After a while, the minibus sent the golden autumn group to the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary.

Compared to other attractions, the visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is much simpler.

After the members of the Golden Autumn Group got off the bus, the tour guide Xiao Luo first led everyone to visit the exterior of the church and introduced:

It is a standard Romanesque rectangular basilica, and the interior and exterior decoration of the church is a fine example of the application of classical Roman art.

A few group members felt that the exterior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore was very distinctive, so they took a few photos in the square outside the church gate.

Then, Jin Qiu followed the guide into the church.

"Dear friends, this church is one of the first Catholic churches in Rome.

Completed in the first half of the fifth century AD, it was built by Pope Sixtu III and was the first church in Rome to be named after the Virgin Mary. ”

After entering the cathedral, the tour guide Xiao Luo succinctly introduced to everyone:

"On either side of the nave, there are two rows of huge columns. At the top of the column, an Ionic stigma is mounted; Instead of the arches customary in Romanesque churches, the capitals were replaced by austere lintels.

The walls above the lintels are divided into blocks by fluted pilasters, and the windows of the church are arranged in these blocks. ”

"Yo, Xiao Luo, you see that there are many beautiful paintings on the walls and ceilings of the church!"

After Mr. Liu, a big man in Shandong, entered the church, Gu Zi looked around, as if he suddenly discovered the secret, and said loudly to the tour guide.

"Mr. Liu is right! One of the peculiarities of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is the mosaics that cover the walls and ceiling of the church.

See, on the semicircular ceiling above the church, there are many ancient mosaics. Unfortunately, due to its age, it is now obscure;

Fortunately, the four walls of the church, as well as the sanctuary and other parts, still have a large number of mosaics well preserved!

The mosaics are all about the Church and the Triumph of the Virgin. Look, everybody."

The tour guide Xiao Luo pointed to a round arch dedicated to the statue of the Virgin Mary and said:

"At the upper end of the arch of this sanctuary is a mosaic depicting the childhood of Jesus, taken from the 'False Gospel of Matthew'. These include stories such as 'The Annunciation of Mary', 'The Adoration of the Holy Child in the Three Dynasties', and 'Jesus in the Temple'.

On the walls of the nave, there were originally 42 mosaics, 37 of which are still preserved. The themes are all taken from Old Testament stories.

The figures on the wall of the north temple are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of Israel.

The figures on the wall of the south temple are Moses and Joshua.

The intention of depicting these figures is to foreshadow the redemption of the Old Testament that will be fulfilled in Christ......"

The members of the Golden Autumn Group took photos while listening to the explanation of the tour guide Xiao Luo.

Maybe the church I visited a few days ago was similar to this church, maybe I was hungry, maybe everyone had a homecoming, anyway, after a while, the members of the Golden Autumn Troupe walked out of the Cathedral of Our Lady in twos and threes.

So, the tour guide Xiao Luo led everyone to the car.

Chinese food is served at a Chinese restaurant in the city of Rome.

Because Chinese restaurants in Western Europe are similar, after the golden autumn group hastily finished the meal, they drove to the ancient Roman Colosseum with the guide.

The Hippodrome is located in the heart of Rome, just south of Piazza Venezia!

When the bus went to the arena, it was still far, far away, and the members of the Golden Autumn Regiment had already seen a circular building that had been destroyed by nearly a third of it!

"Oh, look, that's the Colosseum! We're going to the arena soon! ”

Probably people have long been familiar with the scene of the ancient Roman Colosseum in movies and television, and when they saw the damaged round building, Mr. Liu, a big man in Shandong, was the first to shout.

"Wow——, it's really an ancient Roman Colosseum! It's spectacular! It's a pity that it's incomplete now! ”

Someone in the car echoed Mr. Liu's shouts and expressed his inner feelings.

After a while, the minibus drove into the parking lot next to the ancient Roman Colosseum, and the members of the Golden Autumn Regiment scrambled to get out of the car, and then hurried towards the arena.

It can be said that the charm and influence of the ancient Roman Colosseum are huge in the minds of people all over the world!

The Colosseum, and for all those who travel to Rome, must visit the site!

This is probably the charm of the Spartacus novel, and the movie based on the novel "Spartacus"?

Because the novels and movies of "Spartacus" have given people all over the world a full understanding of the history of the Roman slave revolt in BC and the inhumane slavery system; And I was extremely impressed by the Colosseum in ancient Rome, that is, the arena in front of me!

After arriving at the arena, the first thing the members of the Golden Autumn Troupe had to do was to take pictures outside the arena, which was so damaged that only half of the frame remained.

After taking photos, everyone entered the arena from the arch at the bottom of the broken arena.

This time, Liping and Mengdu were not like the other members of the group, and they were busy taking pictures outside the arena after getting out of the car.

After they got out of the car, Liping first bought a promotional leaflet about the history of the arena for 0.5 euros at a stall next to the arena.

