WEBVTT

00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:10.480
Hail, caesar.

00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:14.320
Imperial majesty.

00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:18.400
So this is what rome
has been waiting for.

00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.800
is it working?

00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:23.920
It works well, caesar.

00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:25.600
Show me.

00:00:25.720 --> 00:00:26.760
Up.

00:00:29.120 --> 00:00:30.320
Up.

00:00:34.360 --> 00:00:37.920
Slowly, slowly, slowly.

00:00:47.160 --> 00:00:49.360
It will be ready for
the games, imperial majesty.

00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:06.320
The colosseum is
the roman empire

00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:09.360
Distilled
    to its most basic essence.

00:01:10.720 --> 00:01:13.520
It is a symbol of conquest.

00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:16.320
It's a symbol of dominance.

00:01:16.440 --> 00:01:18.080
It's a symbol
        of imperial power

00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:22.400
Radiating throughout
         the roman world.

00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:24.240
Now.

00:01:26.080 --> 00:01:28.960
Any emperor had
the colosseum at his disposal

00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:32.160
To use as a tool to reassert
    his power and authority.

00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:36.320
The message
to the roman people

00:01:36.440 --> 00:01:38.960
Is that life is a combat.

00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.280
It was also
a judicial warning.

00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.520
Do not test
the power of rome.

00:01:47.600 --> 00:01:51.040
It was a death penalty
             offense.

00:01:54.520 --> 00:01:57.360
If you live by the sword,

00:01:57.440 --> 00:01:58.800
You die by the sword.

00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:05.200
It demonstrates
the power of the colosseum.

00:02:05.440 --> 00:02:08.960
It made slaves into heroes,

00:02:09.040 --> 00:02:11.440
Upending the power structure
             of rome.

00:02:11.440 --> 00:02:13.800
The colosseum
will come to symbolize

00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:16.200
The rise and fall of rome.

00:02:18.600 --> 00:02:20.280
It's all there.

00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:22.680
The blood, the glory,
        the magnificence,

00:02:22.760 --> 00:02:26.520
And the flaws that made rome

00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:29.520
The greatest empire
   that europe has ever seen.

00:02:42.120 --> 00:02:44.600
It's 83 a.D.,

00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.280
Just three years

00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:48.520
After the colosseum's
       triumphant opening.

00:02:51.880 --> 00:02:53.960
But rome's new emperor,
            domitian,

00:02:54.040 --> 00:02:55.560
Is launching what he promises

00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:58.520
Will be the most
  astonishing games of all time.

00:03:01.600 --> 00:03:04.200
Giving successful games
was a fundamental part

00:03:04.320 --> 00:03:05.960
Of being a successful emperor.

00:03:06.040 --> 00:03:07.880
His predecessors
    had built the colosseum.

00:03:08.040 --> 00:03:10.200
He wanted to do them
           one better.

00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:14.360
The third emperor
in the new dynasty,

00:03:14.440 --> 00:03:18.040
The flavians, domitian
     has a lot to live up to.

00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:22.760
In the triad of
the flavian power structure,

00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:24.920
You had vespasian, the dad,

00:03:25.160 --> 00:03:26.920
The first emperor
         in the family.

00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:28.760
You had titus,
       the older brother,

00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:32.360
His partner, his ally,
      his strong right arm.

00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:35.560
And then there was domitian,
       who was the spare.

00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:37.960
Vespasian and titus

00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.040
Were both outstanding generals

00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.720
Who crushed rome's enemies
     in britania and in judea

00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.480
In what is now
         the middle east.

00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:52.280
Now it's domitian's turn.

00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:55.640
He's got to prove himself
to the people of rome,

00:03:55.720 --> 00:03:58.760
To the empire, that
   he is worthy of the mantle.

00:04:00.600 --> 00:04:02.680
Domitian decides
to give the roman people

00:04:02.760 --> 00:04:05.800
What they love most,

00:04:05.920 --> 00:04:07.400
Entertainment.

00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.160
With these games,
domitian clearly thought

00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:17.400
That he had a shot
     at outdoing his brother

00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.960
And winning the hearts
 and minds of the roman people.

00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:23.960
He plans a surprise,

00:04:24.200 --> 00:04:27.000
Ordering a major renovation
        to the colosseum,

00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:31.240
Digging a vast labyrinth
     beneath the arena floor.

00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:33.240
It's called a hypogeum,

00:04:33.320 --> 00:04:35.720
And through
  its sophisticated engineering,

00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:37.960
Animals, humans, and scenery

00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:40.840
Will suddenly appear
      before the spectators.

00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:48.600
It's going
to add another layer

00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:50.680
Of visual complexity
        to the colosseum.

00:04:50.760 --> 00:04:54.600
So rather than people
      walking out of doors

00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:56.280
And walking slowly into
  the middle of the colosseum,

00:04:56.360 --> 00:04:57.560
They're going to appear

00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:00.600
Up through the floor
         as if by magic.

00:05:00.840 --> 00:05:03.960
To engineer this complex
hypogeum beneath the arena,

00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:08.920
Domitian relies on a skilled
    master builder, haterius.

00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.040
The job of creating
a subterranean aspect

00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.440
For the colosseum--
         well, that was

00:05:14.520 --> 00:05:17.000
A task
   for an engineering genius.

00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:21.320
Haterius and his team would
undoubtably have been

00:05:21.440 --> 00:05:24.280
Under a lot of pressure
         not to * up,

00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:25.960
To make sure that on game day,

00:05:26.080 --> 00:05:28.680
Everything came off
       according to plan.

00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.800
Especially the complex
special effects machinery

00:05:31.880 --> 00:05:33.960
Designed to dazzle the crowd.

00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:37.720
In order to lift huge cages

00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:41.640
From the hypogeum
 to the floor of the colosseum,

00:05:41.760 --> 00:05:45.480
The special effects man
     underneath the colosseum

00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:49.960
Turned huge capstans
      in order to make sure

00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:52.840
That both the people,
  the animals, and the scenery

00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:55.160
Arrived instantly in the spot

00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:57.160
That they were needed
          for the show.

00:06:07.400 --> 00:06:09.560
Come on.

