DAD: Oh son, you look great. You're going to kill it out there. Literally.
SON: Oh, but Dad, I don't want to be a Gladiator.
DAD: What? Of course, you do.
SON: But most of the time they just die.
DAD: Well only the ones that aren't good at fighting.
SON: But I'm not good at fighting.
DAD: Listen here, you've got an opportunity to perform on the world's biggest stage, the Colosseum.
SON: Oh.
Yeah, to be honest, I don't think I'd want to be a gladiator either with all the fighting, the blood and ferocious animals. But back in the heyday of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum was the place to be. The Roman Empire was one of the world's greatest civilisations, lasting hundreds and hundreds of years. It once stretched across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; and left a lasting influence on languages, laws and the landscape. With many roman ruins, like the Colosseum, still standing after nearly 2,000 years.
Construction on it began in 72 AD, when the Emperor Vespasian decided to give the people a top notch entertainment venue, the Ampitheatrum Flavium. Although it later became known as the Colosseum, because of the big statue or Colossus of the Emperor Nero out the front.
DAD: Oi, those spectators have paid good money to see you perform or battle.
SON: What they didn't have to pay.
Yep, shows at the Colosseum were free and sometimes with free food thrown in.
DAD: Can you smell boar?
It wasn't just because they were nice guys. The Roman Caesars tried to maintain power and popularity by keeping the people well fed and entertained. There were chariot races, re-enactments of historical battles, in fact some archaeologists reckon they'd sometimes flood the whole thing to recreate famous sea battles. There were also animal hunts called venatio. Oh and of course, gladiators. You've probably heard of gladiators before or seen them in movies like this. Gladiator fighting or munera was a popular sport during the roman empire, usually slaves or criminals were forced to fight to the death. But sometimes volunteers would do it willingly for the honour or prize money.
The large public gatherings stopped in the 5th century when the Roman Empire began to collapse and things like earthquakes, fires and looters left the Colosseum looking like this. But it's still standing and draws millions of tourists every year. And now it's about to get a new floor. What was left of the old one was removed in the 19th century to give archaeologists a better look at the cells and preparation rooms underneath. The new floor will use rotating planks so you can still get a view of the underground workings. But it will mean visitors can stand where the gladiators once stood and imagine they were in the shoes of those ancient roman warriors.
SON: Alright, I'm going to do this. Don't try and to stop me. I am a gladiator.
DAD: Wait, you forgot your shield. Oh, he'll be fine.
