The Colosseum

The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is an amphitheatre in Rome, capable of seating 50,000 spectators, which was once used for gladiatorial combats. Construction was initiated by Emperor Vespasian and completed by his sons, Titus and Domitian, between 72 AD and 90 AD. It was built at the site of Nero's enormous palace, the Domus Aurea. The Colosseum's name is derived from a colossus a statue of Nero which once stood nearby.

The construction of the Colosseum began under the Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed by his son, Titus, in the 80s AD. Some historians believe that the construction of the Colosseum might have been financed by the looting of King Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem which occurred about 70 AD. Dio Cassius said that 9,000 wild animals were killed in the one hundred days of celebration which inaugurated the amphitheatre opening. The arena floor was covered with sand, presumably to allow the blood to drain away. The Colosseum hosted large scale spectacular games that included fights between animals, the killing of prisoners by animals and other executions, naval battles by flooding the arena up until 81 AD, and combats between gladiators. It has been estimated that several hundreds of thousands died in the Colosseum games. The Colosseum measures 48 meters high, 188 meters long, and 156 meters wide. The wooden arena floor was 86 meters by 54 meters. Its elliptical shape kept the players from retreating to a corner, and allowed the spectators to be close to the action than a circle would allow. The Colosseum was ingeniously designed. It has been said that most spectacle stadiums have been influenced by features of the Colosseum's structure, even well into modern times. Seating was divided into different sections. The podium, the first level of seating, was for the Roman senators; the emperor's private, cushioned, marble box was also located on this level. Above the podium was the maenianum primum, for the other Roman aristocrats who were not in the senate. The third level, the maenianum secundum, was divided into three sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. A third, wooden section (the maenianum secundum in legneis) was a wooden structure at the very top of the building, added by Domitian. It was standing room only, and was for lower-class women. After the Colosseum's first two years in operation, Vespasian's younger son (the newly-designated Emperor Domitian) ordered the construction of the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"), a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Numerous trap doors in the floor provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. Today the arena floor no longer exists, though the hypogeum walls and corridors are clearly visible in the ruins of the structure. The entire base of the Colosseum covers an area equivalent to 6 acres (160,000 mÐ'І). There are also tunnels, still in existence, configured to flood and evacuate water from the Colosseum floor, so that naval battles could be staged prior to the hypogeum's construction. Recent archaeological research has shown evidence of drain pipes connected to the City's sewer system and a large underground holding tank connected to a nearby aqueduct. Another innovative feature of the Colosseum was its cooling system, known as the valerium, which consisted of a canvas-covered, net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center. This roof covered