merlin820_special
External_Colosseo
The best shot I could get of the external facia.
Incredibly, there is no mortar holding any of the external limestone together. From the second big arch in the photo onwards, the stonework has been cleaned up to show how it would have looked without the years of traffic fumes and pollution that you can see on the stone in the left of the picture.
At the top, the stonework still survives which would have held the poles supporting the velarium. This was the awning that could be opened and closed dependant on the weather. Sailors from the fleets of Ravenna and Cape Misenum would be employed to man each winch, in harmony, to unfold the velarium fully.
External_Colosseo
The best shot I could get of the external facia.
Incredibly, there is no mortar holding any of the external limestone together. From the second big arch in the photo onwards, the stonework has been cleaned up to show how it would have looked without the years of traffic fumes and pollution that you can see on the stone in the left of the picture.
At the top, the stonework still survives which would have held the poles supporting the velarium. This was the awning that could be opened and closed dependant on the weather. Sailors from the fleets of Ravenna and Cape Misenum would be employed to man each winch, in harmony, to unfold the velarium fully.