Largest and most famous symbol of the Roman Empire, the Coliseum was a huge amphitheater reserved for fighting between gladiators or opposing these warriors against wild animals. Sumptuous, it was more comfortable than many modern stadiums. Its construction began in the year 72 AD, by order of Emperor Flavius Vespasian, who decided to build it on the site of an ancient palace of Nero, his predecessor in command of the empire. The works took eight years to complete and, when everything was ready, Rome was already governed by Titus, son of Vespasian. To honor his father, Tito named the construction “Amphitheatre Flaviano”.
Some historians speculate that the name Coliseum would only appear hundreds of years later, perhaps in the 11th century, and would have appeared inspired by the Colossus of Nero, a bronze statue of 35 meters high, which stood next to the amphitheater.
The first battles fought to celebrate the completion of the Colosseum lasted about 100 days and it is estimated that, in that period alone, hundreds of gladiators and about 5,000 wild animals fell dead in its 85 by 53 meter arena. The games led the public to delirium. Its bleachers, built 3 meters above the ground, accommodated more than 50,000 people. A box very close to the arena was reserved for the emperor of Rome, who was revered by the gladiators before the shows with a greeting that would become famous: “Hail, Caesar! Those who are about to die salute you.”
The amphitheater, the first permanent one built in Rome, functioned as the city’s main stage for fights until the year 404, when Emperor Flavius Honorius definitively banned combat between gladiators. After that, the Colosseum had several uses. It was even used as a scenario for simulations of naval battles, occasions in which the area occupied by the arena was flooded. During the Middle Ages, the marble and bronze of its structure were gradually looted and used to decorate churches and Catholic monuments. Marble pieces from the amphitheater were even used in the construction of the famous St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Already in the 11th century, when Rome was dominated by a family of barons, the Coliseum was transformed into a fortress, housing members of a noble family, the Frangipane, who used the building to protect themselves in their battles against rival groups.
Today, despite being in ruins – and even under threat of collapse – the Coliseum still retains its majesty. Located right in the center of the Italian capital, surrounded by avenues, it is considered the main archaeological site in the city and receives, annually, millions of visitors, who circulate inside it to feel a little the atmosphere of the greatest amphitheater of Antiquity.
The resistant amphitheater
… Construction has survived time, looting and major earthquakes
1 – Constant reform
The first archaeological excavations at the Colosseum took place at the end of the 18th century. Since then, several restorations have been carried out to preserve it. The last one ended in 2000, after recovering the external face of the marble arches.
2 – Giant arena
The Colosseum is 48.5 meters high, the equivalent of a 12 to 15-story building. With an elliptical shape, it measures 189 meters in the largest of its axes and 156 meters in the smallest. No one knows for sure which architect designed it.
3 – Preserved corridors
Among the ruins, you can still identify the corridors that led to the stands. They were designed to create exclusive access for the different social classes of the time. Spacious, they allowed 50,000 spectators to occupy or leave their seats in a few minutes.
4 – First class material
More than 100,000 cubic meters of travertine marble (light in color) were used in the construction of the stadium, mainly in cladding the exterior façade. But this material has been looted over the centuries, with little of it remaining in the Colosseum. Bricks, tufa blocks (a kind of volcanic stone) and concrete also helped to build the amphitheater.
5 – Natural threat
Since its construction in the 1st century, several earthquakes have destroyed the Colosseum. Historians estimate that the first major tremor happened between the years 523 and 526. In the first half of the 9th century, another earthquake destroyed the columns on the upper floor and, in 1231, a strong earthquake collapsed part of the outer facade.
6 – Labyrinth of ruins
The Colosseum’s basement was only excavated a little over a century ago. It was below the wrestling arena and had a wooden roof over which sand was poured. In this intricate network of corridors, rooms, elevators and cages, gladiators and wild beasts were placed before they entered the scene.
…and the real coliseum
During the games, the stadium had a retractable awning, beasts and gladiators.
1 – VIP stand
An exclusive entrance gave access to the box destined for the Roman emperor and his guests. This special tribune was at a privileged point in the amphitheater, very close to the arena. The mayor of Rome was also entitled to a private box
2 – Monumental façade
The façade of the amphitheater was impressive due to its rich finish. Different styles of columns adorned the various floor levels: the Doric ones were on the ground floor, the Ionic ones on the first floor and the Corinthian ones on the second. Each of these floors had 80 arches, each about 7 meters high. The facade was still decorated with hundreds of bronze statues.
3 – Arena of death
In the beginning, the gladiators who fought in the games were soldiers in training. Over time, slaves, criminals or prisoners of war took over this role. They faced each other with spears, swords, tridents, nets and shields. More than 10,000 gladiators died in three centuries of fighting, dueling each other or facing ferocious animals.
4 – The way of the beasts
The animals used in the shows – mainly lions brought from the Roman colonies in Africa – took an intricate path from underground to the arena. First, they were taken to small cages, which were lifted (in a rudimentary elevator) into a corridor. From there, the beasts climbed a few flights of stairs to finally emerge in the combat arena through the opening of a trapdoor.
5 – Christian polemic
There is no consensus among historians whether the Colosseum was used for Christian sacrifices when they were persecuted by the Romans. This version has been supported by the Church, but there is no conclusive evidence that the martyrdoms actually took place in the amphitheater.
6 – Sun protection
The retractable roofs, which can be opened or closed, look like something from modern times. But in its glory days the Coliseum once had a similar system. At the top of the stadium, attached to 240 poles, stretched a huge retractable awning, which could protect spectators from the sun. The arena, however, was never shaded.
7 – Divided bleachers
The fight presentations at the Coliseum were free. Tens of thousands of spectators were divided in the stands into five different sectors according to their social position. While Rome’s senators sat very close to the combat arena, low-income people, for example, stayed on the top floor of the stadium.
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