The Roman Colosseum was originally known as the Flavian amphitheatre. It was commissioned in AD 72 by Flavian Emperor Vespasian and completed in AD 80 by his son Titus. It is one of the most famous mega structures ever built. It is a symbol of pride in architecture and engineering. The Colosseum had a maximum capacity of 50,000 spectators.
It was used for Roman entertainment like gladiators’ battles, mock sea battles, animal hunts etc. This structure is built of stones and concrete. It had four main floors and each of them has eighty arches. First three floors were built by Emperor Vespasian and the top floor was completed by Titus.
Fast Facts: –
- The theatre is built in an elliptical shape and the height of the outer walls is 157 feet. It has a perimeter of 1788 feet.
- It has now become an iconic symbol of Rome’s cultural and historic significance.
- It was chosen as one of the new 7 wonders of world in 2007.
- The construction of Colosseum was funded by the spoils of the First Roman-Jewish War.
- The main arena was 180 feet wide and 287 feet long.
- It was the first permanent amphitheatre to be raised in Rome.
- There were 36 trap doors in the arena that allowed for elaborating special effects.
- Over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games for the Colosseum in CE 80.
- It has been used as a place of worship by Christians for a long time, despite of its brutal pagan origins.
- The total amount of marbles used for the construction of the theatre was approximately 100,000 cubic meters.
- The last gladiatorial fight occurred in 435 CE and the last animal hunt in 523 CE according to records.
