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Where is/are...?
Where Is the Colosseum?
A marvel of engineering that proclaimed the might of the Emperor of Ancient Rome.The Emperor Titus opened the enormous Colosseum in AD 80 to host 100 days of games, and it will astound readers to learn what the ancient Romans found entertaining. Over 50,000 screaming fans watched gladiators battling each other to the death, men fighting exotic wild beasts, and even mock sea battles with warships floating on an arena floor flooded with water. By AD 476 the Roman Empire had fallen, and yet the ruins of the Colosseum remain a world-famous landmark of an unforgettable time.
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 24, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 11, 2024
2,5 stars rounded up for 3. I prefer the series "Who is/was...? which narrate about significant people for the world. This series "Where is..." is a bit dull for me. This book I bought in a clearance sale at Brazilian Amazon.com.
SYNOPSYS: "A marvel of engineering that proclaimed the might of the Emperor of Ancient Rome. The Emperor Titus opened the enormous Colosseum in AD 80 to host 100 days of games, and it will astound readers to learn what the ancient Romans found entertaining. Over 50,000 screaming fans watched gladiators battling each other to the death, men fighting exotic wild beasts, and even mock sea battles with warships floating on an arena floor flooded with water. By AD 476 the Roman Empire had fallen, and yet the ruins of the Colosseum remain a world-famous landmark of an unforgettable time."
SYNOPSYS: "A marvel of engineering that proclaimed the might of the Emperor of Ancient Rome. The Emperor Titus opened the enormous Colosseum in AD 80 to host 100 days of games, and it will astound readers to learn what the ancient Romans found entertaining. Over 50,000 screaming fans watched gladiators battling each other to the death, men fighting exotic wild beasts, and even mock sea battles with warships floating on an arena floor flooded with water. By AD 476 the Roman Empire had fallen, and yet the ruins of the Colosseum remain a world-famous landmark of an unforgettable time."
July 5, 2019
Quite a feat of engineering. The sea battles idea is clever but they gave way to trapdoors for changing scenery and give quick access for the wild beasts to enter, just like in the Russell Crowe 'Gladiator' movie.
"Are you not entertained?!"
Turns out the Roman soldiers came home from slaughtering non-Romans and were quite bored so formed a square of a hundred or so dullards and forced to prisoners of war to fight to the death with daggers [a case of PTSD perhaps? Or just cruel thugs?] These became popular (this was before radio or books or TV remember) obviously and as they say the rest is history.
They also had shade clothes to cover the roof where the seating was but still allowed sun to shine in on the sand-dusted floor (to soak up blood, yikes!)
"Are you not entertained?!"
Turns out the Roman soldiers came home from slaughtering non-Romans and were quite bored so formed a square of a hundred or so dullards and forced to prisoners of war to fight to the death with daggers [a case of PTSD perhaps? Or just cruel thugs?] These became popular (this was before radio or books or TV remember) obviously and as they say the rest is history.
They also had shade clothes to cover the roof where the seating was but still allowed sun to shine in on the sand-dusted floor (to soak up blood, yikes!)
December 31, 2022
Detailed history of a piece of history in Rome. I visited in 2001 and was able to tour and walk around. It was under construction then as well.
July 28, 2019
Yikes
The building itself is amazing, but what took place there was horrible. I can't imagine viewing people kill others and animals and find it entertaining.
The building itself is amazing, but what took place there was horrible. I can't imagine viewing people kill others and animals and find it entertaining.
June 29, 2022
Pretty interesting book. Pretty terrible too
October 4, 2023
TIL
1. "The word republic comes from the Latin term “res publica,” which means “property of the people.” ... Julius Caesar, was most responsible for ending the republic." (p. 15)
2. "After Caesar came Augustus, who was the first man to be called emperor. An emperor ruled by controlling the Senate. The senators could give advice to the emperor, but he did not have to listen to them. Even more important, an emperor’s power came from having a massive army behind him. So the emperor worked hard to keep the army happy and loyal to him." (p. 16)
3. "A statue that big is called a colossus." (p. 19.)
4. "It was Vespasian who got the idea to build the Colosseum." (p. 19)
5. "Why did the Romans like brutal and bloody entertainment? One reason may be that they believed they were descendants of Mars, the god of war." (p. 22)
6. "Fighting and killing became part of Roman culture." (p. 23)
7. "The word “arena” comes from the Latin word harena, meaning a sandy place. The Romans used sand to give gladiators good footing but also to absorb blood." (p. 27)
8. "A fresco is a picture that is painted directly onto wet plaster. The plaster dries, cementing the painting onto the wall." (p. 53)
9. "Most Romans lived in apartment buildings. They had only one or two rooms and no ovens or running water." (p. 54)
10. "In AD 325, Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, banned gladiator combat. But Constantine did not enforce this ban at all strictly, and gladiator contests continued in the empire until 404." (p. 66)
11. "One of the popes took over two thousand cartloads of stones from the amphitheater for use in the church buildings. Some of the marble ended up in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome." (p. 69)
12. "In the 1870s, the government of Italy took back the Colosseum and made the Catholic Church leave." (p. 70)
1. "The word republic comes from the Latin term “res publica,” which means “property of the people.” ... Julius Caesar, was most responsible for ending the republic." (p. 15)
2. "After Caesar came Augustus, who was the first man to be called emperor. An emperor ruled by controlling the Senate. The senators could give advice to the emperor, but he did not have to listen to them. Even more important, an emperor’s power came from having a massive army behind him. So the emperor worked hard to keep the army happy and loyal to him." (p. 16)
3. "A statue that big is called a colossus." (p. 19.)