00:06:13.280 --> 00:06:16.520
- I'm trying.
- Come on.

00:06:16.640 --> 00:06:20.200
If haterius can't make
this hypogeum work,

00:06:20.320 --> 00:06:22.480
He could pay with his life.

00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.240
Haterius' connection
         to the flavians

00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:38.680
Begins over a decade ago,

00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:41.800
Working in the family
  construction business in rome.

00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:46.760
For most of these great
building projects,

00:06:46.880 --> 00:06:49.800
We have no idea
    who actually did the work.

00:06:49.880 --> 00:06:52.000
When it comes to the colosseum,
           we're lucky

00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:54.680
In that we do know
  about one of the contractors.

00:06:54.760 --> 00:06:57.480
There's a tomb, the tomb
     of the haterius family,

00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:58.960
It's three levels,
         a giant portico

00:06:59.200 --> 00:07:02.320
With a four-horse chariot
          on top of it.

00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.760
The haterius family are
   a family of master builders,

00:07:05.880 --> 00:07:07.600
And they're proud
       of their projects.

00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:16.480
Now, one man will never
be able to move it.

00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:19.840
- Can you not see, father?
- Force multiplied.

00:07:19.960 --> 00:07:23.280
With a wheel this size,
   every time I add a pulley,

00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.800
Even one man can lift
  a greater and greater weight.

00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:28.080
That's why you'll be

00:07:28.320 --> 00:07:30.640
The master builder
        I could never be.

00:07:30.880 --> 00:07:34.480
Why, you'll make
     our family name great.

00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:36.640
The haterii
appear to be freedmen

00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.360
From the slaves
     of a senatorial family.

00:07:39.440 --> 00:07:42.480
We know that
   quintus haterius antoninus

00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.040
Existed in rome several decades
   before the family emerges,

00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:50.400
And he had freed haterius'
     father and grandfather,

00:07:50.520 --> 00:07:52.960
So they took his name
     as a sign of gratitude.

00:07:54.840 --> 00:07:56.960
Things are looking up
  for haterius in a sense that

00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:00.000
As a freedman, you've stepped
  out of the bounds of slavery.

00:08:00.080 --> 00:08:02.000
You're actually on your way up.

00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.440
For haterius, opportunity
arises when vespasian

00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:09.440
Becomes emperor in 69 a.D.
       And decides to build

00:08:09.520 --> 00:08:12.360
A new amphitheater on the site

00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:13.520
Of nero's controversial
          golden house,

00:08:15.200 --> 00:08:19.200
A vast home
      built on public lands.

00:08:19.280 --> 00:08:22.240
Nero, of course,
had a terrible reputation.

00:08:22.320 --> 00:08:25.680
He had built himself
       the biggest palace

00:08:25.760 --> 00:08:28.280
That had so far
   been built by the emperors,

00:08:28.320 --> 00:08:29.840
The golden house.

00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:35.120
Nero's golden house
was absolutely enormous,

00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:36.640
About 200 acres.

00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:38.560
It's the size
     of 40 manhattan blocks,

00:08:38.680 --> 00:08:42.320
All of it in the most valuable
 real estate in the roman world.

00:08:42.560 --> 00:08:44.640
The people of rome
      and the senate of rome

00:08:44.760 --> 00:08:46.400
Were not happy
      about the construction

00:08:46.520 --> 00:08:48.400
Of the golden house

00:08:48.640 --> 00:08:50.320
Because
     what had previously been

00:08:50.400 --> 00:08:52.120
At least semi-public space

00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:53.720
That had been open
         to other romans

00:08:53.760 --> 00:08:55.280
Into something that was
            reserved

00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:57.440
Just for this one person.

00:08:57.520 --> 00:08:59.760
That was deeply offensive
      and deeply troubling.

00:09:01.760 --> 00:09:04.720
Vespasian wants to show
that he's the anti-nero,

00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:06.960
And so he's gonna build

00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:10.160
The greatest entertainment
 center that rome has ever had.

00:09:10.400 --> 00:09:12.520
An amphitheater, the colosseum.

00:09:14.400 --> 00:09:16.480
He wants to
completely destroy

00:09:16.520 --> 00:09:19.200
Most of the golden house,
    drain the artificial lake

00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:21.680
That was one of the beauties
      of the golden house,

00:09:21.760 --> 00:09:23.200
And build this colosseum

00:09:23.280 --> 00:09:25.680
Smack on that site
    where the lake once was.

00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:30.880
So the place that had
belonged to the emperor

00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:32.720
And that was private

00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:36.320
Will actually belong
   to the entire roman people.

00:09:38.880 --> 00:09:42.160
Vespasian's crowd-pleasing
move has another upside,

00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.520
Enhancing the status
   of the new flavian dynasty.

00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:49.920
The problem
that vespasian has

00:09:50.040 --> 00:09:52.160
Is, he has
      no family background.

00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.320
He's just a military man,
           a general,

00:09:54.400 --> 00:09:55.920
Who's a very successful
            general,

00:09:56.160 --> 00:09:57.840
But that's all he is.

00:09:57.920 --> 00:10:00.080
He's got no real claim
         to the throne.

00:10:05.680 --> 00:10:08.080
Vespasian's nickname
is the muleteer

00:10:08.160 --> 00:10:10.640
Because he traded
        and made a fortune

00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.600
Trading in donkeys and mules,
     which gives you an idea

00:10:13.680 --> 00:10:16.400
That he's not a glamorous
      roman soldier at all.

00:10:16.640 --> 00:10:19.360
He's no julius caesar.

00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:22.160
Rome was
an extremely class-conscious,

00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.480
Snobby society,

00:10:24.560 --> 00:10:27.120
So the flavians
     had something to prove.

00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:32.480
Giving rome the colosseum

00:10:32.560 --> 00:10:35.680
Will legitimize
         the new dynasty.

00:10:35.800 --> 00:10:38.400
Now, it's up to builders
          like haterius

00:10:38.520 --> 00:10:42.240
To realize the flavians' dream
           and quickly.

00:10:47.760 --> 00:10:50.400
My father demands
 a new palace.

00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:55.200
Not just for the emperor,
       but for the people.

