Seeing that most of us who visit the Colosseum have seen the movie 'Gladiator', I thought I'd (somewhat tongue-in-cheek point out a site associated with the real-life Commodus.
And as usual for Hollywood films they took quite a bit of 'artistic license' with the facts.

 Mainly, there was no hero named Maximus and Commodus didn't die in the Colosseum's arena.
 Marcus Aurelius (his father) died of natural causes either from a long illness (years) but most likely from the plague.
He did have an older sister named Lucilla but no closeness between them like in the film. He was ~8yrs old when she 1st married and in real life she was a bit wild in her sexual antics.
Also no recorded incest or one-sided desire between them but it's recorded that one or more of his other sisters had relationships with him either forced or consensual.

 Commodus in the film was a Boy Scout compared to what he was in real life, he's right up there with Caligula and was just as crazy (murder, sadism, blood sports and putting the K in kinky).

In real life he did fight in the Colosseum as a Gladiator and had 735 wins. Which is easy when your opponent has a wooden or heavy dull lead weapon plus being the Emperor with your armed back-up right behind you. So the opponent either faked defeat and hoped to be spared or took a wound, he had no chance to win and live to tell about it.

He also killed 1000's of wild animals, the dangerous ones he killed from an above ground catwalk (he was an excellent archer or with spears) and was perfectly safe. But he would go down into the Arena and bravely face wild beasts all alone...Ostrichs can be very dangerous you know.

 He used to like to dress as the God Hercules (whom he believed he was descended from), as a Gladiator and also as a woman even at political, social and public events like the Colosseum Games.  

 Now there is an overlooked site in the Colosseum that is connected with the attempted assassination of Commodus which lead to the death of his sister Lucilla. It is also physically connected to his actual assassination site 10yrs later.
 These events are basically accurate but there are slightly different versions (poisoned wine or food, killed in bed or bath, stepson or cousin, etc) but I'll go with the most likely event unless it's scandalous ).

 The common people and the soldiers put up Commodus because of the bloody Games he's always staging, he gives them money often, and when something does go wrong (like a food shortage) he blames a loyal underling and has him killed to the delight of the mob. And he's basically keeping the soldiers out of major wars and will agree to Truces.

 But the Senators, politicans, and the rich live in constant fear of being killed either because of a perceived threat or he just wants their money, Commodus is quite the spendthrift .
And those in his inner circle fare no better, he's killing them off left and right no matter how loyal they are. No one is safe!

 His elder sister Lucilla decides her and her family's days might be numbered, so she plans an assassination.
 She gets a few in the inner circle who also fear for their lives in on the plot but they need to find an assassin. Hmmm...who would be dumb enough to attempt this?
 
 Well it seems that Lucilla's stepson Quintianus is also betrothed to her daughter. And Lucilla has this young man's...ahhh...ear so to speak (she's sleeping with him . She's hardly 'Mother/Stepmother of the Year' material.
I just wonder what she promised him between those sheets? Well, we'll never know but it was convincing .  

 Quintianus is also in Commodus' inner circle, he's going to marry his niece and he's *very friendly* with his older sister . So he's a regular around the Palace and at the Emperor's social events.
So armed with a small dagger but a bigger mouth, he awaits his chance to go down in history.

Now look at this Colosseum photo
http://www.colosseumweb.org/photogal...iginals/13.jpg See the Cross at the bottom of the photo, that is not where the Emperor's Box was regardless of what guidebooks and tourguides claim. It was an imperial box though but it was for the 'Prefect of Rome' (like a mayor), other bigwigs and possibly for the Vestal Virgins also.

 Now on the otherside in the center there is an open space with a short modern fence (btw this is the modern exit from the Colosseum). That is where the elevated Emperor's Box was, which protruded slightly into the Arena. It was very likely marble so it was looted like 2/3 of the Colosseum.

 But what is of interest to us is that brick structure to the left. This structure has a door on the right connecting to the Emperor's Box and a door in the left-rear connecting to a tunnel (cryptoporticus) which leads underground and out of the Colosseum and over to the Caelian Hill. This structure also has a mosaic floor and a couple of rooms on the backside. I don't know what the rooms were but I always wondered if one of them might have been the Emperor's private w.c. (there is a drain that circles the arena in the rear of these rooms)?  

 You can see (photo) the start of this tunnel in the middle arch of the 3 behind the left end of the structure. The best view is from the 2nd level in the Colosseum just above this structure looking down.   

 The tunnel is said to have been built by Commodus to connect the Colosseum with his house. He had moved from the Palace on the Palatine Hill which he said was too noisy and over to a small Imperial Villa alongside (or on) the Caelian Hill.
He was living there in 182AD and still there 10yrs later when he was killed.

 With this tunnel he can avoid the great unwashed masses when entering and leaving the Colosseum plus go back to the Villa for a mid-day meal or a bath after one of his fighting or killing sprees.
Inside this tunnel is where Quintianus decides to make his move and into the history books.
 And as a young man I guess he figured he would need a good hero's line to make this act more dramatic.

 He approaches Commodus and draws his dagger and says "This dagger the Senate sends thee".
 Well those boastful couple of seconds was all the Imperial Guard needed to react and grab him. Opppps!

 He and the others in on the plot are executed (I guess our hero was persuaded to name names, torture tends to loosen the tongue).
 Commodus exiles his sister Lucilla to Capri and later has her killed.
Commodus on a roll now also banishes his wife (Bruttia Crispina) to Capri charging her with adultery and has her killed. It's doubtful she was in on the plot but he didn't love so off she goes too.  
 
~10yrs later on Dec. 31, 192AD Commodus is still living in this Villa at the end of the tunnel.
 And he's still killing off those around him in his inner circle, so those close to him want him dead even if they are now in his good graces, it's only a matter of time.

 A Chamberlain named Eclectus and the 'Prefect of the Guard' named Laetus figure they will strike first but they need someone close to him and trusted.
 And there is only one person that close, his concubine Marcia. One source says she saw a hit list with her name and those others on it and hatched the plot herself. But she probably thought that someday her number would be up and was willingly enlisted by the others.  

 Commodus has 300 concubines and almost that many boys and young men in his harem (yea he really had one .
 But Marcia was his #1 babe for the past decade (she was the mistress of one of the murdered conspirators from the 182AD plot and very forgiving it seems) and she enjoyed *all* the benefits of an Empress.
One of her good points was: She totally convinced Commodus not to persecute the Christians either out of sympathy or she was one in secret.
 
 Don't know what she had in her little bag of tricks but it's recorded that she had him wrapped around her little finger.  
 He trusts her and had no worries on that New Year's night when she gave him a glass of poisoned wine.
 He got ill but later vomited-up the poison, so they must act fast, he's going to survive!
 They send an athlete named Narcissus that he knew and worked out with into his bedroom, there Narcissus strangled him.   Commodus was very narcissist, he was even going to rename Rome after himself so a bit of poetic justice that a man named Narcissus murdered him.

He was 31 years old, the following 2 Emperors are both murdered in less than 3.5 months after Commodus' death.
 
So when you are in the Colosseum, look down upon that passageway and picture Commodus walking with his guards, his armed assassin waiting in the shadows and the political intrigue that surrounded that plot.
 Myself, I wonder how the Emperor of the World's greatest Empire faced death that day.
Was he dressed as the God Hercules, in his Lion's skin and club? As an armored and armed murdering Gladiator? Or perhaps he was in touch with his feminine side that day and all dolled-up.
Other photos: http://www.colosseumweb.org/photogal...iginals/11.jpg http://www.colosseumweb.org/photogal...iginals/06.jpg   A couple of years ago they excavated part of this tunnel, they dug a hole thru the pavement ~30m outside the outer wall of the Colosseum. I haven't found anything written on their findings yet.

Thanks for the history lesson. I liked Gladiator, but it's usually the case that real history is far more interesting than a movie (what fool would put himself in Commodus' inner circle?).

When I last visited the colosseum in 2003, I walked to the center, stretched out my arms and yelled, "Are you not entertained?" There was a small rumble of laughter and a few people (sounded like Brits) chanted "Maximus! Maximus!" My girlfriend was mortified.

Very interesting PL. I'm printing this and will take it along on our next trip to Rome. The last time we visited the colosseum there was no flooring, so that will give things a new look for us.

Edward I like your style!

[Odd my post shows up in the 'Post a reply' box but not on the Forum even after I refresh the page. So I'll try again.]

Edward

Giovanna: I'm afraid the flooring in the arena has been closed-off for over a year.
Also an upper level overlook on the eastside and quite a bit of the ground floor access on the northside. Regards, Walter

Opps...Edward I meant

Walter, your posts are always very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

And Edward, since "Gladiator" is one of my favorite movies (despite the historical inaccuracies), I have to say that I found your Colosseum story absolutely priceless. That is truly funny.

Thanks for the history PL. I loved the Gladiator and even named my pet fish Maximus!

A nice read. I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks,

mm

Very interesting. We'll in Rome in 3 weeks. I printed this out!
Thanks for posting

I loved that movie so much I will admit...with nerdy hesitation... I went out and bought a book about all the Roman Emperors...their stories are fascinating ! Edward- LOL !!

This was very interesting, Walter. Thanks for taking the time to post it. And Edward, wish I'd been there to see it!

I love this stuff - it's just fascinating.

Thanks for posting.

Good stuff as always Walter, thanks for this.

Nice stuff! I was happy that we'd seen the marble-clad colosseum in Verona before we saw the big one in Rome. We didn't see a performance there, but we did go in during a day when they were building sets. It was surprising how relatively comfortable sitting on that marble was. Anyway, it was easier to picture the Roman Colosseum as it must have been having had that experience.