Colosseum

The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater. It was named after its builders, the emperors Vespasian and Titus, both from the Flavian family. Construction began around 70 AD near the Palatine, Esquiline, and Caelian hills. The Colosseum was built to entertain the masses with barbaric games, such as the famous gladiator games.

The opening celebration was a 100 days of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. The Colosseum was finished in 80 AD and can accommodate more than 50,000 people. . Often times, the Colosseum was flooded in order to stage small naval battles. The emperor had his own entrance to the Colosseum, and from his private “box seat” he decided the fate of gladiators that had been defeated.  Beneath the floor of the Colosseum was a maze of passageways, and temporary holding pens for the animals. The floor of the arena was wood covered with sand. A manual elevator was used to raise the animals from the basement up to the arena floor. The walls of the subterranean passageways can still be seen today when you visit the site.

The Colosseum is also a marvel of efficiency. The Romans created tickets and assigned seating long before modern sports arenas came into existence. Before a game, a spectator would receive a ticket which had a number that corresponded to one of the 79 entrance arches. All arches had numbers above them. The ticket also included a level, and a seat number.

For almost 400 years, The Colosseum was used regularly and has survived through earthquakes, neglect, and the pillaging of popes who took its marble for their own buildings. It fell into despair for many centuries after its use, and has only been preserved in the last century.