Il Messaggero, the Italian newspaper, said the apology "defaced common sense."
July 6, 2023
"I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned of the monument’s antiquity."
Said Ivan Danailov Dimitrov, quoted in "Who Knew the Colosseum Was So Old? Tourist Apologizes for Defacement.
A man who etched his initials and those of his girlfriend in a wall of the nearly 2,000-year-old monument wrote a letter of apology, and his lawyer says he is hoping for a plea bargain" (NYT).
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“… after what regrettably happened” is right up there with “mistakes were made.”
What would Pompeii be without the graffiti? I say, do as the Romans did.
The apology is as genuine and sincere as the offense.
From the linked article...
"A man who etched his initials and those of his girlfriend in a wall of the nearly 2,000-year-old monument wrote a letter of apology..."
"The brick that was defaced was actually part of a wall built during a mid-19th century restoration of the monument..."
The mid-19th century was not nearly 2,000 years ago. Not that this excuses the vandalism, but why do newspapers feel the need to exaggerate in their articles? Is the truth not enough?
If he didn't know it was so old, why do what he did? When I was there, the only problem was rather aggressive guys in Roman uniforms who wanted you to take a photo with them and then pay them.
For graffiti to be allowed on the Colosseum, it must be a minimum of 1697 years old. Anything newer than that is the work of Christians or Vandals, literally.
Sometimes one finds oneself in Rome without any concept of what the city is famous for. All roads lead there, so it's easy to accidentally find oneself surrounded by giant ancient world famouse monuments without any idea that they are in fact giant ancient world famous monuments.
Add in the fact that carving one's initials into giant monuments is a perfectly normal and permissable thing to do provided the building is less than 1,000 years old, and it's understandable how this lapse of judgement happened.
Whether it's people blowing monuments up, smashing them in the name of drug addled criminals, entitled brats thinking they are fighting some global cause or alledgedly idiot tourists taking up stone chiseling, I'm thouroughly sick of all of them. Draconian sentences please, the sort that make Singapore laws look like namby pamny bleeding hearts.
No words. The decline of Western Civilization continues, unabated. "But Temujin", you may shout, "It's just some stinkin' little initials on that huge Colosseum. Surely this is nothing more than small vandalism, not the end of society as we know it?"
Its Giuliani's Broken Windows theory, its the uneducation* of an entire society, its the lack of standards all around us, as we look at, and accept more and more atrocities to our own civilization, each one pushing us back further from our peak, which I'm thinking was some time ago now.
*uneducation. I'm coining the word to mean the active operation of making students dumber. Or deeducation, if you prefer.
As we all know, there is no history prior to 1990.
- Krumhorn
The age of the structure is a minor concern IMO--it is not a canvas so every moron can have his moment of viral notoriety, even if it was built last week.
George Washington? Was he someone important?
What a dumbass. It isn't like it was a building in Detroit or something.
Reading a novel (The Girl On the Via Flaminia) last night that mentioned the many American troops who scratched their initials on the Colosseum's walls upon the liberation of Rome. Frankly, that sounds like defensible historical graffiti.
In 1974 when I first went to Rome visitors could climb right up into the seats in the Colosseum, which I did, only to find it entirely littered with spent condoms. I subsequently learned that the Colosseum was a favorite place for prostitutes to take their customers. Nowadays people can't go into the seats because it has deteriorated too much. I seriously wonder over the last 2,000 years how much effort the Italians themselves invested in protecting the Colosseum.
Frenchy
He should be sentenced to the Games in the Colliseum. Give him a broad sword and shield, a funky helmet and maybe a hungry pride of Lions. It would be a sold out venue. The live stream money would pay for a lot of renovation down the road. I bet Italian tax payers would buy in. For me a nice cold Peroni with some olives and pepperoni sausage, a good seat under the canopy and let the Games begin!
His apology displays a great deal of contempt for the Italian judicial system if he thinks anyone will buy it.
"Oracy" goes nicely with "literacy."
He should tell the Italian authorities his name is Hunter Biden.
Jail him to encourage the others who might want to scratch their names on a wall.
