Italian architects warned about the threat of the destruction of the Colosseum
The earthquake jolted Italy in October, added dangerous cracks in the walls of the Colosseum. One of the oldest buildings can collapse before its 2000th anniversary, we have explained the architects.
“With each new earthquake cracks increase,” — said the caretaker of the Colosseum Francesco Prosperetti local edition. An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 that occurred in Central Italy at 7:40 a.m. local time on Sunday, October 30, left homeless about 25 000 people, causing massive destruction in 100 cities. The epicenter was located South-East of Perugia, 6 km from the small town of Norcia from there aftershocks collapsed the medieval Basilica of St. Benedict and several other buildings.
During the earthquake that occurred in the country on August 24, 2016, killing about 300 people. The Ministry still count the damage from the destruction of nearly 5,000 churches, bell towers, historical buildings and ancient walls, reports The Guardian.
The last incident damaged several churches and buildings in the centre of Rome was closed, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican due to cracks in the walls, began testing in the Coliseum and other ancient monuments.
Prosperetti, said that after a careful examination of the Colosseum revealed that the upper level of the amphitheater the collapse occurred.
As a result, the part of the monument, overlooking the Palatine, was closed to the public. The other part of the building, as well as the Forum, the baths of Caracalla and the Pantheon are still open. Archaeologist Alessandro D’alessio noted that the ancient Romans were well aware of the impact of earthquakes on buildings, and err is still in the design phase of the Coliseum.
The Colosseum, built in 80 ad, is one of the grandest buildings of the ancient world, preserved to our time. For a long time the Colosseum was to the people of Rome and visiting the main place of entertainment spectacles such as Gladiator fights, animal baiting, naval battles (naumachie).
In our days the ancient monument attracts over 5 million visitors a year.
Art historian Tomaso Montanari, said that the cultural losses from earthquakes can be unprecedented, so we have to attend to the protection of buildings from destruction: “the Loss of our roots will deprive us of the future. In Italy, every stone, every building, every temple works of art, which are the basis of the country.”