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Colosseum

Battlefield of Gladiators 2,000 Years Ago

The Colosseum, symbol of Rome, was built in 72 A.D. With tens of thousands of seats, corridors and winch doors, the Colosseum was once an arena for gladiators and beasts, and was listed in the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Colosseum (Colosseo), formerly known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World for its magnificence and skillful construction, and is The Iconic Symbol of Imperial Rome. The Colosseum was built in 72 A.D. under the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and was completed when his son Titus took over the throne of the Roman Empire.

The Walls of the Colosseum

The Colosseum has an elliptical exterior, the Four-Story Facade with three levels of arches, are decorated from the bottom to the top with three different forms of columns. The 160 arches in the middle two stories once housed 160 statues, which no longer exist.

Looking down from the air, the entire building consists of multiple concentric elliptical stone walls, the Connections Between Inner and Outer Walls are reinforced with arches and iron hooks, and the circular corridors between the walls are the passage for spectators.

Manywhere Trivia:
The Roman emperor Trajan once held a celebration at the Colosseum that lasted 123 days and involved 10,000 gladiators and 11,000 animals.

Due to earthquakes and theft, the South Outer Wall has Long Gone, there are only inner walls remaining on the south side of the Colosseum. Compared to the north side, the height of the south wall is significantly lower.

The Colosseum: Arena in Rome

The Colosseum was built as a Stage to Entertain People of Rome, to regain the support of the people disappointed by the Roman Emperor Nero. The interior of the Colosseum has a capacity of at least 55,000 spectators, with the seats closest to the center stage reserved for the emperor and senators. The middle seats are for the wealthy, while the commoners and women can only use the upper seats, or even stand for the show.

The show usually began with amusements that fired up the atmosphere, and the grand finale must be a battle between gladiators and beasts, sometimes with the gladiators fighting each other. Slaves, captives, and condemned criminals are the best candidates, while some gladiators fight on behalf of the nobilities, and if they win, they become heroes and may even regain their freedom.

Russell Crowe won his Oscar for the movie Gladiator

Manywhere Trivia:
The floor of the Colosseum arena was always covered with sand to increase friction and absorb blood. Sand is spelled “harena” in Latin, which is the origin of the English word “arena”.

Arena for the Gladiators located in the center of the Colosseum. There are small rooms underneath the stage where the warriors rested and the beasts were held in captivity. They could reach the stage above by a ramp and movable panel doors easily.

The Colosseum’s 80 entrances are numbered to increase the efficiency of access by tens of thousands of audiences. Audiences could find the nearest entrance based on their seat number and ascend the Steps to Their Seats quickly. It is just the same as today’s theaters and cinemas, except it was actually 2,000 years ago.

Today’s Colosseum is the most popular attraction in Rome and Italy, even the whole world, with an endless queue every day. Next to the Colosseum are Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.

Roman Forum And Palatine Hill

Ruins of the Roman Empire

The Palatine Hill is one of the seven hills of Rome, 40 meters above sea level. The ancient Roman Forum at the foot of the hill was once the political, power, and religious center of the Roman Empire, preserving the remains of the Arch of Titus, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Senate House, temples, and shrines.