The Colosseum
The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater is a large circular structure; it is about 50 meters tall, 189 meters long and 156 meters wide, with an area of 6 acres and a perimeter of 542 meters. The Colosseum was built by the Flavian Dynasty (the 3 emperors who made the Colosseum; Vespasian, Titus and Domitian). It first started going under construction by emperor Vespasian in 72 AD , but when he passed away his successor Titus completed the building in 80 AD. During 81-96 AD further modification were made by Domitian. The four main materials the Colosseum is made out of are limestone, for the main pillars, ground floor and external walls. Tuff (a type of stone) for other pillars and radial walls (walls forming a circular shape). Bricks/tiles for the floor, upper stories and walls, and lastly concrete which was used for vaults.
The Colosseum was made for various types of entertainment as a gift for the people of Rome. Emperor Vespasian wanted to create a huge, breath taking structure, the greatest that Rome would see. Also it was made to show Rome the latest architecture techniques by creating a series of tunnels under the ground which included 32 animal pens, trap doors and lifts and pulley systems, for releasing animals into the area or opening a trapdoor. The main reason was for entertainment such as parades, bestairii (gladiators or criminals fight wild animals), horse racing, andabtae (criminals fighting blind folded), executions, wild animal hunts, dancers, music, wrestling and the most renowned form of entertainment was the gladiator fights (armed men vs armed men). Emperor Vespasian created the most famous attraction in Rome then and now.
The Colosseum is significant today because it has inspired and influenced the way sports stadiums and areas look today. Generally they are a circular shape with seats surrounding the stage/field, the Colosseum is what brought that to today's world. Some buildings were made with materials like stone and used similar architecture techniques as used in the construction of the Colosseum. Also the Colosseum teach us about what entertainment was like back then and how roman's acted.
Location
Address: Piazza del Colosseo, 1, 00184 Roma, Italy The Colosseum is in the center of Rome, Italy, and is located East of the Forum Romanum |