You will watch and read the following: PBS NewsHour video A fashion company is paying to maintain Rome’s Colosseum (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/fashion-company-paying-maintain-romes-colosseum) and Smithsonian Magazine’s article Italy Will Rebuild the Colosseum’s Floor, Restoring Arena to Its Gladiator-Era Glory (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/italy-plans-install-floors-colosseum-1-180976635/)
The video discusses the challenges and significant financial burden the preservation and maintenance of these ancient treasures has placed on the Italian government. In what has been described as a “an act of modern-day cultural patronage”, shoe/luxury goods maker Tod’s donated 25 million euros (around 27 million dollars) in 2016 to fund the Colosseum restoration project. The December 2020 article talks about the most recent proposal focused on restoring the Colosseum’s floor, including plans to “feature replicas of trapdoors, lifts and other mechanical elements used in Roman times”. After the floor restoration is completed, there are plans to use the site as a concert and theater production venue.
But should these ancient monuments to the past be rebuilt and/or restored?
Please respond to the following questions in your Initial Reply:
Should these ancient Roman treasures be rebuilt and/or restored to how they appeared in their heyday? Why or why not? Explain.
Does rebuilding and/or restoring ancient art and architecture enhance our experience of it or make our experience less authentic? How so? Explain.
Who do you believe benefits most from these restoration projects? The Italian government? The fashion companies? The Roman people? Someone else? Explain.
