Modern Era
A remembrance of the restoration
works carried out by three Popes
The modern architectural study of the Colosseum started with Carlo Fontana, who around 1720 made a survey of the amphitheatre and studied its geometric proportions. Most of the ground floor of the building was by now almost submerged by earth and debris accumulated during the centuries, and the arches were used as a deposit of manure.
A print of the Leo XII/Valadier
abutment under construction
In 1796 Napoleon I invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on February 19, 1797; but on December 28 of that year, brigadier-general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed in a riot and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on February 13, 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority. On February 17, 1798 (29 pluviôse An VI) General Berthier ordered the Pope to leave Rome within three days. Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on February 20 he was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. Then, by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble he reached the citadel of Valence, chief town of Drôme in Southern France, where he died six weeks after his arrival, on August 29, 1799, having reigned longer than any Pope in historical times.
According to a French project, the Colosseum was to become part of a huge archaeological park including the whole centre of Rome. In 1805 the first excavations started, carried out by architects Camporese, Palazzi and Stern, with the help of Carlo Lucangeli, an artist of wood modelling, who needed an exact survey of the monument for his reproduction. Were excavated the niches around the podium, parts of the podium, the entrance of the so-called passage of Commodus, part of the drain that runs around the amphitheatre and part of the canalization system of the ground floor. The porticoes were liberated from the earth, and so were the third corridor and other rooms.
The arena half excavated
In 1809 and 1810 the works restarted, also with the help of forced labour. In 1811 the area at the north of the monument and the northern side of the arena were partially excavated by Carlo Fea, but in the arena the works had to stop at a depth of 3 metres because of water infiltrations. From 1811 to 1813 repairs were made, and the arches were liberated from the walls that had closed them. In 1814 the authority of the Pope was restablished; the temporary administrations contracted out to Luigi Maria Valadier, son of the more famous Giuseppe, a survey of the undergrounds, then the arena was covered again and the stations of the Cross reinstalled.
In the 1820s, under Pius VII, it was deemed necessary to reinforce the remains of the outer ring: an abutment (buttress) of bricks was built to support the arches of the NW side (Stern abutment, Celian hill); later on, Leo XII had the other, more photographed abutment, built by the architect Valadier. In 1828 Antonio Nibby managed to empty all the surface drains, and in 1830 Luis Joseph Duc made a the first complete survey of the monument with modern means. From the 1840s on, more arches were restored and rebuilt on the side of the Celian Hill, by Salvi and other architects (these arches are easily recognized as they are made of bricks).
The south side abutment
eats
Right: the Pius VII abutment
In 1870 Rome became the capital of the new Italian state, but the works to finally free the arena restarted only in 1874. This time half of the arena was at last liberated from debris and the excavations reached the bottom, where it was found a type of paving made from brick, known as opus spicatum. In these excavations were found capitols, pieces of columns, inscriptions and debris dating back to the end of the V and the beginning of the VI century. It was on this occasion that the stations of the cross in the arena were finally removed. Later on, more excavations were carried out on the northern side, and at last the whole facade on that side was liberated from the debris accumulated over the centuries.
More restoration works were carried out by the Italian State in 1901-2, but the arena remained half full for many years, until in 1938-40 the excavations made by Luigi Cozzo arrived at the very bottom, bringing to light the underground of the arena. Cozzo also demolished all the underground structures that had been added to the original construction during the millennia, rebuilt parts of the underground structures on the western side and a small part of the cavea – with the seats (see picture).
The reconstructed s
Constant small repairs have been made since WW2, and a major restoration of some arches on the NW side was started in 1978. In 1981 the Roman universities focused on the study of the ancient monuments of the city. In 1992 a private bank financed restoration works, that lasted until 2000, with only a section restored, its cleanliness dramatically contrasting with the rest of the monument (see that in the picture on the main page). The future works include the rebuilding of the arena, in wood, also to protect the exposed underground structures from the weather. The eastern half of the new arena was completed in 2000, and before covering the other half studies are being carried out on the effect of the new cover on the underground microclimate. In 1997 a very important survey was carried out, measuring the Colosseum with laser and infrared techniques. This research has given us some insight on the deformation of the structures and a very precise map of the amphitheatre, and rekindled an old controversy between the archaeologists: is the Colosseum elliptic or ovoidal?
