Flooding the Colosseum

The Legacy of the Roman Colosseum Guest: Nathan T. Elkins, Associate Professor of Art History at Baylor University, Director of the Allbritton Art Institute, and author of "A Monument to Dynasty and Death: The Story of Rome’s Colosseum and the Emperors Who Built It" Think of it as the original amusement park. Gladiators, wild animals, and naval reenactments (How did they do that? Boats in a stadium?): entertainment accessible to the masses and enjoyed by elites as well. It was meant to be a truly democratic edifice. Hadrian’s Wall Guest: David Potter, Francis W. Kelsey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Roman History and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan Hadrian’s wall, over 70 miles long and stretching throughout Britain, marked the edge of the Roman empire. It also marked an ideological shift, abandoning the idea of “anyone can be a Roman” to a much more exclusionary view of Romans v. outsiders. The wall itself was an impressive feat of engineering and prowess, but did this physical and societal barrier lead to the downfall of an empire?