The Colosseum

The Colosseum was built in six to eight

years. As part of the Roman Emperor
Vespasian's vision for the glorification of
Rome, the Colosseum's construction began
between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in
80 AD. He decided to demolish the palace of
Nero to construct an arena that would house
gladiator games. The Colosseum was used as
a venue for hosting different events in Rome.
Admission was free to the public.

Colosseum
Construction
The Romans constructed the
Colosseum of a primitive form of
concrete. The interior is made of
brick, tufa and marble; little of
the marble survives today. They
made concrete using lime, which
they burned to create quicklime,
water and volcanic ash. The
volcanic ash served as the
aggregate and is likely the
reason Roman concrete, which
was 10 times weaker than the
concrete used in 2014, remains
after almost 2,000 years.

Seating
The arena was surrounded by a 5m-high
wall to protect spectators from attacks
by wild beasts. At the top of the wall
was the podium, on which the imperial
party and other VIPs had their
seats. The seating area was divided into
three tiers: the lowest for knights; the
middle for wealthy citizens; and the top
for the general population. In total the
Colosseum could hold up to 45,000
spectators.

Inside
The central area, the arena, was covered
with a great wooden floor and canvas to
make it waterproof. Over this was a layer of
sand to absorb blood - in fact "arena"
derives from the Latin word for sand.

Under
the
Coliseum
Floor

The arena hid underground the premises that contained the hoists and the stage equipment for the
performances. The hoists were used to bring up animals, combatants and settings, provoking astonishment in
the spectators.
The floor is now exposed down to its underground passages, where beasts and gladiators awaited their fate,
and crossed by a modern walkway.

Arch of Constantine
This triumphal arch, with three barrelvaulted passageways, is the largest among
those still extant that originally adorned
Ancient Rome and its construction was
decreed by the Senate in 315 CE, decennial
of the reign of Constantine, in order to
celebrate the victory obtained by him over
Maxentius on 28 October 312, at the Battle
of the Milvian Bridge, as the dedicatory
inscription reads.
In the 12th century the monument was
incorporated into the fortress of the
powerful family of the Frangipane; in the
15th century it began to be restored and
studied, but the most significant
interventions were carried out in 1733, when
different missing parts were replaced, which
led it to take on its present appearance.

Arch of Constantine
The varied ornamentation of the arch
was made also by means of
multiple spolia stipped from earlier
monuments of previous emperors
(Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius,
the portraits whereof, when present,
where remoulded as that of
Constantine) and features statues and
reliefs with military subjects (defeated
prisoners, Emperors speech to the
troops) but also obeys to a wider
figurative program aimed at extolling
the other virtues of the sovereign,
such as the pietas towards the gods or
the liberality towards the people.