00:10:55.280 --> 00:10:56.880
And it must be built
         without delay.

00:10:59.160 --> 00:11:01.280
By the time vespasian
comes to the throne,

00:11:01.400 --> 00:11:03.040
He's 60 years old.

00:11:03.160 --> 00:11:05.520
Now, that doesn't sound old
       by modern standards,

00:11:05.600 --> 00:11:08.240
But in ancient rome,
         he's an old man.

00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:11.360
So he wants to get this
  great building project done,

00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:13.360
But he hasn't got
       much time to do it.

00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.640
If he's going to live
  to see the conclusion of it,

00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.360
He's really got to get
    the builders to hurry up.

00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:21.760
We expect you to succeed.

00:11:21.880 --> 00:11:23.040
It will be done.

00:11:24.920 --> 00:11:27.360
Well, the pressure was on,
as far as haterius

00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:29.440
Was concerned,
      to finish it on time,

00:11:29.520 --> 00:11:31.840
But also, rome's emperors
           were known

00:11:31.920 --> 00:11:35.440
For both lavish rewards
   and also harsh punishments.

00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:40.240
For haterius, the stakes
       were extremely high,

00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.720
And there was really
    no latitude for failure.

00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.840
By 73 a.D.,
haterius and his men

00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.120
Are working around the clock
      building the colosseum

00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:08.600
To give the people of rome
    a permanent amphitheater.

00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:11.600
Before the building
of the colosseum,

00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:13.920
The games would be held
     in a variety of places.

00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.240
They would have them
     in the old roman forum,

00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:20.160
Or they would just set up
  temporary wooden structures,

00:12:20.280 --> 00:12:23.360
And they would take them down
    at the end of the games.

00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:25.520
Rome finds itself
         in the situation

00:12:25.760 --> 00:12:29.440
That it has no permanent place
  where it can put on the games.

00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:32.080
And what vespasian does is,
            he says,

00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:33.960
"well, I'm going
        to change that."

00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:38.800
This was their showpiece.

00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:43.040
The whole of rome was
  fascinated by this building.

00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:47.040
The scale of it was bigger than
   anything ever built before.

00:12:51.480 --> 00:12:55.520
The sheer scale of the
colosseum seems overwhelming

00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:57.200
In its size, its grandeur.

00:12:58.560 --> 00:13:00.400
Beautifully engineered,

00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:03.120
Innovative.

00:13:03.200 --> 00:13:04.880
In the first year
of construction,

00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.120
We're told that workers,
            by hand,

00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:10.800
Dug out 220,000 tons of dirt

00:13:10.880 --> 00:13:12.800
To create 30-foot deep
          foundations.

00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:17.040
The amount of material
that had to be moved around

00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:19.440
To make this happen
        is mind-boggling.

00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:21.280
Stone that's coming in

00:13:21.400 --> 00:13:25.440
Is coming from 19 miles away,
     from modern-day tivoli.

00:13:25.520 --> 00:13:30.240
3.5 million cubic feet
        in six-ton blocks.

00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:35.840
Now, this travertine
     faced a brick structure,

00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:38.480
And it's a million bricks
  that went into the colosseum.

00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:41.360
And on top of this,

00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.640
You need clamps
   to hold the stones in place,

00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:48.080
And that amounts to 300 tons
      alone of iron clamps.

00:13:49.760 --> 00:13:51.760
But there's
one special material

00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.560
That makes
     the colosseum possible:

00:13:54.680 --> 00:13:56.400
Concrete.

00:13:56.640 --> 00:13:58.840
Something that the romans
didn't invent, per se,

00:13:58.880 --> 00:14:00.160
But they certainly
          perfected it.

00:14:00.280 --> 00:14:02.800
And the way they perfected
      this was by mixing in

00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:07.120
Volcanic ash, especially from
   mt. Vesuvius near pompeii.

00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.720
And this created
       a building material

00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.320
That was both
      strong and flexible.

00:14:12.640 --> 00:14:15.040
The fact the colosseum
     is still standing today

00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:17.680
Is a testament
        to roman concrete.

00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.440
The great advantage
of concrete is that

00:14:21.520 --> 00:14:23.920
You don't have to build
   the whole building of stone.

00:14:24.160 --> 00:14:26.560
You can make
      the core of concrete,

00:14:26.640 --> 00:14:28.640
And then you can face
        the outer layers

00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.200
With marble
   and more attractive stone.

00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:33.520
So it really speeds up
       production process.

00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:39.520
Fast building is essential
if the aging emperor vespasian

00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:41.840
Is to open his new colosseum.

00:14:41.920 --> 00:14:44.960
So commanding a team
      of over 1,000 workers,

00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:47.760
Haterius is one
     of four master builders,

00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:51.120
Each overseeing one section.

00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:53.440
We can see the intensity
  and the speed

00:14:53.520 --> 00:14:55.680
In which the colosseum
        was built because

00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:58.160
Each of the four quadrants
         of the ellipse

00:14:58.400 --> 00:15:00.480
Of the amphitheater
    seems to have been built

00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:02.400
By a different team

00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:06.640
And in slightly different
     construction techniques

00:15:06.880 --> 00:15:09.680
And slightly different styles.

00:15:09.760 --> 00:15:12.080
Every builder would've been
looking at the other quadrants

00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:14.280
And sort of seeing
    how they were getting on.

00:15:14.400 --> 00:15:15.800
And you certainly
       wouldn't want to be

00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:17.280
The builder
     who was lagging behind.

00:15:18.800 --> 00:15:21.120
To keep up,
haterius relies

00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:25.360
On an endless supply
  of manual labor, the enslaved.

00:15:29.560 --> 00:15:32.560
- No, no, no, stop.
- Stop.

00:15:32.640 --> 00:15:36.320
Whipping men does not
  make them stronger or faster.

00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:38.480
But they're slaves, sir.

00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:43.520
My grandfather was a slave.

00:15:43.640 --> 00:15:45.120
My father born one.

00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:50.640
We'll get a second team.

00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:51.840
Back to work.

00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:57.760
The slaves were integral to
the building of the colosseum.

00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:59.920
They ultimately are the machine

00:16:00.040 --> 00:16:02.000
By which the colosseum
         is constructed.

