The Last Fight in the Coliseum

Thu, 04 Jun 2009

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, as told in 1864 by Charlotte Mary Yonge

Every Italian child, particularly if he has been brought up in the country side near Rome, must have felt something of the charm of the buried world beneath his feet, the world of long, long ago, buried cities, temples, palaces, wonderful statues, lamps and vases of gold and silver and bronze. Ancient Rome Charlotte Mary Yonge was born in Otterbourne, Hampshire, England, on 11 August 1823 to William Yonge and Fanny Yonge, nee Bargus. I think it was around 1864 that Charlotte wrote about the Gladiators, I searched through the websites and found this; It is from a book called the "Book of Golden Deeds by Charlotte M Yonge:" The Last Fight in... "His dress showed that he was one of the hermits who vowed themselves to a holy ... shrines and keep his Christmas at Rome--they knew he was a holy man--no more, and it is not even certain whether his name was Alymachus or Telemachus. Which is the story I have just written out for you, I am new to her works, but crikey,according to Wiki, she had almost all the Pre- Raphaelite Movement in her list of Fans. THE LAST FIGHT in the COLISEUM By Charlotte Mary Yonge. As the Romans grew prouder and more fond of pleasure, no one could hope to please them who did not give them sports and entertainments. When a person wished to be elected to any public office, it was a matter of course that he should compliment his fellow-citizens by exhibitions of the kind they loved, and when the common people were discontented, their cry was that they wanted panem ac Circenses, "bread and sports," the only thing they cared for. In most places where there has been a large Roman colony, remains can be seen of the amphitheatres, where the citizens were wont to assemble for these diversions. Sometimes these are stages of circular galleries of seats hewn out of the hillside, where rows of spectators might sit one above the other, all looking down on a broad flat space in the centre, under their feet, where the representations took place. Sometimes, when the country was flat, or it was easier to build than excavate, the amphitheatre was raised above the ground, rising up to a considerable height. The grandest and most renowned of all these amphitheatres is the Coliseum at Rome.