“Ruins are good for thinking.”
Those words were displayed boldly across a slide during Professor Steintrager’s first lecture.
As I examined the words, I tried to wrap my head around his claim. “Good for thinking”? What could that possibly mean? That I could study my midterms by ruins and be able to understand the material faster? Or that I could become some sort of mastermind if I spent more time by ruins? The endless possibilities ran through my head.
Of course, upon deeper analysis I came to an understanding. Ruins are a good place of reflection. A good place to understand more about the past, future, and present. Ruins hold so much history and so much of humanity, making them a great place to think. To think about what it used to be and how that differs from what it is now.
Take the Colosseum for example, as it stands in the center of Rome, Italy. Though two-thirds of the original Colosseum has been destroyed, it now acts as a popular tourist attraction—a reminder of the Roman Empire and its long standing history. This structure, that once hosted gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights, does not hold the use it had once before, for it has now been reduced to ruins. But, how important was it in the past?
The Colosseum, once also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was an arena that housed special occasions, one that brought about the gathering of hundreds and thousands of people. It was able to seat roughly 50,000 spectators, arranged in order of social rankings. Gladiatorial combats, hunts, wild animal, fights, and mock naval engagements took place in the Colosseum, showcasing its capabilities to adapt to a multitude of different activities taking place. The Colosseum acts as a landmark representing Rome and its power that still reigns through to the modern day.
Looking at the Colosseum in today’s society, it symbolizes many characteristics of empire that we have identified and addressed during lecture. The idea of impermanence is strongly linked to the Colosseum, emphasizing the idea that empires have their rises and falls. Even the Roman Empire, often regarded as one of the greatest empires to run its course, had its fall. Despite all its greatness and all its influence, the Roman Empire fell. They are not permanent and they definitely have their final days. As it stands now, with one-third of it still intact, the Colosseum represents the lasting effects that the Roman empire has had on society and humanity. Being able to withstand hundreds and hundreds of years despite all the changes in the world defines the power the Roman Empire had and still has.
Looking in retrospect, Professor Steintrager’s claim has become clear. Ruins are a good place for thinking. They allow us to recognize the past and ponder about the existence of things greater than us, to recognize our growth as humankind as well as our downfalls. Ruins are a part of understanding our history and the history of empires such as the Romans. To understand how advancements were made throughout time and what empires/societies they were connected to. Looking at empires allow us to think.
Exploring Empire 
I think your analysis of the Colosseum as a symbol of the impermanence of empire is very insightful. If you ask anyone what they associate with the Roman empire, the Colosseum is an image that will instantly pop into their head. Even in its state of ruin, it is still a powerful and awe-inspiring building that has such a long history connected to it. The concept of memento mori and the idea that all empires will eventually fall also points out the arrogance of man to think that anything not existing in the natural world will be strong enough to become permanent. Therefore, I appreciate how you point out that ruins provide a space for us to contemplate the past and learn from it to improve our futures.
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When you were talking about the Colosseum, and how it was used, made me think about how we’ve progressed and changed since then. You talk about this when you say that thinking about ruins allows us to recognize our growth as humankind. As you said, the Colosseum used to be used for gladiatorial combats and animal fights. In modern day, we are very opposed to those things and have entirely done away with such things in our culture. Although we do not condone it’s former use, we still visit the Colosseum and can marvel at its architecture. We can look at it, and appreciate the engineering and artistry that went into its construction, but we don’t have to agree with the events that were going on within it. We can instead acknowledge that history, and use it as a reminder that we have improved as a human race. At the same time, this should remind us that there are other areas that we still can improve on, and that we still have a lot of room of improvement. This whole line of thought that I had when reading your post I think further confirms Professor Steintrager’s statement that ruins are good for thinking.
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I think that this is a good analysis of the Colosseum. Ruins are truly a place for thought, thinking about the context, the symbolism, and the relation to us. Another possible reason why ruins are a good place for thought is because we can relate to ruins. We all experience low times in our lives, and we can relate to this fall from greatness to ruin. What we all want, however, is by the end of our lives we can leave a lasting impression on the world, that through the ruins we leave behind people can learn about the life that we lived, that our ruins can be glorified like one of the influential ancient civilizations.
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