4. "It was Vespasian who got the idea to build the Colosseum." (p. 19)
5. "Why did the Romans like brutal and bloody entertainment? One reason may be that they believed they were descendants of Mars, the god of war." (p. 22)
6. "Fighting and killing became part of Roman culture." (p. 23)
7. "The word “arena” comes from the Latin word harena, meaning a sandy place. The Romans used sand to give gladiators good footing but also to absorb blood." (p. 27)
8. "A fresco is a picture that is painted directly onto wet plaster. The plaster dries, cementing the painting onto the wall." (p. 53)
9. "Most Romans lived in apartment buildings. They had only one or two rooms and no ovens or running water." (p. 54)
10. "In AD 325, Emperor Constantine, a convert to Christianity, banned gladiator combat. But Constantine did not enforce this ban at all strictly, and gladiator contests continued in the empire until 404." (p. 66)
11. "One of the popes took over two thousand cartloads of stones from the amphitheater for use in the church buildings. Some of the marble ended up in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome." (p. 69)
12. "In the 1870s, the government of Italy took back the Colosseum and made the Catholic Church leave." (p. 70)
December 21, 2019
As a symbol of the power of the Emperor of the Roman Empire, the Colosseum took many years to construct, was a marvel of engineering for its time, and was finally opened by the Emperor Titus in AD 80 to great fanfare and kicked off with 100 days of games to provide entertainment for 50,000 Roman citizens as well as servants and slaves with numbered entrances and seating areas. Many or most of these games that were very popular among ancient Romans involved fighting (often to the death) between gladiators or gladiators against various wild animals. Because of its sheer size it was even flooded so that a sea battle with modified warships could take place at the request of the Emperor. The author, Jim O'Conner, in his book Where is the Colosseum? provides a lot of information about the construction techniques as well as examples of how advanced Roman civilization was with running water provided via aqueducts and even heated water that was used to heat the floors in public baths. These descriptions of daily life for ordinary Romans was eye-opening. As the Colosseum fell into ruins by AD 476 with much of its stones and bricks taken by local citizens for their own homes, it was eventually rescued from further decline and somewhat restored to its present condition by the Italian government. Even with so much of what it was removed, it remains one of the most impressive ancient structures today.
April 21, 2021
I've read somewhere around ten of these Who/Where/What Was/Is books with my kids this year. So I'm just going to say that overall the series is really great for introducing kids into history. They are children's history so they're not going to be super detailed and maybe skirt around some of the more mature issues, but they also deal with some harsh realities at the same time. I feel they do a good mix and provide a good introduction to whatever they cover.
This book is on the Colosseum and about the events that went on there and other arenas in Rome. So it talks about gladiators, wild animals, and chariot races as well and isn't strictly about the Colosseum in general. This makes sense to cover since the Colosseum was built to put on the games that the Romans so loved, even if they would be considered inhumane by many today.
Even so, the book provides an interesting look at both the building and the events that went on inside of it and other similar venues. As with all of these series of books it provides a good introduction to the topic and to history and non-fiction in general.
This book is on the Colosseum and about the events that went on there and other arenas in Rome. So it talks about gladiators, wild animals, and chariot races as well and isn't strictly about the Colosseum in general. This makes sense to cover since the Colosseum was built to put on the games that the Romans so loved, even if they would be considered inhumane by many today.
Even so, the book provides an interesting look at both the building and the events that went on inside of it and other similar venues. As with all of these series of books it provides a good introduction to the topic and to history and non-fiction in general.
November 11, 2019
This has been my favorite Where is/ What is/ Who was book series!
This had so much information and was so interesting to me!
My only concern is that it is geared to younger readers and it is talking about some series things like the fights that happened in the Colosseum. Would we suggest a child to read this book? Myself would wait till they are in the older years of middle school for them to read this for History maybe. I really liked the parts that talked about the beginning of Rome and the Gods and what each God was for.
I think the most amazing thing to take away from the book and the information itself is that they were able to build these amazing buildings so long ago. Are we behind in this day? If they were already able to build these massive buildings should we be able to do so much more now? This book gave information and made you think.
Great read!
This had so much information and was so interesting to me!
My only concern is that it is geared to younger readers and it is talking about some series things like the fights that happened in the Colosseum. Would we suggest a child to read this book? Myself would wait till they are in the older years of middle school for them to read this for History maybe. I really liked the parts that talked about the beginning of Rome and the Gods and what each God was for.
I think the most amazing thing to take away from the book and the information itself is that they were able to build these amazing buildings so long ago. Are we behind in this day? If they were already able to build these massive buildings should we be able to do so much more now? This book gave information and made you think.
