Colosseum

Colosseum, also Coliseum, amphitheatre, considered one of the greatest buildings from antiquity, located in Rome, Italy. Begun around ad 72 by the Roman emperor Vespasian, it was dedicated by his son Titus in ad 80. The Colosseum was considered a great feat of architecture and engineering for various reasons, including its scale, the fact that it was free-standing, the grandeur of its decoration, and the way in which its layout facilitated both the production of extravagant spectacles and the necessary crowd control of the large numbers of people attending the events.

From the outside the complex measures around 188 m by 156 m (617 ft by 512 ft). The outer façade is roughly 48.5 m (159 ft) high and has three tiers of arches—using Tuscan capitals on the first level, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third—and an upper level, originally built of wood, but later replaced with stone, which incorporates Corinthian pilasters and small square windows (see Orders of Architecture: Ancient Greece and Rome). Inside, the central elliptical arena was surrounded by tiered seating. Some 80 entrances and a well-designed system of staircases ensured that each level could be cleared quickly. Wild animals, stores, and tools required for putting on the spectacles were kept in an underground complex of passages and rooms.

The monument was constructed with the skilful use of a combination of materials, including concrete, brick, tufa, travertine, and marble. Modern-day experts believe the Colosseum was designed to hold 50,000 spectators. They came to watch religious plays as well as the legendary scenes of hand-to-hand combat between gladiators, men fighting wild animals, chariot races, and mock naval battles.

The fortunes of the Colosseum declined with that of Ancient Rome and it fell into an abandoned state. Later it was damaged by earthquakes and stripped of its valuable stone assets for use in new constructions. Eventually, however, reparation work began in the early 19th century and restoration projects continue today.