AS of modern Rome the one most striking representative edifice is St. Peter’s, so of ancient Rome is the Coliseum. Other ruins are of higher antiquity and have more classical associations connected with them, but in majestic size and massive structure this is the greatest of all the monuments of old Rome. There is none with which art has made the world more familiar and none certainly of which the pictures or the descriptions are so far surpassed by the reality It is not our purpose to do more now than to give a brief outline of its history and to refer to two or three of the gems of modern English literature associated with the place.
The word Coliseum is not of the remotest antiquity. The Flavian Amphitheatre was the name by which the structure was for centuries alone known It was founded by the Emperor Vespasian AD 72 and completed by Titus AD 80, ten years after the destruction of Jerusalem. Church tradition tells us that it was designed by Gaudentius, a Christian architect and martyr, and that many thousand Jewish captives were employed in its completion. It was enlarged and repaired by successive emperors up to the sixth century. At the dedication of the building by Titus five thousand wild beasts were slain in the arena, and the games lasted for more than three months. During the persecution multitudes of Christians were slain. It is said that St. Ignatius was brought here from Antioch and suffered martyrdom in the reign of Trajan. Not till the reign of Honorius were the cruel gladiatorial combats abolished and the heroic conduct of the martyred and sainted Telemachus has been the theme of many a song and story.
Well, we all make mistakes.
Cognitive science will hopefully revolutionize the way people think about mass politics, eventually.
Maybe it’s just that Scott Adams is such a tremendous genius that he requires multiple identities to prevent it from looking like he is monopolizing all the genius thoughts in the world.
Fairly common problem, anyways.
Tags: being an idiot, cognitive bias, gladiatorial combat, Leisure hour, scott adams