Great read!
September 11, 2020
All about the history of ancient Rome, Roman emperors, gladiators, and the Colosseum itself.
Interesting, but also harrowing, how brutal and violent humans were at that time, as punishment and also for entertainment. Yikes.
Fascinating, how advanced the Romans were with engineering and architecture, the use of concrete, aqueducts, arches, indoor bathrooms. (While at the same time, their streets were unspeakably filthy!)
Widely nformative, it strayed all over to talk about other amphitheaters and architecture, it didn't seem to focus on the Colosseum all that particularly.
Biggest draw back - I did not care for the illustrations. This is my least favorite illustrator in the series, cartoonish, which I don't feel fits well here. I prefer the many realistic illustrators who compliment this nonfiction series with lifelike illustrations.
Interesting, but also harrowing, how brutal and violent humans were at that time, as punishment and also for entertainment. Yikes.
Fascinating, how advanced the Romans were with engineering and architecture, the use of concrete, aqueducts, arches, indoor bathrooms. (While at the same time, their streets were unspeakably filthy!)
Widely nformative, it strayed all over to talk about other amphitheaters and architecture, it didn't seem to focus on the Colosseum all that particularly.
Biggest draw back - I did not care for the illustrations. This is my least favorite illustrator in the series, cartoonish, which I don't feel fits well here. I prefer the many realistic illustrators who compliment this nonfiction series with lifelike illustrations.
August 28, 2024
A short version of the history of the Colosseum with some bits and pieces on the Emperors. Gladiator battles are throughly described. Furthermore, the book tells us how the Colosseum was used after the Roman Enpire had fallen, during the middle ages and the Church take over of Rome.
Overall a good read if you are about to visit Rome.
Suitable for children to learn a bit of history and perhaps begin to comprehend the greatness of this amphitheatre.
Overall a good read if you are about to visit Rome.
Suitable for children to learn a bit of history and perhaps begin to comprehend the greatness of this amphitheatre.
November 27, 2024
Informational nonfiction
2nd-3rd grade
This book is part of the Who? What? Where? series and the main topic is the famous landmark, the Colosseum. I liked the information the author had about Roman history and what the Colosseum was built for. This particular book had different features such as a timeline of all the fact at the end as well as a map of Rome and images of what the Colosseum currently looks like. These features make the book more interesting and engaging for students.
2nd-3rd grade
This book is part of the Who? What? Where? series and the main topic is the famous landmark, the Colosseum. I liked the information the author had about Roman history and what the Colosseum was built for. This particular book had different features such as a timeline of all the fact at the end as well as a map of Rome and images of what the Colosseum currently looks like. These features make the book more interesting and engaging for students.
October 12, 2017
I enjoy the Who Is, What Is, and Where Is series of nonfiction books because they remain high interest even though they are written for lower reading levels.
This book is packed with the history of the Colosseum with gladiators, emperors, engineering, decoration, and the rise and fall of Rome.
This book is packed with the history of the Colosseum with gladiators, emperors, engineering, decoration, and the rise and fall of Rome.
October 4, 2019
Halfway through the book got a little off-track and started talking about other structures found in Roman cities during Roman times before getting it together and returning to the primary subject at hand.
Not a bad read overall, though.
Not a bad read overall, though.
March 31, 2021
This was a read aloud with the kids, started for school when we were studying Italy. Although it's primarily about the Colosseum, it does give a broad overview of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire. I read it to kids ages 8-12. Two thumbs up from the 12 year old.
April 8, 2024
This was an interesting book to read. I learned a lot about the reasons for building the colosseum as well as the process of building it and how it was used during the Roman empire. There are many interesting tidbits to learn about its history and place in the world.
March 23, 2018
Excellent overview of both the Colosseum and life in Ancient Rome. Well-written for a young audience but not so remedial that adults couldn't enjoy it.
October 27, 2018
I wish I would have read this before visiting the Colosseum this summer. Ha! Great little addition to the series.
July 29, 2021
Turtle: great! Return to library.
July 21, 2022
I just didn't enjoy this one very much, not sure why.
September 13, 2023
This is the whole story of the incredible city Rome.Especially daihyou sareru Colosseum.
I was really amazed by the hugeness of It and how systematically and parfectly managed by enermous wealth and power of the emperors.
I was really amazed by the hugeness of It and how systematically and parfectly managed by enermous wealth and power of the emperors.
October 22, 2023
Very informative middle reader about the Colosseum and life in Ancient Rome. I’m interested in reading more books from this series.
January 9, 2024
Read with my 8 yr old in preparation to go to Rome. These are really great books, packed with information appropriate for this age level, and more than most adults know, too.
June 18, 2024
Read to the kids in preparation for our trip to Italy. It was very factorial so someone bland and unimpressive.
August 16, 2024
Library borrow
March 19, 2018
It was good
March 22, 2017
i liked it
March 20, 2017
i liked it
July 22, 2024
There was 1 in Pompei before Pompei was destroyed. Rome made a few changes to the Colosseum when they built it. It had a lot of rulers building it.
December 2, 2024
I read it to the boys, we learned a lot! And loved seeing it in person!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews