Andrea BRAGHIROLI
(Dept. Architettura, Disegno Storia Progetto, Firenze, Italy)
Abstract:
The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world, already in antiquity it was considered one of the wonders of the world. But it’s not only one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the place where different public spectacles took place during the Roman Empire Age, like mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. Also served as a monumental framework for gladiatorial contests. Although the Colosseum is still the main landmark of Rome and many people from all over the world visit it everyday, they can only imagine how it would be like to be there among thousands of people witnessing such a dramatic entertainment like gladiators fights.
The concept of the video is to bring to life the actual use of the Colosseum, showing different types of gladiators fighting in the arena. The purpose is to recreate the spectacular nature and the entertainment of the combats, keeping at the same time a rigorous approach to the reconstruction.
While the documentation on the Colosseum is extensive and easy to find, it is more difficult to portrait the actual gladiators’ specific fighting techniques and movements, each one specifically related to unique sets of weapons, armors and combat gear.
My research for filling this crucial issue led me to some sportive associations whose specific goal is the historical reenactment of those fights, using faithful replicas of the original combat gears. I used footage of those athletes fights to trace their movements and to design the virtual combats inside the Colosseum; also modeled the different combat gears and weapons using as a reference actual archeological findings currently held in Rome and Naples archeological museums.
Keywords: colosseum, 3D modelling, gladiators