MILAN — Don’t expect gladiators to make a latter-day comeback. And soccer has already been ruled out.
MILAN — Don’t expect gladiators to make a latter-day comeback. And soccer has already been ruled out.
But an archaeologist’s proposal to return the Colosseum’s storied arena to the state it was in when gladiators sparred with lions, has sparked a lively debate over appropriate uses of the monument that symbolizes the glories of ancient Rome.
Critics have fretted that the Colosseum would be turned into a venue for events like rock concerts, viewed as both unbefitting of its stature as an ancient wonder and likely to inflict damage to the structure already weakened by earthquakes, notably in 443 and most recently in the 1700s.
Archaeologist Daniele Manacorda of Roma Tre university said his suggestion to replace the arena’s long-disappeared floor is aimed at restoring the Colosseum to its original state so visitors can better appreciate its ancient splendor — not turning it into a heavily trafficked concert venue.
“It’s the most normal idea in the world,” Manacorda said.
The proposal lay dormant, tucked inside the July issue of the specialized Archeo periodical, until Italy’s culture minister endorsed it with a tweet Sunday. “It just takes some courage,” Dario Franceschini said on Twitter.
Franceschini quickly found himself rebuffing modern-day fantasies, like that of the AC Roma president to play soccer in the arena, while defending Manacorda’s proposal.
“Where is it written that you can’t protect the value of the Colosseum while also making it more dynamic and useable?” Franceschini said this week. He has placed the idea under study for both costs and feasibility.