The Roman Colosseum

The Roman Colosseum, a colossal amphitheater, was built in the first century under Flavian's rule. Many events such as gladiator games, beast fights, naval battles, and much more took place inside the huge elliptical arena. People of all ages and classes attended these well-known spectacles. The Colosseum is a huge Roman architectural achievement and the fact that it is still standing today only amplifies the importance of this structure. Hundred of thousands of people attended the ancient games, and even more continue to visit the arena today.

According to Richard Watkins, author of the book Gladiator, a typical day at the games was filled with plenty of excitement and eager fans waiting to see the upcoming events. A day at the games was preceded by weeks and weeks of promoting the performers and the special events on the schedule. Spectators would show up hours before the event to bet on their favorite gladiator, eat and drink. After a few hours, all the seats were filled an the anxiously awaited crowd was ready to hear the sound of the trumpets signaling the beginning of the show. The crowd's attention was at the entrance of the arena where the parade marched around and celebrated the beginning of the day of events. For more information, please navigate through the links on the sidebar to get a glimpse of the main events and history of the Roman Colosseum.

The Colosseum was built by Titus Flavius Vespasianus, a man who served as a soldier under Emperor Nero and later took his place. Emperor Nero was deeply hated by the Roman people, and this hatred led Nero to commit suicide with the help of his secretary, Epaphroditus. While Nero was emperor he built the Golden House, his own personal palace. Within the pal...

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...s unharmed. Elephants were a huge attraction at the games and often performed spectacular acts such as dancing and tightrope walking. The audience was thrilled by trained animals defying the laws of nature including the above and also amazing acts such as leopard walking peacefully with antelopes and crocodiles allowing boys to ride them in the water. It was also found that Emperor Elagabalus enjoyed driving a chariot harnessed to lions, tiger and stags and then allowing these trained animals to run loose in his home.

Works Cited

Pearson, John. Arena: The Story of the Colosseum. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.,1973.

Quennell, Peter. The Colosseum. New York: Time, 2001.

Watkins, Richard. Gladiator. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2000.

What Life Was Like When Rome Ruled the World. Ed. Time-Life Books. Alexandria: Time-Life Inc., 1997.