Colosseum (Flavian Ampitheatre). Emperor Vespasian. 70 A.D (start of construction) – 80 A.D (finished construction, opened).
The Colosseum is a massive stone amphitheater gifted to the Roman people by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian Dynasty. The Colosseum is a large amphitheater made of stone and concrete and is a large, circular building with three stories of distinctive arched entrances; equaling to 80 entrances supported by semi-circular columns. The Colosseum contains a lower half made of stone and concrete and an upper half made of wooden support. The bottom of the columns contained both Doric and Ionic order. The Colosseum could hold up to approximately 50,000 spectators at its maximum capacity. The Colusseum was used to present Roman The stage of the Colosseum was where Roman games were held. Games that were held by Emperor Titus would consist of public executions, Gladiator fights, reenactments of important Roman history, mass animal hunts and more. The seating was decided by social class, with the rich, extravagant class of Rome sitting near the bottom and the Peasants sitting at the top. All seating was very tight, similar to a pack of tightly-packed sardines.
The Colosseum would later be significantly damaged by a fire in 217 A.D created by lightning that would destroy majority of the wooden upper. It was not repaired until 320 A.D by Emperor Decius. After four centuries of constant use, the Colosseum would later be neglected. It would not be used until the 18th century as a source of building materials. Over time, two-thirds of the Colosseum would later collapse, but the Amphitheater remains standing even to this day to show the great thinking and the architectural geniuses of Emperor Vespasian during the Flavian Dynasty.
Works cited:
“Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/roman/early-empire/v/colosseum-amphitheatrum-flavium-c-70-80-c-e-rome.
History.com Staff. “Colosseum.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum.