Italy to rebuild the Colosseum’s floor

[Still Waters]

In ancient Rome, tens of thousands gathered at the Colosseum to watch enslaved men, condemned criminals and wild animals fight to the death. These grisly gladiator clashes required great feats of engineering: To make caged creatures and prize fighters emerge from underground as if by magic, the Romans devised a labyrinth of secret tunnels beneath the arena’s wooden, sand-covered floor.

These underground structures have remained exposed to the elements for more than a century, enabling the millions of tourists who visit the Colosseum each year to see them up close, according to Reuters. Now, the Italian government has pledged €10 million (around $12 million USD) toward the installation of a new, retractable floor that will restore the amphitheater to its gladiator-era glory.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/italy-plans-install-floors-colosseum-1-180976635/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55422794

[bigjonalien]

Finally restoring history, they should do this to the pyramids!

[Jon the frog]

Crossing finger that it will not be a concrete slab with steel under structure ...

[Seti42]

24 minutes ago, Jon the frog said:

Crossing finger that it will not be a concrete slab with steel under structure ...

They mention being able to see the rooms/corridors underneath, so I'm guessing (hoping) the new floor will be transparent.

Although, I have mixed feelings about rebuilding/adding onto existing ruins. I like them as they are, and aside from thoughtful preservation, I don't know if I like the idea of restoration. I hope at some point in the future we'll just preserve and project 3D holograms over ruins that show, in spectacular detail, how they once looked. That way, we can see their past without damaging/altering their present. 

[Seti42]

32 minutes ago, bigjonalien said:

Finally restoring history, they should do this to the pyramids!

I disagree. Personally, I think the Pyramids would be a great test model to see how viable projecting a convincing image of how they once looked onto them would be. It's probably not possible to do this well now, but in the future, I think 'holograms' will be a great way to view the past in situ. 

Have the projection fade in and out slowly or something so both 'versions' can be seen over time, too. 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Seti42

[pallidin]

19 minutes ago, Seti42 said:

They mention being able to see the rooms/corridors underneath, so I'm guessing (hoping) the new floor will be transparent.

Although, I have mixed feelings about rebuilding/adding onto existing ruins. I like them as they are, and aside from thoughtful preservation, I don't know if I like the idea of restoration. I hope at some point in the future we'll just preserve and project 3D holograms over ruins that show, in spectacular detail, how they once looked. That way, we can see their past without damaging/altering their present. 

According to the article, the floor will be retractable, not transparent.

[Jon the frog]

7 hours ago, pallidin said:

According to the article, the floor will be retractable, not transparent.

Retractable means a lot of machinery... omg, not sure of it at all !

[Orphalesion]

16 hours ago, bigjonalien said:

Finally restoring history, they should do this to the pyramids!

I'd be generally in favor of restoring Ancient sites to their original appearance (or at least close to it)
First on the list; the Parthenon!

[Tom1200]

On 12/30/2020 at 11:55 AM, Orphalesion said:

I'd be generally in favor of restoring Ancient sites to their original appearance (or at least close to it)
First on the list; the Parthenon!

Are you sure about this?  So many sites have been remodelled and rebuilt over the centuries - who would decide which version to choose¹?  Also we know (ccss)² that many ancient sites were built using advanced technology and we simply couldn't repair them today.  For example it's impossible to shape big stones and pile them up, unless you can solve the ancient sonic levitation anti-gravity acoustic field harmonics equations³ AND build a hypothetical machine that generates sounds.  With our limited ingenuity today that's simply impossible, which is why no tall building has been built since pre-history. 

¹ e.g. Stonehenge NOW: 

Stonehenge THEN: 

² "cos Cladking sez so"

³ These famous equations were left for us written on the facing stones of the pyramids.⁴  Unfortunately they used water-soluble paints, forgetting that it sometimes rains in Egypt, so these are now lost to history.  (Except for the version concealed in the utterly unintelligible "da Vinci Code" manuscript.)

⁴ Which have at times been cones, cubes, spheres and cosmic wormholes, before they settled on the current design.