The Annotated Mona Lisa: Pages 18 - 19

Question 1

The Colosseum

Answer 1

• seats 50,000 spectators
• first fight A.D. 80
• to guarantee an energetic performance, the combat was to the death
• it inspired present day stadium design

Question 2

Pompeii: A City Turned to Carbon

Answer 2

• was covered by 18 feet of ash and pumice
• eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
• forgotten for 1,700 years
• had population of 25,000
• excavation began mid 1800s