The Colosseum is the giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between ad 70 and 72 during the reign of Vespasian. It
The Colosseum is the giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between ad 70 and 72 during the reign of Vespasian. It is located just east of the Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what was Nero’s Golden House. The artificial lake that was the centerpiece of that palace complex was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much symbolic as it was practical. Vespasian, whose path to the throne had relatively humble beginnings, chose to replace the tyrannical emperor’s private lake with a public amphitheater that could host tens of thousands of Romans.
Originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, the structure was officially dedicated in ad 80 by Titus in a ceremony that included 100 days of games. Later, in ad 82, Domitian completed the work by adding the uppermost story. Unlike earlier amphitheaters, which were nearly all dug into convenient hillsides for extra support, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure of stone and concrete, measuring 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 meters) overall. Three of the arena’s stories are encircled by arcades framed by decorative half-columns in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders; the structure’s rising arrangement of columns became the basis of the Renaissance codification known as the assemblage of orders. The main structural framework and façade are travertine, the secondary walls are volcanic tufa, the inner bowl and the arcade vaults are concrete.
The amphitheater seated some 50,000 spectators, who were shielded from the sun by a massive retractable velarium (awning). Supporting masts extended from corbels built into the Colosseum’s top, or attic, story, 