00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.160
Life for them
     is extremely difficult.

00:16:06.800 --> 00:16:08.240
The enslaved people were

00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:10.640
Basically treated
       as human livestock.

00:16:12.400 --> 00:16:15.360
Hundreds, if not thousands,
    of these enslaved persons

00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:17.920
Will die in the construction
        of the colosseum.

00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:23.360
Within three years,
the first tier is built,

00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:25.520
But there are
     three more layers to go,

00:16:25.760 --> 00:16:28.400
Towering to over 150 feet.

00:16:28.640 --> 00:16:30.960
Lifting thousands
       of tons of materials

00:16:31.040 --> 00:16:32.720
To this unprecedented height

00:16:32.800 --> 00:16:35.120
Is a monumental
       engineering problem.

00:16:35.360 --> 00:16:39.520
Haterius finds a solution
     powered by the enslaved.

00:16:41.280 --> 00:16:43.120
One thing that we know

00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:46.560
That the haterius family
        was very proud of

00:16:46.680 --> 00:16:50.040
Because they put it in
    their tomb on their relief

00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.880
Is the treadwheel crane.

00:16:54.880 --> 00:16:57.600
And this is a device
       that is able to lift

00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:03.440
These heavy six-ton blocks up
     to 150 feet in the air.

00:17:03.680 --> 00:17:07.560
It's what makes
   a multi-tiered construction

00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:08.760
Like the colosseum possible.

00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:13.600
- With me.
- One, two,

00:17:13.680 --> 00:17:16.880
Three, four--come on.
          One--come on.

00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:18.880
The treadwheel crane
 was one of

00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:21.680
The engineering marvels
      of the ancient world.

00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.680
One, two, three--

00:17:23.800 --> 00:17:27.440
They would move the crane
to an elevated position,

00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.240
And then they would lift
         the stones up,

00:17:30.360 --> 00:17:32.240
And then they would build
          that section.

00:17:32.320 --> 00:17:34.720
And then they would raise up
       one small section,

00:17:34.800 --> 00:17:36.320
Place the crane,
    and then they could lift

00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:38.080
The stones up higher.

00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:40.480
One, two, three--

00:17:40.600 --> 00:17:44.400
And at the end, the very,
very height of the colosseum,

00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:47.040
You've just got cranes
           way up high

00:17:47.120 --> 00:17:49.280
With men running
     on these hamster wheels,

00:17:49.360 --> 00:17:52.640
Pulling stones
        up to the height.

00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:55.000
And this is how
    they built the colosseum.

00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:59.680
Four--one, two, three, four.

00:17:59.800 --> 00:18:04.000
One, two, three, four.

00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:13.520
But despite
the years of hard work,

00:18:13.760 --> 00:18:17.440
When emperor vespasian dies
           in 79 a.D.,

00:18:17.520 --> 00:18:20.720
His bold vision to enhance
      his family's prestige

00:18:20.800 --> 00:18:23.600
Is not complete.

00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:25.680
It's down to his son, titus,

00:18:25.760 --> 00:18:27.840
To take on
    the reins of the project.

00:18:31.040 --> 00:18:33.760
But this is the year
        that mt. Vesuvius,

00:18:33.840 --> 00:18:36.480
The extraordinary volcano
   down in the south of Italy,

00:18:36.600 --> 00:18:40.080
Erupts, burying the towns
   of pompeii and herculaneum.

00:18:41.560 --> 00:18:45.080
Even so, titus takes on
the enormous task

00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:49.000
And completes the colosseum,

00:18:49.080 --> 00:18:51.720
The pleasure palace
          of the people.

00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:56.040
The building
of the colosseum,

00:18:56.120 --> 00:18:58.600
Especially the replacement
       of the golden house,

00:18:58.840 --> 00:19:01.560
Gave a huge statement
      to the people of rome

00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:04.680
And that is, like,
      this is a huge palace

00:19:04.920 --> 00:19:07.880
An extravaganza
    of popular entertainment.

00:19:09.560 --> 00:19:12.280
This is the glory of rome,
        and it's for you.

00:19:12.360 --> 00:19:14.520
Let the games begin.

00:19:22.320 --> 00:19:24.280
Although there are
hundreds of amphitheaters

00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:26.120
In the roman world
          at that time,

00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:28.040
In size and scale and scope,

00:19:28.280 --> 00:19:30.920
The colosseum
        was the ultimate.

00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:35.560
This was a magnificent
      structure to behold.

00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:44.520
Haterius was proud
of his accomplishment.

00:19:46.520 --> 00:19:48.760
Eight years of pressure
     and deadlines complete.

00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.640
Now, it's time to bask in
  the glory of the achievement.

00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:57.400
But you also have to know
       that in some sense,

00:19:57.520 --> 00:20:01.320
You have secured your living,

00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:03.400
And in haterius' case,

00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:06.920
That could've meant
  a nice middle-class existence,

00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.880
Perhaps a slave or two
           of his own.

00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:15.400
A pretty nice life in the
   context of rome at the time.

00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:17.840
But a sudden change
in the power structure

00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.960
Of the roman empire is about
    to upend all those plans.

00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.800
Just weeks after
the opening games finish,

00:20:39.880 --> 00:20:42.760
Emperor titus dies of a fever,

00:20:42.840 --> 00:20:44.520
Putting his ambitious
         younger brother,

00:20:44.760 --> 00:20:46.280
Domitian, on the throne.

00:20:51.080 --> 00:20:54.360
Domitian and his brother,
titus, were not close at all,

00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.040
So when titus fell ill

00:20:56.280 --> 00:20:58.440
After only two years
        of being emperor,

00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:00.600
Some thought that maybe

00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:03.480
Domitian was responsible
         for his death.

00:21:07.280 --> 00:21:10.360
He certainly didn't rush
    to his brother's bedside.

00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:13.720
Instead, he awaited
       his brother's death

00:21:13.800 --> 00:21:16.840
So that he could
  immediately be named emperor.

00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:19.960
In the wake of his death,

00:21:20.080 --> 00:21:22.920
Domitian throws games
         to honor titus.

00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:25.080
The roman people soon find out

00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:27.240
He's very different
        from his brother.

