[3] Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. Unlike earlier amphitheatres, which were nearly all dug into convenient hillsides for extra support, the Colosseum is a freestanding structure of stone and concrete, using a complex system of barrel vaults and groin vaults and measuring 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 metres) overall. [11] By the year 1000 the Latin name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre from the nearby "Colossus Solis". Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, … It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. The Colosseum was built as part of an imperial effort to revitalize Rome after the tumultuous year of the four emperors, 69 CE. This … The height of the outer wall is 48 meters (157 ft / 165 Roman feet). [18] However, it has suffered extensive damage over the centuries, with large segments having collapsed following earthquakes. [4] The Colosseum could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points of its history over the centuries,[5][6] having an average audience of some 65,000;[7][8] it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles (for only a short time as the hypogeum was soon filled in with mechanisms to support the other activities), animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Roman mythology. The Colosseum was constructed with several different materials: wood, limestone, tuff, tiles, cement, and mortar. It was built during the Flavian Dynasty by Emperor Vespasian. In ancient times this place was used for organizing games, gladiator combats, and animal fights. William H. Byrnes IV (Spring 2005) "Ancient Roman Munificence: The Development of the Practice and Law of Charity". [11] In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum (with Caesareum an adjective pertaining to the title Caesar), but this name may have been strictly poetic[12][13] as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an Flavian Amphitheatre in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli). Importantly, the arena was paid for with plunder from Titus’s sack of Jerusalem in 70 CE, and it was built by enslaved Jews from Judaea. Three of the arena’s stories are encircled by arcades framed on the exterior by engaged columns in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders; the structure’s rising arrangement of columns became the basis of the Renaissance codification known as the assemblage of orders. Construction of the Colosseum was begun sometime between 70 and 72 ce during the reign of Vespasian. Taking three years, the final product of this work was unveiled 1 July 2016, when the Italian minister of culture, Dario Franceschini, also announced that the funds have been committed to replace the floors by the end of 2018. 81–96). [citation needed] The emperor Constantine the Great remodeled the statue's face as his own. [10], In 2011 Diego Della Valle, head of the shoe firm Tod's, entered into an agreement with local officials to sponsor a €25 million restoration of the Colosseum. Familiarity information: COLOSSEUM used as a noun is very rare. However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to the amphitheatre. Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvial terrain, to collapse. The central arena is an oval 87 m (287 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide, surrounded by a wall 5 m (15 ft) high, above which rose tiers of seating. The Colosseum is a massive structure, measuring approximately 190 by 155 metres (620 by 513 feet). [9] It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and also has links to the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[10]. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. The Colosseum (/ˌkɒləˈsiːəm/ KOL-ə-SEE-əm; Italian: Colosseo [kolosˈsɛːo]), is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum and is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheater in the world today, despite its age. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. - The way the Colosseum was left teaches the people around the world about the history of Rome. The Colosseum was originally referred to as the "Flavian Amphitheater," but eventually came to be known as the Colosseum which, by definition, means "an oval large stadium with tiers of seats; an arena in which contests and spectacles are held." [11] The text states: "This Amphitheatre was commonly called Colosseum, of Neroes Colossus, which was set up in the porch of Neroes house. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. And the bigger the man’s sausage, the manlier you were viewed. The Colosseum was the scene of thousands of hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and animals, and of many larger combats, including mock naval engagements. The repairs of the damages inflicted by the earthquake of 484 were paid for by the Consul. He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. These will provide a stage that Franceschini says will be used for "cultural events of the highest level. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. The Colosseum appears on the Euro five cent coins. The greater the bond, the stronger the cohesion was in the unit. Several materials were employed for the building of the Colosseum, all of them easily found or produced in the Roman area: first of all there is the travertino, a limestone, then tuff for the other pillars and radial walls, tiles for the floors of the upper storeys and the walls; finally, concrete (a.k.a. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum, National Geographic Kids - Ten Facts About The Colosseum!ss, Ancient Hisotry Encyclopedia - Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Smithsonian Channel - What Gladiator School Was Like, The History Learning Site - Roman Entertainment, Sacred Destinations - Colosseum, Rome, Italy, Colosseum - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Colosseum - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use. The shows, called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. The fourth level held the marketplace, and the top fifth tier is where the poorest citizens, the plebeians, gathered and watched the show, bringing picnics for the day-long event. [16][11] By 1460, an equivalent existed in Catalan: coliseu; by 1495 had appeared the Spanish: coliseo, and by 1548 the Portuguese: coliseu. The artificial lake that was the centrepiece of that palace complex was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much symbolic as it was practical. In ancient Rome, tens of thousands gathered at the Colosseum to watch enslaved men, condemned criminals and wild animals fight to the death. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released,[29] or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. It teaches us about things like the nature of the Romans and about different things such as battles that happened back then. [11] Though the modern name Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: amphitheatrum Flavium) is often used, there is no evidence it was used in Classical Antiquity. the Colosseum. As with other amphitheatres, the emperor Vespasian intended the Colosseum to be an entertainment venue, hosting gladiator fights, animal hunts, and even mock naval battles. ... en AN ANCIENT inscription found in the Colosseum of Rome, Italy, may indirectly confirm a Bible prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem. The perimeter originally measured 545 meters (1,788 ft / 1,835 Roman feet). It was then commonly referred to as the "Colossus solis". Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. It was made for the roman people. It is an amphitheater, also referred to as Flavian Amphitheater, situated amidst the city of Rome in Italy. Commemorative coinage was issued celebrating the inauguration. 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