The Colosseum is the symbol not only of Rome and Italy, but it also symbolizes the power of a great Empire where lions and gladiators were forced to fight for the delight of hundreds of people; the amphitheater in fact had 50,000 seats disposed on eighty rows of bleachers.

Rome Colosseum

Photo flickr.com - Icomei

Its original name is ANFITEATRO FLAVIO, due to the dynasty of emperors who decided the construction, while Colosseum came from a statue, the Colossus of Nero, located nearby the Anphitheatre and that has not been preserved.
It was built east of the Roman Forum between 70 and 72 AD under the mandate of the Emperor Vespasiano, completed in 80 AD during the reign of Titus and was finally modified during the reign of Domitian. It has been used for almost 500 years and the last games were celebrated in the sixth century.

Although the structure is seriously damaged, primarily due to earthquakes, the Colosseum has always been regarded as the greatest symbol of the Roman Empire, as well as the best preserved example of Roman architecture. Moreover on July, 7th of 2007 it has been rewarded as one of the new seven wonders of modern world.


COLOSSEUM STRUCTURE
The Colosseum is a huge oval-shaped building, 189 meters long, 156 meters wide, 48 meters high and with a period of 524 meters. It is said that this building consitutes a model for modern stadiums due to its ingenious design and efficient solutions to problems still relevant today. Several different construction techniques have been used and it is interesting to know that the builders had to dig 14 meters down, since the building was on a lagoon, and then create a consolidation b asement of almost 13 meters.
The platform where the games took place, called hipogeo, was a wooden platform covered with sand. Underneath there was a complex system of tunnels and rooms where gladiators, prisoners and beasts were hosted. The plane of the sand had a complex drainage system, connected to four enormous cloache probably built, in origin, for naval exhibitions, part of the initial project of Domitian.

The steps were constructed so that each floor was reserved for a different social class: the podium, the first, was for senators, judges and priests, and the extreme parts (in the best location), there was the Imperial Forum; the maenianum primum, for the aristocrats who did not belong to the Senate, the maenianum secundum divided into imum for richs and summum for poors; finally the higher was the summum in maeniamum legneis, made of wood and probably without chairs, for poor women.
The access to the steps was realized through an entrance called vomitorio, which takes its name from the facility with which a great  amount of people could quickly exit. The entrance was so well designed that 50,000 spectators could be evacuated in less than five minutes.

The facade is divided into four levels; the three lower levels are formed by 80 arches built above pillars (the demi-columns are purely decorative); the fourth forms instead a blank wall with pillars and a window every two rooms. The styles of the first three floors are, respectively, Tuscan, Ionic and Corinthian, while for the last level it is indefinite, even if in the sixteenth century it has been catalogued as compost.
To be noted that the Colosseum had a blanket for coverage, operated by sailors of the Roman fleet through figureheads. It was originally made of canvas, and then replaced with flax, that was lighter.


COLOSSEUM PURPOSE
As you know, the principal destination of the Colosseum were the gladiator fights, but not only. Indeed different events were offered, such as hunting animals (venatio) where the Romans used principally animals imported from Africa, but also executions, where the condemned to death was killed wearing the mask of an hero of history, or for less violent shows, as when painters, architects and artists recreated scenery for plays or just to show citizens how did nature looked like.

The events were often celebrated on a grand scale, as did Trajan, who celebrated his victory in Dacia in 107 AD with magnificent games that lasted 123 days and included 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators.
Nowadays, the Colosseum is the most famous tourist attraction in Rome and there are thousands of tourists each year that queue to visit the arena. Inside, in the uppper floor, there is a museum dedicated to the greek divinity Eros that usually hosts interesting exhibitions.
Nor should we forget that the Via Crucis on Good Friday manned by Pope starts from here. 
 

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