00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:33.720
While titus had been
charming and suave,

00:21:33.840 --> 00:21:38.680
Domitian was all harsh edges

00:21:38.760 --> 00:21:41.320
And paranoid.

00:21:41.560 --> 00:21:45.480
In fact, over a dozen senators
     are killed by domitian,

00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:48.440
And he is extremely unpopular.

00:21:48.520 --> 00:21:51.240
The more paranoid you are,
the more people you offend,

00:21:51.320 --> 00:21:52.840
The more people you execute,

00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:55.760
And the less
   your own circle trusts you.

00:21:55.800 --> 00:21:57.320
Then they begin
         to fear you too.

00:22:02.040 --> 00:22:05.240
No one is safe
from domitian's wrath,

00:22:05.320 --> 00:22:06.760
As a disturbing account

00:22:06.840 --> 00:22:09.080
By the roman writer
        suetonius reveals.

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:16.440
Get him out of here.

00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:21.160
You have something to say?

00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:27.400
Domitian was
a tyrannical emperor.

00:22:27.640 --> 00:22:30.280
He wasn't about even pretending

00:22:30.360 --> 00:22:33.000
To believe in
     any kind of democracy.

00:22:33.240 --> 00:22:37.080
He created a cult
  of personality around himself

00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:39.240
And wanted no one else's input.

00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:43.880
See?

00:22:44.120 --> 00:22:45.880
You wish to volunteer
       for the next event.

00:22:51.720 --> 00:22:54.680
Domitian is signaling
a break with the past.

00:22:54.800 --> 00:22:56.840
This was
      a new emperor in town.

00:22:56.920 --> 00:22:58.840
That's the way to mark him off

00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:02.200
As really an autocrat,
   as an authoritarian ruler.

00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:07.240
A strict disciplinarian
     to the point of cruelty.

00:23:10.360 --> 00:23:13.240
Even though haterius
           is freeborn,

00:23:13.320 --> 00:23:14.920
He is exactly as vulnerable

00:23:15.160 --> 00:23:17.800
As the lowliest
 enslaved person in the empire.

00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:38.520
Domitian's displays of power

00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:40.600
Aren't confined
        to the colosseum.

00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:43.160
All rise.

00:23:43.280 --> 00:23:45.320
Thanks to the writer
  cassius dio,

00:23:45.560 --> 00:23:48.120
We know domitian held
     an infamous dinner party

00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:53.160
Styled like a funeral
    to terrify those present.

00:23:53.240 --> 00:23:55.560
When guests arrived
  at the palace,

00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:58.760
They were ushered in
        to a black room,

00:23:58.840 --> 00:24:01.560
Black couches.

00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:04.040
Individual guests
       were presented with

00:24:04.280 --> 00:24:07.640
What looked like a tombstone
     with their name on it.

00:24:09.520 --> 00:24:13.400
This was a way for domitian
to petrify his guests

00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:15.480
And really to show
      his autocratic powers

00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:17.400
And that it was
      he who held the power

00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:19.240
Of life and death
        under his regime.

00:24:22.280 --> 00:24:23.360
You.

00:24:25.520 --> 00:24:27.000
Come here.

00:24:33.520 --> 00:24:35.320
My father and brother
 considered you

00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:36.840
As a builder of great
     technique and ambition.

00:24:39.560 --> 00:24:42.040
I am also ambitious.

00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:43.960
Some ideas for the colosseum.

00:24:50.520 --> 00:24:53.480
But this is...

00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:55.560
This is all new.

00:24:55.800 --> 00:24:58.920
An arched basement.

00:24:59.160 --> 00:25:00.760
And the scenery to appear
       through the floor.

00:25:00.840 --> 00:25:02.160
I'm not sure
     how it can be achieved.

00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.400
You will do it,

00:25:04.440 --> 00:25:07.800
And when these improvements
          are finished,

00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:11.080
I'll hold the greatest games
    the world has ever seen.

00:25:11.320 --> 00:25:12.360
You have 18 months.

00:25:15.720 --> 00:25:18.360
Can you imagine that
you've devoted seven years

00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:20.240
To building one of the most

00:25:20.360 --> 00:25:22.600
Spectacular structures
          of any type,

00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:25.560
But then you're called back
         to do even more,

00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:28.360
Really to engineer
         the impossible?

00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:31.240
Taking on a job
for any emperor

00:25:31.320 --> 00:25:32.360
Is a big deal.

00:25:32.600 --> 00:25:34.520
Taking on a job
        for this emperor

00:25:34.600 --> 00:25:35.880
Is an even bigger deal.

00:25:38.040 --> 00:25:40.440
But you can't say no
         to a mafia don.

00:25:40.520 --> 00:25:42.520
You couldn't say no
         to the emperor.

00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:52.280
After holding a funeral
games for his brother,

00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.720
Emperor domitian makes
      an unpopular decision.

00:25:55.800 --> 00:26:00.360
He closes the new colosseum to
  build an underground hypogeum,

00:26:00.600 --> 00:26:03.240
His innovation designed
   to dazzle roman spectators.

00:26:03.320 --> 00:26:05.480
Once again, haterius leads

00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:08.760
A vast team under pressure.

00:26:08.840 --> 00:26:11.640
They have to dig out mud,
right down to the bedrock,

00:26:11.760 --> 00:26:14.760
And put in a sophisticated
         drainage system

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.160
So that the rains
         and the waters

00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:20.840
That are going to collect in
 that area can be funneled away.

00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:27.160
Roman builders were diggers
par excellence.

00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:31.320
They built a sewer system
          in 600 b.C.E.

00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.920
Beneath the city of rome
      that was still in use

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:38.680
At the time of the colosseum
        700 years later.

00:26:38.760 --> 00:26:40.680
In fact,
    part of that sewer system

00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:42.360
Is still in use today.

00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:46.760
The process of digging down
into the foundations

00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:50.200
Of the colosseum to build
    the hypogeum was arduous.

00:26:50.280 --> 00:26:52.600
We're talking
       about 20 feet down,

00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:54.840
So undoubtably,
  lots of groundwater flooding,

00:26:54.920 --> 00:26:56.360
Lots of hardship.

