The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 11: Titus by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
page 18 of 20 (90%)
page 18 of 20 (90%)
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termination of the Jewish war, and had apartments in the palace, where
she lived with Titus, "to all appearance, as his wife," as Xiphilinus informs us; and there seems no doubt that be would have married her, but for the strong prejudices of the Romans against foreign alliances. Suetonius tells us with what pain they separated. [787] The Colosseum: it had been four years in building. See VESPAS. c. ix. [788] The Baths of Titus stood on the Esquiline Hill, on part of the ground which had been the gardens of Mecaenas. Considerable remains of them are still found among the vineyards; vaulted chambers of vast dimensions, some of which were decorated with arabesque paintings, still in good preservation. Titus appears to have erected a palace for himself adjoining; for the Laocoon, which is mentioned by Pliny as standing in this palace, was found in the neighbouring ruins. [789] If the statements were not well attested, we might be incredulous as to the number of wild beasts collected for the spectacles to which the people of Rome were so passionately devoted. The earliest account we have of such an exhibition, was A.U.C. 502, when one hundred and forty- two elephants, taken in Sicily, were produced. Pliny, who gives this information, states that lions first appeared in any number, A.U.C. 652; but these were probably not turned loose. In 661, Sylla, when he was praetor, brought forward one hundred. In 696, besides lions, elephants, and bears, one hundred and fifty panthers were shown for the first time. At the dedication of Pompey's Theatre, there was the greatest exhibition of beasts ever then known; including seventeen elephants, six hundred lions, which were killed in the course of five days, four hundred and ten panthers, etc. A rhinoceros also appeared for the first time. This was |
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