The Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was built between 72-80 AD under emperors Vespasian and Titus. It remains the largest ancient amphitheater ever constructed. (Photo: Jean-Christophe Benoist)
The Colosseum is the most iconic symbol of ancient Rome. This colossal amphitheater has towered over the heart of the city for nearly two millennia, bearing witness to the rise and fall of an empire. As a historian, I am endlessly fascinated by the Colosseum – not only for its awe-inspiring architecture and engineering, but for what it reveals about Roman society, spectacle, and bloodshed. In this article, we‘ll delve into the tumultuous history of the Colosseum and explore what went on within its walls.
Construction of the Colosseum
The Colosseum was commissioned around 70-72 AD by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the Roman people. Vespasian was eager to win public favor and distance himself from the disgraced Emperor Nero, on whose former palace grounds the Colosseum was built. In an act heavy with symbolism, Vespasian elected to replace Nero‘s private lake with a public amphitheater that could be enjoyed by all.
Model of the Colosseum showing the complex interior structure with seating, staircases, and the hypogeum underground. (Photo: Carole Raddato)
Construction began under Vespasian in 72 AD and was completed under his successor Titus in 80 AD, who inaugurated the building with lavish games lasting 100 days. The finished Colosseum was a massive feat of engineering:
- Height: 157 ft (48 m)
- Length: 620 ft (189 m)
- Width: 513 ft (156 m)
- Arena dimensions: 287 ft (87.5 m) long, 180 ft (55 m) wide
- Capacity: 50,000-80,000 spectators
The Colosseum was built mainly of travertine limestone, tuff volcanic rock, and brick-faced concrete. It used an estimated 100,000 cubic meters of travertine alone. The distinctive exterior had three stories of arched entrances supported by semi-circular columns. The columns were built in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders (bottom to top). Above this attic story was a tier of small rectangular windows.
Spectacles at the Colosseum
The main events hosted at the Colosseum were gladiatorial combats and wild animal hunts (venationes). Periodically, the arena was also flooded to stage mock naval battles (naumachiae), though this practice was discontinued after the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD).
Pollice Verso ("Thumbs Down"), an 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme, depicting a gladiatorial fight in the Colosseum. (Photo: Phoenix Art Museum)
Gladiatorial battles were the main draw of the Colosseum. Gladiators were mostly condemned criminals, prisoners of war, and slaves who underwent intense training at special schools (ludi). Different classes of gladiators fought in various styles with diverse weapons and armor. While movies tend to depict gladiatorial fights as a bloody free-for-all, in reality most bouts were highly regimented duels between evenly matched opponents.
The Colosseum was also famous for its wild animal hunts, pitting fierce creatures against each other or against human hunters (venatores). Thousands of exotic animals like lions, leopards, bears, elephants, rhinoceri, hippopotami, and even crocodiles were imported from Africa and the Middle East for the venationes. Most were slaughtered in front of the roaring crowds.
| Opening Games of the Colosseum (80 AD) | Number of Animals Slain |
|---|---|
| Lions | 40 |
| Leopards | 40 |
| Bears | 50 |
| Elephants | 4 |
Data on select exotic animals killed in the opening ceremonies. (Source: Dio Cassius)
The arena floor was covered in sand – harena in Latin, giving us the word "arena" – to absorb the copious blood spilled and allow easy clean-up between bouts. Underneath this wooden floor was a two-level subterranean network called the hypogeum, which consisted of tunnels and cages for animals as well as mechanical lifts to raise gladiators, animals, and stage sets into the arena.
The Twilight of the Arena
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, the Colosseum went into a long period of decline and disrepair. The last known gladiatorial fights took place in 435 AD, though wild animal hunts continued at least until 523 AD. Earthquakes in 443 AD and 1349 AD badly damaged the structure, causing the entire south side to collapse. For centuries, the Colosseum was essentially abandoned and used as an impromptu quarry for building stone and marble.
The Colosseum in a ruined state prior to 19th century restoration efforts, missing much of its outer wall. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Beginning in the 18th century, however, attempts were made to preserve the Colosseum as a treasured relic of antiquity. Pope Benedict XIV consecrated the building as a church in 1749 to honor the Christian martyrs believed to have perished there (though most scholars now agree Christians were rarely if ever executed in the Colosseum). Extensive excavation and restoration took place in the 1800s, with the arena floor rebuilt and the hypogeum uncovered.
Today, the Colosseum is the most popular tourist attraction in Rome, drawing some 6 million visitors per year. Extensive restoration and stabilization is an ongoing effort – the exterior underwent a thorough cleaning in 2016, and a project is now underway to restore the hypogeum. While two-thirds of the original structure has been lost over the centuries, the Colosseum still stands as one of the greatest architectural and engineering marvels of the ancient world.
The Colosseum remains an eternal icon of the Eternal City, a testament to the power and ingenuity of the Roman Empire. (Photo: David Iliff)
The Colosseum offers us a fascinating window into the social dimensions of Roman public spectacle. The seating was rigidly divided to reflect the highly stratified Roman class system – with the emperor and vestal virgins on the imperial podium, followed by the senatorial class, the noble equestrians, and finally the common plebeians and non-citizens in the nosebleed seats. The arena brought all strata of Roman society together in a shared entertainment experience, gory as it was.
As a historian, I‘m amazed that the Colosseum was constructed in a mere 8-10 years. That‘s an astonishingly short timeframe for an era without modern construction equipment, and really highlights the power and organizational capacity of the Roman state under the Flavian dynasty. By comparison, modern stadiums of similar size often take 5-7 years or more to construct even with cutting-edge technology.
While the Colosseum inspires awe, we shouldn‘t lose sight of the brutal human toll behind the majestic facade. Many thousands of gladiators, prisoners, and wild animals met grisly deaths in the arena, all to satiate the Roman public‘s lust for blood and spectacle. The gladiatorial duels and animal hunts may seem shocking to modern sensibilities, but they were deeply woven into the social and religious fabric of Roman culture.
Ultimately, the Colosseum stands as an eternal icon of the Eternal City – a monument to the ambition, grandeur, and grit of one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen. Though stained with the blood of countless gladiators and beasts, this enduring Roman marvel will continue to enthrall visitors and historians for generations to come.
