Colosseum | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts

Colosseum, also called Flavian Amphitheatre, giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime ... Colosseum TableofContents Colosseum Introduction&TopQuestions FastFacts TopQuestions WhatistheColosseum? WhobuilttheColosseum? WhyistheColosseumimportanttoday? Facts&RelatedContent Quizzes Media Videos Images More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory Colosseum arena,Rome,Italy Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. SelectCitationStyle MLA APA ChicagoManualofStyle CopyCitation Share Share Sharetosocialmedia Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum GiveFeedback ExternalWebsites Feedback Corrections?Updates?Omissions?Letusknowifyouhavesuggestionstoimprovethisarticle(requireslogin). 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Colosseum-Children'sEncyclopedia(Ages8-11) Colosseum-StudentEncyclopedia(Ages11andup) Alternatetitles:FlavianAmphitheatre By TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica • EditHistory TableofContents TopQuestionsWhatistheColosseum?TheColosseumisanamphitheatrebuiltinRomeundertheFlavianemperorsoftheRomanEmpire.ItisalsocalledtheFlavianAmphitheatre.Itisanellipticalstructuremadeofstone,concrete,andtuff,anditstandsfourstoriestallatitshighestpoint.Itmeasures620by513feet(189by156metres)andcouldholdasmanyas50,000spectators.TheColosseumwasfamouslyusedforgladiatorialcombat.WhobuilttheColosseum?ConstructionoftheColosseumbeganundertheRomanemperorVespasianbetween70and72CE.Thecompletedstructurewasdedicatedin80CEbyTitus,Vespasian’ssonandsuccessor.TheColosseum’sfourthstorywasaddedbytheemperorDomitianin82CE.Importantly,thearenawaspaidforwithplunderfromTitus’ssackofJerusalemin70CE,anditwasbuiltbyenslavedJewsfromJudaea.WhywastheColosseumbuilt?TheColosseumwasbuiltaspartofanimperialefforttorevitalizeRomeafterthetumultuousyearofthefouremperors,69CE.Aswithotheramphitheatres,theemperorVespasianintendedtheColosseumtobeanentertainmentvenue,hostinggladiatorfights,animalhunts,andevenmocknavalbattles.WhathappenedtotheColosseum?TheColosseumfellintoseriousdisrepairafterthefalloftheWesternRomanEmpire.Duringthe12thcentury,theFrangipaneandAnnibaldifamiliesrepurposedthearenatofunctionastheirfortress.Inthelate15thcentury,PopeAlexanderVIpermittedtheColosseumtobeusedasaquarry.Afteroverathousandyearsofneglect,state-fundedrestorationeffortsbeganinthe1990s.WhyistheColosseumimportanttoday?AsoneofthefewmostlyintactstructuresfromtheRomanEmpire,theColosseumstandstodayasamonumenttoancientRome’sarchitecturalandengineeringprowess.ItisalsoamajorsourceoftourismrevenuefortheItaliangovernment.In2018theColosseum,RomanForum,andPalatineHilltogetherbroughtinmorethan$63.3million(€53.8million),thehighestrevenueofanytouristattractioninItaly.Colosseum,alsocalledFlavianAmphitheatre,giantamphitheatrebuiltinRomeundertheFlavianemperors.ConstructionoftheColosseumwasbegunsometimebetween70and72ceduringthereignofVespasian.ItislocatedjusteastofthePalatineHill,onthegroundsofwhatwasNero’sGoldenHouse.Theartificiallakethatwasthecentrepieceofthatpalacecomplexwasdrained,andtheColosseumwassitedthere,adecisionthatwasasmuchsymbolicasitwaspractical.Vespasian,whosepathtothethronehadrelativelyhumblebeginnings,chosetoreplacethetyrannicalemperor’sprivatelakewithapublicamphitheatrethatcouldhosttensofthousandsofRomans.ColosseumColosseum,Rome.©fabiomax/FotoliaColosseumInterioroftheColosseuminRome.©2007IndexOpenThestructurewasofficiallydedicatedin80cebyTitusinaceremonythatincluded100daysofgames.Later,in82ce,Domitiancompletedtheworkbyaddingtheuppermoststory.Unlikeearlieramphitheatres,whichwerenearlyalldugintoconvenienthillsidesforextrasupport,theColosseumisafreestandingstructureofstoneandconcrete,usingacomplexsystemofbarrelvaultsandgroinvaultsandmeasuring620by513feet(189by156metres)overall.Threeofthearena’sstoriesareencircledbyarcadesframedontheexteriorbyengagedcolumnsintheDoric,Ionic,andCorinthianorders;thestructure’srisingarrangementofcolumnsbecamethebasisoftheRenaissancecodificationknownastheassemblageoforders.Themainstructuralframeworkandfacadearetravertine,thesecondarywallsarevolcanictufa,andtheinnerbowlandthearcadevaultsareconcrete.ColosseumAerialviewoftheColosseum,Rome,completed82ce.Artephot/PubbliAerFoto BritannicaQuiz TheRomanEmpire InwhatyeardidtheRomanEmpirecometoanend?HowmanyhillswasRomebuilton?FromJuliusCaesartothecity-state’slegendaryfounders,testyourknowledgeofancientRomeinthisquiz. Theamphitheatreseatedsome50,000spectators,whowereshieldedfromthesunbyamassiveretractablevelarium(awning).SupportingmastsextendedfromcorbelsbuiltintotheColosseum’stop,orattic,story,andhundredsofRomansailorswererequiredtomanipulatetheriggingthatextendedandretractedthevelarium.TheColosseumwasthesceneofthousandsofhand-to-handcombatsbetweengladiators,ofcontestsbetweenmenandanimals,andofmanylargercombats,includingmocknavalengagements.However,itisuncertainwhetherthearenawasthesiteofthemartyrdomofearlyChristians.ColosseumInterioroftheColosseum,Rome.©ShawnMcCullars NewfromBritannica Theworld’smostremoteplace,farfromhumanhabitation,isPointNemointhePacificOcean—andthat’swherelarge“spacejunk”isdeliberatelysenttocrashwhenitreentersEarth’satmosphere. SeeAllGoodFacts LearnabouttheeffectsoflocalundergroundconstructionontheColosseumandthepreservationeffortstosavethemonumentStudyingtheeffectsoflocalconstructionontheColosseum,Rome.Contunico©ZDFEnterprisesGmbH,MainzSeeallvideosforthisarticleInmedievaltimes,theColosseumwasusedasachurch,thenasafortressbytwoprominentRomanfamilies,theFrangipaneandtheAnnibaldi.TheColosseumwasdamagedbylightningandearthquakesand,evenmoreseverely,byvandalismandpollution.Allthemarbleseatsanddecorativematerialsdisappeared,asthesitewastreatedaslittlemorethanaquarryformorethan1,000years.PreservationoftheColosseumbeganinearnestinthe19thcentury,withnotableeffortsledbyPiusVIII,andarestorationprojectwasundertakeninthe1990s.IthaslongbeenoneofRome’smajortouristattractions,receivingclosetosevenmillionvisitorsannually.ChangingexhibitionsrelatingtothecultureofancientRomeareregularlymounted.ColosseumColosseum,Rome.©DigitalVision/GettyImages GetaBritannicaPremiumsubscriptionandgainaccesstoexclusivecontent. SubscribeNow TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannicaThisarticlewasmostrecentlyrevisedandupdatedbyAdamAugustyn.