Gladiators fights and public contests
Originally called Flavian Anphitheatre, the name with which it is worldwide known derives from the bronze statue that was standing at its side, the huge “Colosso†of Nerone.Its construction began with Vespasiano and ended in the 80 AD With a 100 days opening party; gladiators fights and public contests (as mock sea battles and animal hunts) could now take place in a noteworthy structure, after that the big fire of 64 AD burned out the previous amphitheater.
It was, and still is one of the most important works of roman architecture and engineering.
With an elliptical form (189m long and 156m wide), it is made up of three stories of superimposed arcades covered with travertin stone and framed by half-colums of the Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian orders and statues, with a tall attic at the top. Originally, a huge retractable awning, the velarium, was opened to protect the spectators from sun and rain.
It could accommodate around 50,000 spectators, seated on in a tiered arrangement that reflected the rigidly stratified nature of Roman society (the wealthy citizens in the lower part, the poor ones on the upper), whereas the gladiators, the slaves and the animals were in a complex structure of galleries right under the terraces and the arena.
It immediately became the symbol of the imperial Rome, but it wasn’t always a golden time. It suffered under different stone and metal robbers, and even earthquakes; families lived into it using it as a castle during the middle age, and it needed to be restored several times.
But its glory is still intact; belonging to the UNESCO cultural heritage, the Colosseum is one of the most popular tourist attractions, and probably the most defining emblem of the eternal city during the centuries.