00:26:56.440 --> 00:26:58.840
And of course, high speed
      digging was required,

00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.080
So this was definitely
        a job for slaves.

00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:07.400
- What are you doing?
- Still too slow.

00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:09.080
Keep going.

00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:12.600
I don't care
  if they're up to their necks.

00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:15.320
Nobody stops
     until that pit is dug.

00:27:16.080 --> 00:27:19.080
Domitian is away
from the city of rome

00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:21.240
And haterius is left behind

00:27:21.320 --> 00:27:23.960
To make sure
   the project gets finished.

00:27:24.080 --> 00:27:27.160
But of course, he knows
  that the emperor will return,

00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:28.840
And he doesn't know
          exactly when,

00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:30.920
And he knows that when
      the emperor gets back,

00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:32.920
He's gonna want
        to see progress.

00:27:35.480 --> 00:27:39.480
- Come on.
- Keep going. Don't stop.

00:27:39.560 --> 00:27:41.560
Good. Good.

00:27:49.520 --> 00:27:52.760
As haterius struggles
to excavate the hypogeum,

00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:55.080
Domitian is 800 miles away,

00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:57.480
On the northeastern fringe
          of the empire

00:27:57.720 --> 00:28:02.280
In what's now germany,
   attacking the chatti tribe.

00:28:02.520 --> 00:28:06.440
It was unprovoked
and completely unnecessary,

00:28:06.520 --> 00:28:10.360
But he needed to show off
      his military prowess.

00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.480
He wanted
   some military accomplishment

00:28:13.560 --> 00:28:15.400
That he could be proud of.

00:28:17.360 --> 00:28:20.280
He's not entirely
successful at this.

00:28:20.360 --> 00:28:22.680
There are rumors
      circulating afterward

00:28:22.800 --> 00:28:25.960
That it was all a farce,

00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:29.080
So domitian still has
         things to prove.

00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:31.720
He still has this insecurity,

00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:33.880
And holding magnificent games

00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:35.960
Is one way
     of working around that.

00:28:39.080 --> 00:28:41.480
While domitian
is away fighting,

00:28:41.560 --> 00:28:44.920
Haterius completes phase one
         of the hypogeum,

00:28:45.040 --> 00:28:46.600
A labyrinth of structures

00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:48.440
Underneath
       the colosseum floor.

00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:52.120
There's nothing
as complicated as this

00:28:52.240 --> 00:28:57.000
In such a confined space
    that has been done before.

00:28:57.080 --> 00:29:00.520
The hypogeum housed
    about two miles of tunnels

00:29:00.600 --> 00:29:04.440
On two floors that
   contained all of the rooms

00:29:04.560 --> 00:29:06.080
Where the gladiators
          would be kept

00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:08.120
And the animals
  that were going to be shown.

00:29:08.240 --> 00:29:10.040
So it's almost like
      an underground city.

00:29:10.120 --> 00:29:12.280
Julius.

00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:14.360
Now, an even more daunting

00:29:14.440 --> 00:29:16.520
Engineering challenge
           lies ahead,

00:29:16.760 --> 00:29:18.840
Designing and installing
            machinery

00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:22.640
That can make animals
   and scenery suddenly appear.

00:29:22.680 --> 00:29:23.880
Under the floor
of the colosseum,

00:29:23.960 --> 00:29:25.880
There were elevators.
        There were ramps.

00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:28.240
There were trapdoors.
 There were all sorts of things

00:29:28.440 --> 00:29:30.040
That could enhance
          the spectacle

00:29:30.120 --> 00:29:32.680
For the crowd up above.

00:29:32.760 --> 00:29:35.040
For the beast hunts
          in particular,

00:29:35.120 --> 00:29:37.960
The hypogeum added
         an extra layer

00:29:38.040 --> 00:29:40.360
Because instead of
    having to lead the animals

00:29:40.600 --> 00:29:43.400
In under the stands and bring
     them out onto the sands,

00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:45.400
They could just come up
   straight through the floor.

00:29:47.560 --> 00:29:49.960
When you go
to the amphitheater,

00:29:50.120 --> 00:29:51.920
Then it's all about
         the spectacle,

00:29:51.960 --> 00:29:54.120
And the spectacle
       is going to include

00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:56.920
Some wizardry, some magic.

00:29:57.000 --> 00:30:00.120
And it's going to be
     through that hypogeum.

00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:03.080
Everything new
      is coming from below,

00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:06.280
So it's magical,
         it's spectacle,

00:30:06.520 --> 00:30:07.520
It's intense.

00:30:10.320 --> 00:30:12.200
In the fall of 83 a.D.,

00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:14.120
Domitian returns from battle

00:30:14.200 --> 00:30:17.560
To launch
    his spectacular new games,

00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:19.800
But first, he puts
         his innovations

00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:22.440
Made by haterius to the test.

00:30:24.080 --> 00:30:25.720
Imperial majesty.

00:30:25.840 --> 00:30:29.640
So this is what rome
has been waiting for.

00:30:29.880 --> 00:30:32.280
Is it working?

00:30:32.360 --> 00:30:35.480
It works well, caesar.

00:30:35.560 --> 00:30:37.080
Show me.

00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:41.000
Up. Up.

00:30:45.840 --> 00:30:49.160
Slowly, slowly, slowly.

00:30:57.560 --> 00:31:00.920
Well, for domitian
to close the colosseum

00:31:01.000 --> 00:31:04.280
Was a big commitment
 and kind of a dangerous thing.

00:31:04.360 --> 00:31:06.520
The regular provision
          of spectacle

00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:08.840
Is one of the things
     that the roman populace

00:31:08.920 --> 00:31:11.400
Looked forward to
        and anticipated.

00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:13.640
Regular provision of spectacle.

00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:17.000
The populace
      had its expectations,

00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:19.640
And now, domitian
      had to fulfill them.

00:31:27.960 --> 00:31:30.280
To secure his position
  in rome,

00:31:30.520 --> 00:31:33.480
Domitian's upcoming games
          must succeed,

00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:35.160
But there's a problem.

00:31:35.240 --> 00:31:38.680
Haterius' machinery
          isn't working.