I agree with the Italian newspaper.
Of course someone that dumb might just be that dumb.
"I admit with deepest embarrassment that it was only after what regrettably happened that I learned of the monument’s antiquity."
Not buying it.
"It was only after what regrettably happened" means "It was only after I defaced the monument." This is a man skilled in oracy as he shifts the blame for what he did to "what happened," as if a hand suddenly appeared writing words on the wall while he stood by, a sorrowful, innocent bystander.
To show proper respect let's stop using the name the tourist guidebooks use. The Colosseum, a monumental statue of Nero that stood nearby, is long gone without a trace above ground. What remains is often called the Flavian Amphitheater (Amphitheatrum Flavium) by teaching assistants is the Classics department, but that's an anachronism as well. So far, no contemporary source such as a letter or personal diary has been uncovered that refers to the place by an official name if it ever had one. A Roman author, Suetonius, for example, mentions he went to the games on a certain day, and we can infer from the details that he attended an event staged in what we commonly call the Colosseum, but none bother to name the venue. There are references to an Amphitheatrum Caesareum in Rome, but what that really was is unresolved. The later Christain Romans were embarrassed by the "Colosseum". And though it had a certain religious significance as the supposed site of countless martyrdoms of the saints, their respect didn't prevent the looting of much of its finely-dressed dressed travertine by senators and even popes. The remarkable thing is the ancients seemed far less impressed by the scale and sophistication of the architecture than the bloody and violent entertainments staged therein.
But perhaps that's not so remarkable when we consider our own public entertainments. Think of Grauman's Chinese Theater, a literal movie palace where many of Hollywood's best offerings had their premiere engagements. Do tourists, few though they are these days, marvel at the architecture or the concrete footprints of long-deceased movie idols they've never heard of?
Throw the SOB to the lions.
It's okay. The people who build the Colosseum had slaves. It needs to be torn down anyway. /s
If he's not lying (I think he is), this is ignorance to the point of stupidity. Why was he there if he didn't know it was old? That kind of dumbness needs to have the fines doubled instead of lessened.
Somebody needs to ask the Roman people why the Colosseum is in ruins, and what happened to all the missing stones.
Meh, the Colosseum is much younger than the historical temperature record and look at how it gets defaced.
The guy who threw himself on the mercy of the court as an orphan after killing his parents bows to this guy.
Why didn't the fellow just say that he defaced the Colosseum to protest climate change? Then he's a hero, right?
He is described as a Brit fitness instructor,
IOW a narcissistic dumbjock.
"Who Knew the Colosseum Was So Old"
Don't Know Much About History,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_MkCV_MkgE
He came, he saw, he conquered. Maybe the guy is descended from a famous Rubicon River crosser. Does he look like Richard Burton?
They took stones from the Colosseum to help build St Peter's Basilica. Seems more serious than carving initials.
I weigh in with the popular opinion -- he's lying. His only real sorrow was being nailed for it.
If only he had used red paint, and written "Romans Go Home" in proper Latin.
Mason G,
"why do newspapers feel the need to exaggerate in their articles? Is the truth not enough?"
You're new at this legacy media game, aren't you?
I don't remember what the idiot's age is but, seeing this post, I did wonder how much about the Colosseum (pace Quaestor) the average high school graduate in the US knows, or the average university graduate. Trying to look back almost fifty years, my recollection is that what I would have learned about the Colosseum in high school likely came from Mrs Esterquest or Miss Konop in Latin classes. Latin is presumably not part of many public high school curriculums these days.
You say.. “Steve.. how can I be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes?” First.. get a million dollars. Now.. you say, “Steve.. what do I say to the tax man when he comes to my door and says, ‘You.. have never paid taxes’?” Two simple words. Two simple words in the English language: “I forgot!”
Romanes eunt domus
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Romani ite domum Romani ite domum
Okay, so a couple of people above have nailed it but here's the scene...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lczHvB3Y9s
When he goes to prison he can etch his initials in the cell walls.
When he goes to prison he can etch his initials in the cell walls.
A reflection on the narcissism, attitude and ignorance of young adults, today.
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