This is a historic love story about the origin of the amphitheater in Pula, which served as the basis for the design of souvenirs created by Merlin Association, with images of Emperor Vespasian and Antonia Cenida, a woman living in Pula in Roman times (magnets, lavender water and bags of lavender).
The amphitheater in Pula or Pula Arena is the largest and best preserved monument of ancient architecture in Croatia. When compared with more than 200 Roman amphitheaters, the cloak of Roman amphitheater in Pula with four side towers is the most rare and unique example of technical and technological solutions. It is the 6th largest Roman amphitheater in the world, and the only one in the world with all three Roman architectural levels entirely preserved. Amphitheater in Pula is as important and attractive as are the Colosseum in Rome, the Arena in Verona, Roman amphitheater in Pompeii, Nimes and Arles in France and El Jem in Tunisia.
The construction of the Arena took place in several stages during the first century. It is believed that already in the time of Emperor Augustus there was a similar, but smaller and mostly made of wood building at that same location. During the reign of the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian) in the second half of the first century, Arena was further expanded, and the wooden parts were replaced with stone, so Arena got its present appearance. The detailed information about the exact time and duration of construction, or of builders, is not known - historical and archaeological resources on the primary purpose of the amphitheater are very limited. Interestingly, at about the same time the Colosseum in Rome was constructed.
It is not yet fully known why the Romans did build this monumental building in Pula. One legend says that the construction of the amphitheater in Pula was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in honor of his mistress Antonia Cenida who had estates in Pula.
ANTONIA CENIDA and TITUS FLAVIUS VESPASIAN
Nero's death in June 68 marked the end of the Julio-Claudian and the beginning of the Flavian (Vespasian) reign of Roman Empire. Istria can thank the first Flavian, Titus Flavius Vespazijan (17th November 09 - 24th June 79) for the Flavian road, which went from Aquileia, via Trieste, Porec, Pula and Vodnjan, to the Arena amphitheater (his statue was built in Pula in year 73). His last words were: "I think I'm turning into a god."[1]
Antonia Cenida was born in Pula, and was first the slave and then a freed woman (liberta). She worked as a scribe in the house of Antonia Minor, the daughter of Marcus Antonius, mother of Emperor Claudius and grandmother of Caligula. Antonia, Vespasian's favorite, was energetic and intelligent woman who, after the death of his wife Domicile, came to Vespasian's court and remained his companion until her death at the age of 75. [2] It is believed that Cenida influenced Vespasian to complete the construction of the Roman amphitheater in Pula, which construction began in the time of Claudius. She had two influential brothers, Felix and Palant, who were both freedmen like Cenida. Antonius Felix became procurator of Judea during the reign of Claudius, and Antonius Pallas was among the most intimate advisers of the Emperor Claudius and his second companion Agrippina. [3]
Historical legend says that Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasian was madly in love with beautiful liberta Antonia Cenida, and in honor of his charming mistress he finished the construction of magnificent Arena. "Antonia Cenida thinks, moreover, she believes that the amphitheater in Pietas Julia is fruit of her and Titus' love, and all the others, in her view, are mere intermediaries. That is why Antonia Cenida will do anything to remove the names of all, including builders Lucia Subaga, purge them from everywhere, so that they will not be mentioned. Therefore, she believes, only two names will remain for history in connection with the greatest architectural work in Pietas Julia: Antonia Cenida and Titus Flavius Vespasianus. " [4] However, the historical sources claim that Vespasian "as widower lived with the liberated slave Cenida as his concubine." It was astounding, but not too worrisome, that this lady was much earlier a former slave of Antonia, daughter of Marcus Antonius. Cenida became older, and could hardly encourage the style of Marcus Antonius. However, she could certainly retell excellent gossip to old Vespasian when in his bed." [5] Whatever the truth, whether Cenida was a concubine or honorable mistress (faithful only to Vespasian), and whether the amphitheater in Pula was built because of love or for the leisure of Roman soldiers who arrived from many battlefields in that vast Empire, and needed to relax, Arena is still here and defies the time and human negligence for past two thousand years.