00:31:38.760 --> 00:31:42.120
Now, he needs
       to find a solution.

00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:44.680
No good idea came
from an exhausted mind.

00:31:44.920 --> 00:31:46.120
Get some sleep.

00:31:46.360 --> 00:31:48.760
If I don't think
of something, father,

00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:50.520
I'll be sleeping forever
          soon enough.

00:31:50.640 --> 00:31:53.240
- I can't help you.
- You left me behind years ago

00:31:53.320 --> 00:31:54.840
With your forces
        and multipliers.

00:31:58.040 --> 00:31:59.120
What is it?

00:32:08.600 --> 00:32:09.960
Pulleys.

00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:13.720
The same force applied
      through more pulleys.

00:32:13.800 --> 00:32:15.080
Pulleys in particular
  are vital

00:32:15.320 --> 00:32:16.920
For the proper functioning
        of the hypogeum.

00:32:17.040 --> 00:32:20.120
It's almost like
   a underground sailing ship.

00:32:22.360 --> 00:32:24.200
Ropes and pulleys
          are everywhere

00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:26.920
Lifting enormous loads
            constantly

00:32:27.160 --> 00:32:29.320
To the floor of the arena.

00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:36.920
Pulleys were not necessarily
a new invention.

00:32:37.040 --> 00:32:40.520
Pulleys had been invented by
    the greeks, if not before.

00:32:40.760 --> 00:32:42.520
What the romans
       did differently was,

00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:44.840
They came up with
     a variety of mechanisms

00:32:44.920 --> 00:32:48.440
To apply greater force
         to the pulleys.

00:32:48.560 --> 00:32:51.160
So romans don't have
power tools, obviously,

00:32:51.280 --> 00:32:53.400
But they do have a series
       of physical devices

00:32:53.520 --> 00:32:55.240
That multiply the power

00:32:55.320 --> 00:32:57.640
That actually produce
        amazing results.

00:33:00.760 --> 00:33:02.280
There's no pressing
  a button,

00:33:02.520 --> 00:33:04.840
And then a trapdoor
        goes flying open.

00:33:04.920 --> 00:33:07.960
It's all human effort, and it
   has to be timed perfectly.

00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:15.800
All the pressure would've been
    on the builder, haterius.

00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:19.680
The whole question, though,
    is could he pull it off?

00:33:24.920 --> 00:33:27.720
The colosseum has been
closed for two years.

00:33:27.960 --> 00:33:33.000
In 83 a.D., domitian finally
  holds his long-promised games

00:33:33.240 --> 00:33:35.720
And the arena
      is not just reopened.

00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:37.720
It's reborn.

00:33:37.800 --> 00:33:39.080
When it reopens,

00:33:39.320 --> 00:33:41.240
The atmosphere
     is absolutely electric.

00:33:41.320 --> 00:33:43.640
The crowd is anxious.
          It's on edge.

00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:45.640
It's been deprived
     of its entertainments.

00:33:45.720 --> 00:33:47.320
They're ready
       for something big.

00:33:52.600 --> 00:33:55.480
Well, you could imagine what
kind of sense of anticipation

00:33:55.600 --> 00:33:57.800
There was,
     but equally, of course,

00:33:57.880 --> 00:34:00.680
For domitian,
   it just raises the stakes.

00:34:02.760 --> 00:34:04.280
If he falls short,

00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:07.000
If his games did not live up
     to his older brother's,

00:34:07.120 --> 00:34:09.880
Then it's gonna pose
     a real problem for him.

00:34:10.240 --> 00:34:13.120
But when you have gladiators
  coming up through the floor,

00:34:13.240 --> 00:34:15.040
When you have beasts
   coming up through the floor,

00:34:15.160 --> 00:34:17.280
Changes of scenery
   coming up through the floor,

00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:19.040
That's the kind of thing
     that's going to excite

00:34:19.120 --> 00:34:20.840
The crowd
     and get them on board.

00:34:22.160 --> 00:34:24.960
If you're a spectator
sitting in the colosseum,

00:34:25.080 --> 00:34:27.200
All you can see is the sand.

00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:31.120
All you can see
       is one flat floor.

00:34:31.200 --> 00:34:36.880
You have no idea
   of what's going on beneath,

00:34:36.960 --> 00:34:40.560
And only when
    1 of the 36 trapdoors open

00:34:40.800 --> 00:34:44.000
Do you have any idea
    what's gonna happen next.

00:34:44.120 --> 00:34:47.920
It's a huge surprise
  that creates dramatic effect.

00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:53.680
Waiting under
the floor of the colosseum

00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:56.240
For the festivities to begin,

00:34:56.320 --> 00:34:58.960
It would've been kind of a
 hellish and surreal experience.

00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:04.080
You have heard
   the cries of injured people.

00:35:04.160 --> 00:35:07.760
You would've heard
    the growls of wild beasts.

00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:10.880
You would see chained criminals
  who were awaiting execution.

00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:18.560
All of this underneath
the floor of an arena

00:35:18.640 --> 00:35:20.320
That was in use,
        so you could hear

00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:22.720
The elephants running across.

00:35:22.840 --> 00:35:24.160
So you could hear the crowd

00:35:24.240 --> 00:35:26.240
Shouting and cheering
          and chanting.

00:35:29.520 --> 00:35:31.680
It must've been
         an intoxicating,

00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:33.800
But pretty horrifying
           experience.

00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:43.600
Welcome, one and all,

00:35:43.720 --> 00:35:46.640
To the greatest games
         ever witnessed.

00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:50.640
- Lines are strong.
- Men are ready.

00:35:50.720 --> 00:35:54.320
By order of
the emperor domitian...

00:35:54.440 --> 00:35:58.080
Make sure when we pull,
we pull together,

00:35:58.160 --> 00:35:59.760
And pray.

00:35:59.880 --> 00:36:04.080
A spectacle
unlike any seen before.

00:36:06.960 --> 00:36:09.920
Let the games begin.

00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:18.480
Pull it. Pull it.

00:36:18.600 --> 00:36:19.840
Pull it.

00:36:26.240 --> 00:36:27.600
What is going on?

00:36:30.640 --> 00:36:31.840
This can't be.