A remembrance of the restoration
works carried out by three Popes
The modern architectural study of the Colosseum started with Carlo Fontana, who around 1720 made a survey of the amphitheatre and studied its geometric proportions. Most of the ground floor of the building was by now almost submerged by earth and debris accumulated during the centuries, and the arches were used as a deposit of manure.
A print of the Leo XII/Valadier
abutment under construction
In 1796 Napoleon I invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto. Pius VI sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on February 19, 1797; but on December 28 of that year, brigadier-general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed in a riot and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on February 13, 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal authority. On February 17, 1798 (29 pluviôse An VI) General Berthier ordered the Pope to leave Rome within three days. Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on February 20 he was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. Then, by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble he reached the citadel of Valence, chief town of Drôme in Southern France, where he died six weeks after his arrival, on August 29, 1799, having reigned longer than any Pope in historical times.
According to a French project, the Colosseum was to become part of a huge archaeological park including the whole centre of Rome. In 1805 the first excavations started, carried out by architects Camporese, Palazzi and Stern, with the help of Carlo Lucangeli, an artist of wood modelling, who needed an exact survey of the monument for his reproduction. Were excavated the niches around the podium, parts of the podium, the entrance of the so-called passage of Commodus, part of the drain that runs around the amphitheatre and part of the canalization system of the ground floor. The porticoes were liberated from the earth, and so were the third corridor and other rooms.
The arena half excavated
In 1809 and 1810 the works restarted, also with the help of forced labour. In 1811 the area at the north of the monument and the northern side of the arena were partially excavated by Carlo Fea, but in the arena the works had to stop at a depth of 3 metres because of water infiltrations. From 1811 to 1813 repairs were made, and the arches were liberated from the walls that had closed them. In 1814 the authority of the Pope was restablished; the temporary administrations contracted out to Luigi Maria Valadier, son of the more famous Giuseppe, a survey of the undergrounds, then the arena was covered again and the stations of the Cross reinstalled.
In the 1820s, under Pius VII, it was deemed necessary to reinforce the remains of the outer ring: an abutment (buttress) of bricks was built to support the arches of the NW side (Stern abutment, Celian hill); later on, Leo XII had the other, more photographed abutment, built by the architect Valadier. In 1828 Antonio Nibby managed to empty all the surface drains, and in 1830 Luis Joseph Duc made a the first complete survey of the monument with modern means. From the 1840s on, more arches were restored and rebuilt on the side of the Celian Hill, by Salvi and other architects (these arches are easily recognized as they are made of bricks).
The south side abutment
eats
Right: the Pius VII abutment
In 1870 Rome became the capital of the new Italian state, but the works to finally free the arena restarted only in 1874. This time half of the arena was at last liberated from debris and the excavations reached the bottom, where it was found a type of paving made from brick, known as opus spicatum. In these excavations were found capitols, pieces of columns, inscriptions and debris dating back to the end of the V and the beginning of the VI century. It was on this occasion that the stations of the cross in the arena were finally removed. Later on, more excavations were carried out on the northern side, and at last the whole facade on that side was liberated from the debris accumulated over the centuries.
More restoration works were carried out by the Italian State in 1901-2, but the arena remained half full for many years, until in 1938-40 the excavations made by Luigi Cozzo arrived at the very bottom, bringing to light the underground of the arena. Cozzo also demolished all the underground structures that had been added to the original construction during the millennia, rebuilt parts of the underground structures on the western side and a small part of the cavea – with the seats (see picture).
The reconstructed s
Constant small repairs have been made since WW2, and a major restoration of some arches on the NW side was started in 1978. In 1981 the Roman universities focused on the study of the ancient monuments of the city. In 1992 a private bank financed restoration works, that lasted until 2000, with only a section restored, its cleanliness dramatically contrasting with the rest of the monument (see that in the picture on the main page). The future works include the rebuilding of the arena, in wood, also to protect the exposed underground structures from the weather. The eastern half of the new arena was completed in 2000, and before covering the other half studies are being carried out on the effect of the new cover on the underground microclimate. In 1997 a very important survey was carried out, measuring the Colosseum with laser and infrared techniques. This research has given us some insight on the deformation of the structures and a very precise map of the amphitheatre, and rekindled an old controversy between the archaeologists: is the Colosseum elliptic or ovoidal?
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