The Story Of The Colosseum

When you think of historical monuments in Italy, what comes to mind? I'm sure it's the Colosseum. The iconic monument is 1,951 years old but still stands and attracts over 6 million people each year. Construction began under Emperor Vespasian around 70 AD. and was completed under Titus in AD 80. The Colosseum was 50 meters high and 156 meters wide and was built with sand and cement. The arena was covered by a controllable curtain to shade the spectators from the sun in the summer. Furthermore, the seats of the spectators were determined by hierarchical importance, for example the senators were in the front row, followed by the knights then by the plebeians and the women at the top of the arena, while the boxes were reserved for the emperor.

Tunnels are hidden under the arena, which still exist today, where animals from the Middle East and Africa were kept such as lions, panthers and rhinos which were released through the 36 trap doors.

The arena was famous for hosting a variety of blood sports for entertainment; including men hunting dangerous animals and executing criminals. However, the main event was the gladiator fight! These were displayed in the Colosseum until the 6th century AD. when costs became too high and the public lost interest. However, today the Colosseum is the symbol of Rome and one of the most iconic and well-known monuments in the world.