Colosseum

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Featuring four flour with 80 arches each, the Colosseum is the biggest amphitheater ever build in Roman history; it holds the dimension of 620ft by 513ft and the astonishing height of 157ft. Located just east of the Roman Forum, it is one of the most iconic buildings in Rome today. The Colosseum was first commissioned by Emperor Vespasian after setting up the Flavian Dynasty in 69 A.D. His purpose was to gain public authority and encourage social welfare throughout the empire. Vespasian decreed that the Colosseum, later known as the Flavian amphitheater, should be built as a place where all Romans could enjoy gladiatorial fights and other entertainments. Vespasian’s son, Titus, proceeded to build the Colosseum and finished the construction around 79 A.D. It opened up as the grandest and the most extravagantly built architecture in the Ancient Rome.
With the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D and the ending of the construction process, Titus formally dedicated the Colosseum in honor of his father and hosted a splendid show including 100 days of games. The Roman citizens were soon addicted to the gladiatorial shows, and the new age of entertainment began at that moment; the Colosseum was the center of all public entertainments and events. Unlike many preceding amphitheaters, Colosseum was the first free-standing architecture constructed purely out of concrete and stone. Supported by 80 arches on each story, the infrastructure was both innovative and seemingly indestructible. Despite its massive size, the building itself was meticulously build and designed; the amount of details and decorations was overwhelming. There were 4 floors and each decorated with different styles: Doric, Ionic, and finally, the Corinthian style. The Col...

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... we could still imagine the fame and the glory of the gladiators who fought here and sacrificed themselves for the Roman citizens. Regardless the bloodshed and the brutality of the Gladiatorial fights, the Colosseum’s appearance undeniably inspired many other great architectures in the world and served the Roman citizens with laughter and entertainment.

Works Cited

http://pal.loswego.k12.or.us/art_lit/Rome-VolunteerPresentation-Notes.pdf http://www.the-colosseum.net/architecture/descriptio_en.htm http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/colosseo.htm http://www.colosseum.net/listingview.php?listingID=7 http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/writing/06_romarch.pdf http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/10-innovations-that-built-ancient-rome http://www.rome.info/ancient/aqueducts/
http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/awning-at-the-colosseum.htm

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