Colosseum Killing Machine Reconstructed

[guy]

Colosseum killing machine reconstructed after more than 1,500 years

 

For the first time, experts recreate one of the 28 timber machines that hoisted wild animals into the Colosseum, where they were pitted against gladiators and each other

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11655510/Colosseum-killing-machine-reconstructed-after-more-than-1500-years.html

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited June 6, 2015 by guy

[Onasander]

You notice there was never any mentions of Monkies in these battles.... I smell a Damnation of Memory coverup from the time a pack of scared and angry monkies popped up and refused to cooperate, instead leaping up and over into the crowds, causing a panic and stampede. People getting bitten and mauled. Monkies hiding in the rafters for a week, unwilling to come down, legionnaires called in and constantly missing them. Cats disappearing off the street, street vendors having food snatched up. Likely ruined quite a few careers.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Onasander

[Viggen]

Pompey, a general who was later defeated by Julius Caesar, laid on a spectacle in the first century BC in which 20 elephants, 600 lions and 410 leopards are said to have been killed.

 

...that must have been one hell of a logistical job

[Onasander]

That is 1010 meat eating carnevors.

 

Your right.

 

I can't even imagine shipping the elephants by sea.

 

Taking the cats in groups across could make it manageable, if the hunter groups bringing them in also sent teams out for meat to feed them in port, and enough for shipping (if fed, I really don't know the port/ports they left by, or the actual travel time).

 

Must of been harder in the ports. Not a unknown site to see exotic creatures dragged in cages along Italy towards Rome.

 

Multiple routes (not just Rome's main port) would ease the buying up the local meat supply at any one location, but once these creatures started converging upon Rome for the event, that's a lot of food required all at once.

 

I can't imagine where they would be kept other than a farm (or farms) outside the city, as I certainly hope this many would cause a storage overload of more traditional holdings for game animals. Faster access to food as well, can by directly from local farmers needed meat, live at that.

 

I guess these holding areas close to the colusseum would of doubled as Zoos, where locals would of been encouraged to gawk and screw around with the animals. Doubt there was no "Don't feed the animals" signs up.... feel free to I suppose given the nature of the operation.

 

Some sunburnt, dehydrated, poorly fed creatures scared and lethargic being lead half the night into the colusseum for the games.... growing and scaring kids trying to sleep. A few cages kept outside the colusseum until the last minute to encourage crowds to enter.

 

I don't want to imagine the psychological state of the slaves operating these mechanisms, seeing animals and people off to their deaths. Must of made them feel quite expendable, next to nothing. Not a job you want to get a work related injury on, your employer will toss you to the sands.

 

 

I personally find it disturbing to kill elephants, they are useful military animals, not to mention obviously intelligent. Its a poor allocation of resources.