The archæology of Rome, Part 7

by John Henry Parker

The Interior as it appeared in 1812, when partially excavated by order of the French Government. This view, taken from an engraving of the period, helps to explain what follows, but the excavations at that time were only carried to the depth of ten feet, and the original pavement was found only (in 1874) at the depth of twenty-one feet from the foot of the podium, which is on the ordinary level of the soil. Consequently, we only have here visible the surface, with the central passage and the two canals on each side of it, and the side passage round the edge just under the podium. The square openings for the lifts for men and dogs are seen on each side of the central passage. The ruins of the brick galleries are also seen much as they remain now.

The view is taken from above, at the north end. It is singular that the engineers at that time did not see that they had excavated the tops of arches of which the lower parts were still buried, yet the same thing is clearly seen in the excellent set of drawings made for the French Government at the time, and now preserved in the British Museum. In these all the details are given with exact measurements, and yet they appear not to have seen that they had excavated the tops of a series of arches and left the rest buried.

THE COLOSSEUM.
PLATE IV.

SUBSTRUCTURES IN 1874.
Interior, at the South-east end. View in the Passages.

THE COLOSSEUM IN 1874.

INTERIOR S.E. END.—THE PASSAGES

Description of Plate IV.

THE COLOSSEUM IN 1874.
Substructure.
Interior, at the South-east end. View in the Passages.

In the centre of the view, at the foot, are seen the boards for the wheelbarrows of the workmen, leaning against the top of the arch of the great subterranean drain to carry off the water when it was let off with a rush after the naval fights. Under the boards are remains of an ancient iron grating, to prevent any object being carried off into the drain by the force of the water. On each side of these boards are traces of the flood-gate, by which the water could be stopped, or the rate of it regulated.