After buying the foldout, the two entered the arena through an archway at the bottom of the arena, and ascended directly from the first floor to the fourth floor.

Looking at the Colosseum below from the fourth floor, although the entire arena is old and dilapidated, it still has its inherent huge, majestic and spectacular momentum.

The entire arena is a huge oval structure.

In the arena, from the bottom to the top, it is terraced and has a total of four floors of spectator platforms.

In order to carefully understand the situation in the arena, Liping deliberately unfolded the promotional leaflet she had just bought, and while observing the scene, she compared the introduction on the foldout and said to Mengdu:

"You see, according to the leaflet, this arena was built in 80 AD, nearly 2,000 years ago! The design it adopts is one of the most basic structures of ancient Roman architecture, that is, the arch structure. The arena is built with a series of arches, coupons and just the right oval structure, making the entire building extremely solid. ”

"Oh, there's so much more to it here? Come, show it to me! ”

It seems that Mengdu is not interested in churches and picture scrolls, but is very interested in this arena!

He snatched the propaganda fold from Liping's hand, only to see that it was written in Chinese:

The arena has an oval plan and covers an area of about 20,000 square meters; The perimeter wall is 57 meters high, which is equivalent to a 19-storey building in a modern building.

The building is a four-story structure in general.

The exterior is all clad in marble; The three floors below the arena have 80 arches on each of the three floors.

The pillars underneath the arch are characteristic, arranged in Doric, Ionic and Corinthian order, respectively.

The audience on the fourth floor is decorated with small windows and pilasters.

In the center of the arena is the gladiatorial arena.

The gladiatorial arena is 86 meters long and 63 meters wide, the size of a football field, and is also oval.

Underneath the gladiatorial arena was the cellar, which was used to hold beasts and gladiators.

"Hey, Mengdu, don't just look at yourself, read it to me!"

Seeing that Mengdu was only looking at the promotional leaflet, so that she couldn't understand the relevant knowledge of the arena, Liping directly asked Mengdu.

"Okay, then I'll read it to you!"

Yumedu agreed to his wife's request.

He took his eyes off the leaflet for a moment, looked at the entire arena again, and then pointed to the structure and layout of the arena and said to Liping:

"You see, the oval arena at the bottom of the arena is the gladiatorial arena. It is equivalent to the area of a football field.

The stands around the gladiatorial platform are divided into 3 zones according to different levels.

The first area on the ground floor was reserved for the emperor and nobles;

The second floor was a seat for the high-ranking citizens of Rome to watch the gladiatorial fights;

The third layer is the seat of ordinary civilians.

On the third floor, further up is the large balcony, where we are now standing. There are no seats here, and it is a place for the general audience to watch the performance. ”

Mengdu looked at the text on the promotional leaflet, added his own language, and continued to say to Liping:

"Look, this arena can hold more than 50,000 spectators in total. On its ground floor, a total of eighty arches are designed, that is, eighty entrances and exits.

Each arch is marked with a number on the inside and outside, so that the audience can quickly find their seat;

Moreover, these arches also have a very prominent feature, that is, they can ensure that all 50,000 people can be evacuated within 15 to 30 minutes.

A design like this, even today, is a leading design!

In addition, the functional design of the arena is also very reasonable:

For example, where did the gladiators enter and exit the country; where to rest when not fighting; where the beasts of prey are kept; Where the dead and wounded were lifted out after the gladiatorial fight, there was a clear distribution in the functional design. ”

"Oh, the design of 2,000 years ago is such a high level?"

Liping interjected with some surprise.

"By the way, do you remember the American movie "Spartacus" that we watched?"

Mengdu nodded at Liping, and then said:

"You see, the leaflet says that for the Roman aristocracy in the Middle Ages, the most brutal and terrifying live fighting was the most exciting and favorite performance of the nobles!

The Roman aristocracy often forced gladiators to carry halberds or short swords in this arena for life-and-death combat.

Most of the gladiators were slaves and prisoners of the Roman Empire.

Of course, there were a small number of gladiators who came voluntarily to earn money.

Gladiators were specially trained.

In their fighting, there are many levels, among which the most brutal and famous is the duel!

In a duel, one side of the gladiator was armed with a trident and a net, and the other was armed with a knife and shield.

A gladiator with a net, wrap the net around his opponent and kill him with a trident!

The gladiator on the other side, with a steel helmet on his head and a dagger shield, had to dodge his opponent's nets and tridents in every possible way, and stabbed his opponent with a short sword.

To the end of the duel, the losing side, to beg the people in the stands to show mercy, because the spectators in the stands decide his fate!

If the spectators waved their handkerchiefs, the defeated would have been spared death;

If the audience has their palms downward, it means that the defeated will die.

Liping, do you remember? We've seen it in the Spartacus movie, and it's very cruel, very ruthless, and very horrible! ”

After the dream was finished, he deliberately glanced at Liping.

Seeing that Liping's face showed a certain fear in his memory, he smiled and nodded, as if he was very satisfied with what he had just described.