Abstract
This chapter concerns with the static behavior of the Colosseum, one of the most important monuments of the Roman architecture. After a description of the structure of the monument, the following topics are carried out:
a) static analysis of the original configuration
b) description of the damage heaped by the monument during its whole life and of the past restoration works
c) analysis of the two conjectures concerning if the past earthquakes or the past dismantlement works were responsible for the damage.
The study is developed according to the above common static approach, based on the limit analysis and, in some cases, with the use of suitable nonlinear programs. The static analysis of the original configuration of the monument shows that the lack of radial constraints on the ring walls partially weakened their static safety under vertical loads. This weakness was removed by the nineteenth century restoration works.
The monument suffers little from the seismic action. The huge mass of the vast building, together with the presence of underlying soft soils, produces a strong mitigation of the intensity of the seismic waves that propagate from the bedrock up to the surface. At the same time the monument has a seismic strength far in excess of the possible maximum seismic forces that reached the monument throughout the whole of its history. The second conjecture, that of the dismantlement, is also taken into account in this chapter and it is shown that the demolition of at least two adjacent outside piers can produce collapse of an entire vertical strip of the outer wall.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bozzano, F.: Il sottosuolo dell’area dell’Anfiteatro Flavio in Roma. Geol. Appl. e Idrog. 30 (1995)
Cerone, M., et al.: Analisi e documentazione dei dissesti strutturali ed individuazione delle situazioni a rischio, Quaderni del Colosseo, 1, Sovrintendenza Archeologica di Roma (2000)
Coarelli, F., Gregori, G., Lombardi, L., Orlandi, S., Rea, R., Vismara, C.: Il Colosseo Electa, Milan (1999)
Coccia, S., Como, M., Ianniruberto, U.: Analisi Limite delle strutture del Colosseo, Quaderni del Colosseo, 1, Sovrintendenza Archeologica di Roma (2000)
Coccia, S., Ianniruberto: Analisi della resistenza della parete dell’attico del Colosseo nella sua configurazione originaria in presenza di forze orizzontali. In: Atti Conv. Naz.le ANIDIS 2004, Genova (2004)
Coccia, S., Como, M., Ianniruberto, U., Conforti, M.L.: On the reasons of the Colosseum structural damage. In: Intern. Seminar Theory and Practice of Construction: Knowledge, Means, Models, Ravenna, October 27-29 (2005)
Como, M., Lanni, G.: Elementi di Costruzioni Antisismiche, Cremonese, Rome (1979)
Como, M., et al.: Analisi Limite delle strutture del Colosseo, Quaderni del Colosseo, Sovrintendenza Archeologica di Roma (2000)
Como, M., Ianniruberto, U., Imbimbo, M., Lauri, F.: Limit analysis of the external wall of Colosseum. In: Proc. International Millennium Congress, More than Two Thousand Years in the History of Architecture, vol. I: session 1 and 2, UNESCO–ICOMOS, in partnership with the Bethlehem 2000 Project Authority (2001)
Como, M.T.: Sull’apparecchiatura dei pilastri del Colosseo, Atti del Convegno Rileggere l’Antico, Electa, Rome (2004) (in press)
Como, M., Coccia, S., Conforto, M.L., Ianniruberto, U.: Historical Static Analysis of the Colosseum. In: The Second International Congress on Construction History, March 29-April 1. CSH Publ., Cambridge (2006)
Conforto, M.L.: L’Anfiteatro Flavio: costruzione ricostruzione e restauri. Metamorfosi (3) (1986)
Conforto, M.L.: Originalità del modello architettonico. In: Anfiteatro Flavio, Rome (1988)
Conforto, M.L., Rea, R.: Colosseo: alcune considerazioni tecniche, Atti del Convegno ARCO, Manutenzione e Recupero nella Città Storica, Rome (1993)
