Colosseum

The Colosseum
The Colosseum
Alternative names	Flavian Amphitheatre
General information
Type	Amphitheatre
Location	Regio IV Templum Pacis ("Temple of Peace")
Town or city	Rome
Country	Italy
Elevation	57 m (187 ft)
Construction started	70–72 AD
Construction stopped	80 AD
Dimensions
Diameter	156 m × 189 m (512 ft × 620 ft)
Design and construction
Developer	Vespasian, Titus
Website
parcocolosseo.it/en/

The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is a large artefact or structure in the city of Rome. The construction of the Colosseum started around 70–72 AD and was finished in 80 AD. Emperor Vespasian started all the work, and Emperor Titus completed the colosseum. Emperor Domitian made some changes to the building between 81 and 96 AD.^[1] It had seating for 50,000 people.^[2] It is the biggest amphitheatre built by the Roman Empire, and the largest in the world.

The Colosseum is in Rome, the capital of Italy. More precisely, it is on the east bank of the Tiber, the river that crosses the city, east of the ancient Roman forum. A forum in antiquity was a geographical area in which were the main buildings of power, as well as the large square on which the population met. It was both a busy place to live, a place to get married, big parties, community meetings, and so on. The stadium was less than a kilometer to the southwest, the Capitol was a little over a mile to the west.

Colosseum was first called the Flavian Amphitheatre or in Latin, the Amphitheatrum Flavium. This was after Vespasian and Titus who had the family name of Flavius. It was used for gladiatorial contests, and other shows like animal hunts, in which animals would hunt and eat prisoners; or in which gladiators would fight against animals. There were also executions of prisoners, plays, and battle scenes; sometimes it was filled with water to fight sea battles. The people of Rome could go into the Colosseum without any costs; it was free.

In the Middle Ages, after the mid-fifth century, it was no longer used for performances. It was then used as housing, workshops, a Christian shrine, and as a supply of building stones.

It is now in ruins because of earthquakes. The Colosseum is a symbol of the Roman Empire. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions. On Good Fridays, the Pope leads a torch lit "Way of the Cross" procession around the various levels of the amphitheatre.^[3]

The Colosseum appears on the Italy Euro five cent coins.

1. ↑ Roth, Leland M. (1993). Understanding architecture: its elements, history and meaning. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ISBN 0-06-430158-3.
2. ↑ William H. Byrnes IV 2005. Ancient Roman munificence: the development of the practice and law of charity. Rutgers Law Review 57, issue 3, pp.1043–1110.
3. ↑ "Frommer's Events - Event Guide: Good Friday Procession in Rome (Palatine Hill, Italy)". Frommer's. Retrieved 2008-04-08.