The Colosseum (Italian: Colosseo) is the symbol of Rome and the Italian national symbol.
Named after a statue
It was built between 72 and 80 AD on the orders of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the successor to Emperor Nero. There were numerous amphitheatres in the Roman Empire. But the largest of these is the Colosseum. However, it did not get its name from its size, but from the Colossus of Nero, a huge bronze statue of the Roman emperor that stood in the entrance hall of his palace in Rome.
The Colosseum is elliptical in shape, around 156 metres wide and 188 metres long. The outer walls are made of limestone, Roman travertine.
The Colosseum was intended for public entertainment
Originally, it served as a venue for cruel events that the inhabitants of Rome could attend free of charge. In addition to animal fights, gladiator fights also took place. There were therefore various tunnels, corridors and lifts in the basement through which animals and gladiators would appear and disappear.
It was also possible to re-enact naval battles in which the arena was flooded. The Colosseum had room for around 50,000 spectators, who reached their seats via 80 arched entrances. 76 of these were intended for the people and four for the emperor and senators.
Used as a quarry and partially destroyed
The Colosseum was used as a battle arena for several hundred years. After that, the amphitheatre was partly inhabited and in the Middle Ages it was even used as a quarry to build houses. Unfortunately, only the northern part of the façade is fully preserved today.
In the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV declared the Colosseum a place of martyrdom that should be preserved. It was mistakenly believed that many Christians had been killed there.
Since 1999, the Colosseum in Rome has been a monument in the fight against the death penalty. The landmark lights up in bright colours for 48 hours every time it is finally abolished in a country.
And as car exhaust fumes have already caused considerable damage to the structure of the building, the road to the north of the Colosseum has been closed to traffic since 2014.