Cozzo, G.: Il Colosseo: L’Anfiteatro Flavio nella tecnica edilizia e nella storia, Rome (1928)
Cozzo, G.: Ingegneria Romana, Rome (1928)
Cozzo, G.: In Colosseo. L’Anfiteatro Flavio nella tecnica, nella storia delle strutture, nel concetto esecutivo dei lavori, Rome (1971)
Croci, G.: Studi e ricerche sul Colosseo, Sovrintendenza Archeologica di Rome (1990)
Croci, G., Viskovic, A.: Causes of the failures of Colosseum over the centuries and evaluation of the safety levels. In: Proc. of the IASS–MSU Intern. Symp., Istanbul, Turkey (1993)
de Witte, F.C., Kikstra, W.P.: Diana User’s Manual, Nonlinear Analysis. Delft Netherlands (1990)
Docci, M.: Ricerche sulla forma del Colosseo. Quaderni del Colosseo (1) (2000)
Funiciello, R., et al.: Seismic Damage and Geological Heterogeneity in Rome’s Colosseum Area: are they related? Annali di Geofisica XXXVIII(5, 6) (1995)
Funiciello, R., et al.: La geologia della valle dell’Anfiteatro in Rota Colisei, Electa, Rome (2002)
Guidoboni, E.: Catalog of ancient earthquakes in the Mediterranean Area up to the 10th century – I.N.G., Rome (1994)
Hall, J.R.: Coupled rocking and sliding Oscillations of rigid circular footings. In: Proc. of Int. Symp. on Wave Propagation and Dynamic Properties of Earth Materials. Univ. of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque (1967)
Jappelli, R., et al.: Restauro del Colosseo, Quaderni del Colosseo, 1. Area Geotecnica, Sovrintendenza Archeologica di Roma (2000)
Lancaster, L.C.: Reconstruction the restorations of the Colosseum after the fire of 217. Journal of Roman Archaeology 11 (1998)
La Regina, A.: Sangue e Arena, Electa, Milan (2001)
Luciani, R.: Il Colosseo, Fenice, Rome (1993)
Moccheggiani Carpano, C.: Nuovi dati sulle fondazioni dell’Anfiteatro Flavio. Antiqua, 7 (1977)
Moczo, P., Rovelli, A., Labàk, P., Malagnini, L.: Seismic response of the geologic structure underlying the roman Colosseum and a 2–D resonance of a sediment valley. Annali di Geofisica XXXVIII(5, 6) (1995)
Molin, D., Guidoboni, E.: Effetto fonti, effetto monumenti a Roma: I terremoti dall’antichità a oggi. In: Guidoboni, E. (ed.) Mediterranea. Storia–Archeologia–Sismologia. SGA, Bologna (1989)
Rea, R.: Anfiteatro Flavio. Roma, Poligrafico dello Stato (1996)
Rea, R., et al.: Rota Colisei, Electa, Rome (2002)
Rea, R., Beste, H.J., Lancaster, L.C.: Il cantiere del Colosseo, Boll. Istituto Arch. Germanico. Sez. Romana, vol. 109. Verlag P.Von Zabern, Mainz Am Rheim (2002)
Sciotti, M.: Ricostruzione schematica dei terreni di fondazione del Colosseo, da il Colosseo Electa, Rome (2004)
Theses (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Fac. of Engineering)
Coccia, S.: Analisi dei dissesti delle strutture del Colosseo, supervisor Como, M. (2000-2001)
Fanelli, L.: Analisi numerica delle strutture del Colosseo, supervisor Como, M. (2000-2001)
Lauri, F.: Analisi Limite delle strutture del Colosseo, supervisor Como, M. (1998-1999)
Leli, G.: Analisi Statica delle strutture perimetrali del Colosseo, supervisors Como, M., Ianniruberto, U., Fabiani, F. (2001-2002)
Marasca, M.: Problemi statici nelle strutture del Colosseo, supervisor Como, M. (2004-2005)
Mercuri, D.: Analisi numerica delle strutture ad arco e dei pilastri del Colosseo, supervisor Ianniruberto, U. (2001-2002)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Como, M. (2013). The Colosseum. In: Statics of Historic Masonry Constructions. Springer Series in Solid and Structural Mechanics, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30132-2_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30132-2_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-30131-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-30132-2
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)