Literature:
[1] Robin Lane Fox: "Classical World: The Epic History of Greece and Rome", Naklada Ljevak, Zagreb 2008., page. 454.
[2] Alka Starac: "Imperial estates in Histria", Opuscula Archaeologica Papers of the Archaeological Institute, No. 1, Archaeological Institute of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, Zagreb 1994., page 136.
[3] Bernardo Benussi: "The history of Pula in light of municipal institutions until 1918", Zavičajna naklada "Žakan Juri", Pula 2002., page 682-684.
[4] Stjepan Vukušić: " Spirit in stone", Naklada Društva hrvatskih književnika, Nakladni zavod Matice hrvatske, City of Pula – Department of General Administration, Economic and Social activities, Zagreb-Pula 1997., page 85-86.
[5] Robin Lane Fox: "Classical World: The Epic History of Greece and Rome", Naklada Ljevak, Zagreb 2008., page 449.
Author: Miodrag Kalčić
City of Pula on the southwestern end of the Istrian peninsula developed, like Rome, beneath seven hills (Kastel, Zaro, Arena, St. Martin. St. Michael's Abbey, Mondipola and Pragrande), in the inner part of a wide sea gulf and a naturally well-protected port, which is open to the northwest with two entrances: directly from the sea and through Fazana channel. City of Pula today covers the area of fifty square kilometers and has approximately fifty-nine thousand inhabitants. In the North, this area is bordered by islands St. Jerolim and Kozada, urban areas of Stinjan, Veli Vrh and Sijana forest; in the East with Monteserpo, Valmade, Busoler and Valdebek area; in the South with the Old Gasworks and Veruda area, and Island Veruda; and in the West with Verudela, Lungomare and Musil coastal area.
Pula, the classic city of the Adriatic, the Mediterranean and Europe, springs up from the poetry of the Argonaut myth of Jason and Medea ("City of Fugitives, but in their tongue they called it Polae."), the adventurous legends about the search for the Golden Fleece. Pula is hiding three thousand years of stability in its foundations (literally bellow each inch of its ground), and in the prehistoric settlement on the Kastel hill, in Histrian necropolis whose remains clearly speak about long life of the city. A comprehensive urban shaping of Pula starts in antiquity, after the Romans defeated Histrians in the year 117 BC, when they founded Roman colony (Pietas Iulia) during Caesar era (mid-first century BC). Colony reached its peak and greatness during the reign of Septimius Severus, at the end of II. and early III. century, when it had about thirty thousand inhabitants or more, and was considered, together with Salona (the Roman capital of Dalmatia), as the largest settlement on the east coast. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire (late fifth century), Pula and its urban life and population growth were practically numb for almost fourteen centuries, changing rulers and waiting for new period of urbanity...
During the period of Roman rule, especially the imperial period, Pula as a commercial and administrative center takes permanent urban stamp of Roman concept of town, with regular rectangular houses, cobbled streets and squares (Forum), sewage, insulas, walls, city gates ... This was the period when most significant monuments of Roman antiquity were built in the northern part of the Adriatic: Amphitheater, Kaptolij, The Temples of Agustus and Diana, Triumphal Arch, Gate of Hercules, Twin Gates, Small and Great Roman theater.
Construction of the amphitheater began in the time of Emperor Augustus, it continued and spread in the reign of Emperor Claudius and was concluded in the expanded form in the reign of Vespasian. Historical legend says that Emperor Vespasian constructed this magnificent amphitheater called Arena in a not so significant Roman province, in honor of and wanting to impress Antonia Cenida, his charming lover who was born in Pula. Thanks to this deep love of Vespasian, Arena can today be with no modesty compared to the Colosseum in Rome, or the Arena in Verona, amphitheaters in Pompeii or those in Nimes and Arles in France. The outer wall of amphitheater in Pula has an elliptical shape with the major axis (north-south), which is 130 m long, and the shorter axis (east-west), which is 100 meters long, and it is almost completely preserved (unlike the above mentioned) with two rows of arches, each having 72 arches and a series of rectangular slots above them, and the four towers for the access to the top, where velarium used to be stretched (cloth which protected the audience from the sun). As any other amphitheater, this one also consists of three basic parts: area for spectators that could hold twenty thousand people, the arena and underground areas. The main purpose of the Arena was the same as it is today - the entertainment and social events where people wanted to be seen and where they could see new hairstyles, clothes, jewelry, women, men ... but the most important entertainment were gladiatorial games.