00:36:36.560 --> 00:36:38.240
Pull it.
            Come on.

00:36:40.240 --> 00:36:42.560
It was a crucible
  of tension.

00:36:42.640 --> 00:36:46.400
If haterius takes part in
  the hugely successful games,

00:36:46.480 --> 00:36:49.520
He will get the next contract
 for the next building project.

00:36:49.640 --> 00:36:51.640
He will be
      the talk of the town.

00:36:51.720 --> 00:36:54.160
If he fails, it could be
   a very bad ending for him.

00:36:54.240 --> 00:36:56.400
More men.

00:36:56.520 --> 00:36:59.360
Pull it.
       Let's go. Come on.

00:36:59.600 --> 00:37:06.320
Come on.

00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:13.280
- Come on. Come on.
- There.

00:37:13.520 --> 00:37:15.360
Now, pull.
         Come on, push.

00:37:15.600 --> 00:37:17.040
- Pull, pull.
              - Go.

00:37:30.480 --> 00:37:32.280
The colosseum
had played host to all sorts

00:37:32.400 --> 00:37:34.600
Of really incredible
    spectacles over the years,

00:37:34.680 --> 00:37:36.440
But this was
     on a whole other level.

00:37:40.280 --> 00:37:44.120
The idea of wild beasts,
          beast masters

00:37:44.240 --> 00:37:46.200
Appearing up
       through the floor--

00:37:46.280 --> 00:37:48.200
Nobody had ever seen
       anything like that.

00:37:50.680 --> 00:37:54.440
One of the amazing things
that the poet martial describes

00:37:54.680 --> 00:37:57.400
Was the incredible
         special effects

00:37:57.520 --> 00:38:00.120
In the colosseum
     that were made possible

00:38:00.240 --> 00:38:02.040
Because of the hypogeum.

00:38:02.120 --> 00:38:06.600
He says, "a cliff crawled,
       a wood ran forward,

00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:08.360
A wonder to behold."

00:38:11.880 --> 00:38:14.760
It adds surprise.

00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:16.600
It adds drama.

00:38:19.240 --> 00:38:21.560
Unexpected things can pop up

00:38:21.640 --> 00:38:24.360
From the stadium floor
          at any moment.

00:38:27.480 --> 00:38:29.680
And something
      that you couldn't see

00:38:29.760 --> 00:38:30.800
Anywhere else in the empire.

00:38:36.360 --> 00:38:38.000
It would've been way beyond

00:38:38.160 --> 00:38:40.680
The experience
      of any normal person.

00:38:50.920 --> 00:38:53.400
They could suddenly
       transform the arena

00:38:53.520 --> 00:38:55.720
From just a bare piece
            of sand.

00:39:17.880 --> 00:39:20.280
This had to be
the greatest day

00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:22.600
They've ever had
        in the colosseum.

00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:27.880
50,000 people
were at these games,

00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:31.560
And the result of these games
   for domitian was terrific.

00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:34.040
Domitian is someone
     who played to the crowd.

00:39:34.160 --> 00:39:36.280
He knew that
      he had to be popular,

00:39:36.360 --> 00:39:38.560
And they help give him
          a reputation

00:39:38.680 --> 00:39:39.880
As a friend
      of the roman people.

00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:47.720
Haterius succeeds
  and survives.

00:39:47.800 --> 00:39:50.120
We have some sense of what
happened to haterius after this

00:39:50.360 --> 00:39:51.680
Because we have his tomb.

00:39:54.600 --> 00:39:57.320
I think domitian would hold
on to the talent that he had,

00:39:57.400 --> 00:39:59.400
And especially
     if that talented person,

00:39:59.480 --> 00:40:00.920
Like haterius, took part

00:40:01.000 --> 00:40:03.800
In one
  of domitian's great triumphs.

00:40:04.040 --> 00:40:06.840
He was probably not going
    to be on the free market.

00:40:07.080 --> 00:40:09.320
He's probably gonna be working
 for the emperor in the future.

00:40:12.680 --> 00:40:15.080
With this vast arena
finally complete,

00:40:15.200 --> 00:40:17.800
Haterius and
    the three flavian emperors

00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:20.840
Create one of the wonders
      of the ancient world,

00:40:20.920 --> 00:40:23.720
An enduring emblem
      of the emperor's power

00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:26.760
And rome's might.

00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:28.760
And it's a place
that was built in order

00:40:28.840 --> 00:40:30.680
To provide unity to rome,

00:40:30.760 --> 00:40:34.600
And it was an extraordinary act
        of monumental pr.

00:40:36.840 --> 00:40:39.480
It became part of
the memory palace of rome

00:40:39.720 --> 00:40:41.640
On the ongoing story

00:40:41.720 --> 00:40:44.520
Of the roman people
  written in its architecture.

00:40:47.240 --> 00:40:48.680
In the centuries to come,

00:40:48.760 --> 00:40:51.640
Any emperor had the colosseum
         at his disposal

00:40:51.720 --> 00:40:54.200
To use as a tool
      to reassert his power

00:40:54.280 --> 00:40:57.000
And authority if necessary.

00:40:57.080 --> 00:40:59.320
Let the games begin.

00:41:02.560 --> 00:41:05.080
The colosseum tells us
a lot about the romans.

00:41:05.320 --> 00:41:08.920
It tells us about
  the importance of a monument,

00:41:09.160 --> 00:41:11.640
Of prestige, of magnificence.

00:41:11.880 --> 00:41:14.600
It tells us
   about their love of scale,

00:41:14.720 --> 00:41:18.360
The vastness of the building,
       the huge audience.

00:41:18.440 --> 00:41:21.080
Hundreds of thousands of
  people went through this place

00:41:21.320 --> 00:41:24.440
And sat in these seats
       and saw the terrible

00:41:24.680 --> 00:41:27.000
And wonderful
     and extraordinary things

00:41:27.040 --> 00:41:28.240
That took place there.

00:41:30.600 --> 00:41:33.240
The colosseum
    is instantly recognizable,

00:41:33.320 --> 00:41:36.120
And the word itself
      has come to symbolize

00:41:36.200 --> 00:41:38.600
The roman empire
        at its greatest.