Colosseum |
The Colosseum
Photo Courtesy of www.rome.info
| What: | An amphitheater originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater. It was used by the Ancient Romans for nearly 500 years as a public spectacles arena. It is thought to have been used until a little after the fall of Rome in 476 AD. It measures 157 feet high and 615 feet long, 510 feet wide. Unlike other amphitheaters, the Colosseum is built all the way around and on flat ground rather than into a hillside. It is made with travertine stone and held together with iron clamps. The middle of the Colosseum is a wooden floor covered with sand. It used to hide the underground in which tunnels would hide the gladiators and the animals before the show. |
| Where: | Rome, Italy |
| When: | Started in about 70 AD and finished under Titus' reign in 80 AD. It was later modified. |
| Why: | As an amphitheater for gladiator contests and public spectacles. |
| Interesting Fact: | Spectators would receive pottery shards as their tickets, painted with their section and row. They would find their seats using passageways which opened up to the row of seats accessed from above or below. This made it easy for the public to find their seats quickly, and easy to leave. |