Gladiator fights consisted of a series of duels between the opposing pairs. Gladiators were specially trained for various types of combat, where they used special weapons and techniques. After the introduction, followed by music performances in which they emphasized the most important parts of the show, the games would began. The duels between several pairs of gladiators took place at the same time. Those who stayed alive and could not continue the fight, would lay down their arms and request mercy by raising hands. The judgment of life and death was made by the emperor, and it usually coincided with the demand of the crowd that cried Mitte (Release him) or Lugula (Kill him). Gladiators were mostly recruited from slaves, war prisoners or prisoners sentenced to death, but also from some free people who most probably chose that trade forced by famine. One of the other popular entertainments in the amphitheater was hunting and slaying of wild animals (venatio). Animals would be first kept a long time in the dark, where they were starved and then released into the arena. Their death had to be spectacular, therefore Romans organized a variety of shows, bullfights or fights with rhinos, or with various other animals, or animals chased the unarmed people. Animals were eventually and inevitably ruthlessly dismembered. The backdrops for these performances were carefully crafted as they had to reconstruct the natural environment of wild animals.
In addition to Arena, Roman Pula also had two theaters, the Great Theater out of town, on the southern slope of the hill of Monte Zaro, which was completely destroyed in the 17th century (the stones were used for the construction of Venetian castle), and other small Roman Theater within the city walls (which was accessed directly from the street, through the Twin Gates) on the northeastern foothill of Kastel clearing, of which today still exist the remains of the stage building and parts of the audience.
Roman theater was initially inspired by the myths and was exaggeratedly realistic. Very often in the dramatic situation which had to show the death, a convict sentenced to death would take the place of the actor, or Trojan walls would be really burned down, and even the debauched scenes with women who were convicted by the courts for crimes were not lacking. The Roman theater, same as Greek theater, was a privileged place where the rules of morality and decency did not apply. With the advent of coarse comedy Atellana, new theater developed, with props, masked actors, singers, acrobats and mime who sing, dance, act and recited to the accompaniment of harp, flute and other instruments. Farce of everyday life were acted out in Latin, steeped with local dialects. Atellana constituted of several stereotypical roles: Macchus (a Pulcinella-type figure), Bucco (the fat man), Manducus (a greedy clown), Samnio (a Harlequin-type figure), and Pappus (a doddery old man). Actors and singers could, without fear of consequence, let go with wild and sometimes obsessive comments, not respecting the people or gods. The audience recognized the characters by their masks, therefore the same actor could play multiple roles, but women were not allowed to be an actress. A new form of play developed, with a distinctive pantomime which was necessary for the huge crowd that could not clearly hear the words spoken in the open. Pantomime and simple texts depicted the tragic mythological content, while mime was used to present the comic and erotic motifs painted with political and social satire. Satirical song, dithyramb, was sung in praise of good wine, and in the Roman theater in Pula it was most probably sung for the glory of fragrant Malvasia.
The development of masks in the Roman theater progressed from simple white paint on the face, to the mask made of white linen, and finally to plaster casts painted with vivid natural colors of the earth, crushed rocks, flowers ... Actors often used imaginative masks inspired by the moments of ecstasy (sadness, despair, elation, laughter, pleasure ...) therefore representing the relationship and connection between life and death that simultaneously connected and separated the two worlds. Different types of masks were inspired by the worship of the gods, especially Dionysus (Bacchus) - the god of the joys of life, fertility, wine, lust, sociability, partying ... Likewise, the warped face masks were inspired by animal heads, muzzles and positions in order to display all sorts of human sentiment, resulting in masks with distorted nos, long ears, fat lips, distorted lips, goggle-eyes, and other similar motifs on masks.
Author: Miodrag Kalčić
