The Coliseum was commissioned in 72 AD by Emperor Vespasian and finished in 80 AD by his son Titus; later improvements were made by Domitian. This means the romans were able to build the coliseum in a mere eight years. The design of the coliseum is very practical with its 80 arched entrances to allow in its 55,000 spectators. Spectators were seated by rank in society, with the rich sitting on the bottom and the poor near the top. The coliseum is 188m long and 156m wide and originally had 240 masts that were attached to the stone corbels of the 4th floor. The coliseum was purposefully built upon the site of Nero’s palace, the Domus Aurea, so he could disassociate himself from the hated former tyrant. To gain popularity with the people of Rome he built the coliseum and staged the deadly fights of gladiators and wild animals. Gladiator was an honorable title and there was a chance for riches and honor in the arena but most gladiators consisted of slaves, prisoners of war, and convicted criminals and most died a nameless death. These types of games would continue until Christianity progressively put an end to all games which included the death of humans.
"Roman Colosseum." Rome.info , Coliseum of Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
Roman Colosseum RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
"Roman Colosseum." Rome.info , Coliseum of Rome. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.
Roman Colosseum RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2013.