorded by the Venerable
Beds. But It IL no more massive Foundation
which las beon laid bare; II ia no less than 81
fect Of the interior OF the odfhco itself,-buriod
I'LL now under mana Of accunlu1atson,- which
has been restored to light nnd with 1t much is
tuaio clear that has hlthorto puzzled both the
learned aud uulenrned alike. Unt,l now the Co.
losseum has been IN unsolved riddle in many
respects, We knew that 1t mas built for tho OK
hibitton Of wild animals at placo Whero thcy
could DO shown In numbers to tha people, and
where they could be hunted aud nado to fight With
each other or wilh men that E!adiasoriAi ahowo
on Al enormous ecAlo were given bore, aud that
nauy martyrs testified with their blood on tho
aroma Tho ranges OF eeats rising one above the
other could bo fully recognl2oh, nttoriy ruined
~ they are, and tho admirable arrangement Ut
tho eighty Iiiferont 1ishln Of Htepa, Intoxicating
and yot not interfering with each other 10 tlcy
f,0
stood. But how wero the animnis brought into
tho arena? Where were they kopt? What Was
the htnEe mechanism Of this enormous Amphi-
theatre !? Tbe1a nre questions Asked by all, but
which have noyor baon answered except by iu1-
porfcct explanations founded on conjecture.
We may accept the explanation that the aninsls
wero kept In great uirari0 Oh tho Crlian aua
aear tho porta Maggiorc, but that theY were
brought thence into The .RhithoatrS IT,; n cages
Of many records: How, II they we're introduced
In cages, could 100 lions havo bounded together
upon the 8rena With y
ROAR wuioH MADE THE BUILDING SHAKE,
" NO are told by Vopisous waa the case during
The games given by tho Emperor YfobuB. And
shen what confusion there must havo boon OUT
sile. or, rather, how was oon'Auou prevented
between tho actors and tho audience On their
way into tbs building, between, on tho ono hand,
The thousands hocklng into tho amphitheatre,
together with tho many thousands more who, not
Eortunsso enough to obtain tioIots, gathered In
tho open area ground for tho excitement OF liA-
tsning to the rolang Of tho Anlnials, the cries
OF the victims, and tho shouts of the spectators;
md on the other. the bands Of g'sd'ators with
VII the multitude Of men requisite to guard q
nnmbor Of nnvaso beasts Maadened by hunger.
This cditicB wns surrounded by portion diyid-
tho exception OF two only, forming all entrance
to the seats, INCLUDING tho rulvinaria; tho num-
bars corresponding to the Tickets still visible
on the keystoncs Of those remaining. Tho two
arches. cue 1t each cud Of tho longer axis, we're
supposed to b. tho only part reserved for tho
entrance Of tho glntliatora IND tic animals but,
with public entrance through the arch OIL each
Rido Of these, it wuB difficult to underasand how
SO ciscunlacrbcd All area-h however vol il might
have been ratled oir-collld have hecn sufficient
for ali the work "beswocn the WINGS" for the
sntry Of the ARMY OF men and the hundreds OF
Wild boasts and tho exit at lilo dead Of Which
eyer kind, These arc proDlcms which hayo puz-
Fled all who lavo considered the subject low
over slightly, bllt which these excavatlonH hGyo
now completely aolscd.
At tho beginning of this century e1tefei7e ak
cavatioua we're tuade on the arena, but with no
other result than to incregse the difficulties they
9ero intended to ren'oTe. Immediately beneath
tho modern surface network OF nxlle vaB
found ipteBecting the eroa In various dirsctious.
Some maintained that these Hare constructions
Of ; lato period, supcrimpoaed upon tbs arona,
Ehila others i'l1istcd that they ,yoro snbtorra-
mean, and formed the dens in which tho aumals
were introduced npon tho lsrel aboyo.
4 FURIOUS CONTROVERSY
TR6 carried on; but, as the construction of the
Roman buildings waB subject but then inper-
was arrived at; and, as the place, during
the rainy seasonB got flooded with water,
Which, remaining stsennnt and slowly
evaporatiug, became canse Of unhoaltl-
filed ia again in 1915 aftsr having remained open
for about ton years, Some months ago SiEnor
Rosa determined to mako another atteuipt to
clear up the mystery. No sooner bud 10 set lis
men to work than loud CRY ut pious horror was
raised; aecrilegioua Government, hating all
holy things, lad dared to diHtu1b tho ground
sanctitied BY the bloud OF the earliest martyrs.
The columns OF the clorical journaln wero filled
with vehement remonatranCeH; professions wero
made and Indignation mcotingB wero held in tho
Colosseum, which resulted in Indies o1 distinc-
ton being taken to the Qnustura. and religious
narvicon we're commenced in e1piation Of tho
work OF aacrilego. 1t Nas to no pnrpose that
people uero reminded that similar excavations
in fact, commenced by bis orders. It WAS
ine!stod that the Rubstructionb Of the aroma had
then been found, that lis level vas thxt which
had just boon broken, and that to disturb it
Rosa was firm iu hia opinion that tho spot made
holy by the bloud Of tho martyrs lay hidden,
Ike many othor truths, beneath heap OF mpl-
srn rubbish yenerated in its stead. Ho con-
tmued h1B WORK, r6gafaAe6b OF SemonhtrRnce,
aud now, 81 feet bolow what has so long been
looked upon By many as the steua, he has dis
covered ita 1eritabiu level paved with o1,s epi-
catu,a, or herrng-bono work, aud loading from
It 4 aeries Of enormous corridors, with iuncnss
chambers, Hhcre the buainoss Of the amphi-
theatre mas prepared
THE NpEIl1SD THE srEaRg."
in fact. Ho h2s gone deeper than the first az
cavatioER usts carried, aud 1t il now evident
that they Horo confined 70 tho elipse within lie
Podium.
We must wait until tue entire area Of the aroua
ia cleared before it can 10 positively docidcd
whether tho constructions Bupnriu,posod npon 1t
arc remains OF tho work uf tic Fraugipaui, who
converted tue colosocurn into 4 fortrens, or il
they were built, as it IL quito possible, To raise
tho arena above its original crsl. In tho mean
TINA, however, there Cali no longer be sny doubt
that for whatever purpose naey wero colsts,,rt-
ed, they aro the work OF worry luta period, and
have nothing whatever to do With the elifce NJ
urigiu1lly bnllt bv tho Flayipu Elnperors. aud
as Is n,nst have remainol ion considerable PC
siod. We may therefore d.smisa them for tho
present.
Il wns geuorally snppoacd that the low wall at
the back Of tho ''Htatiotia," which wore erected
In tho middle OF the last centuly, wat tho front
Of tho Podlum; but It IL now found that thoao
ssasionH utool oa It's lesel, that tao wall he4lud
them was the bA.!t aud not tho front, aud that q
platform uotros 10 ccntimotray iu width OK