Interesting places in Rome: Colosseum

The Italian capital is filled with historic buildings, headed by the Colosseum. Rome is a city that loves tourists. With reciprocity - over a dozen million people visit them annually. The Colosseum has been included among the new seven wonders of the world, along with the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. What is the history of the Colosseum and why should you visit this amphitheater while in Rome? We answer this question in the article.

Colosseum - Flavian Amphitheater

The Colosseum was built in 70 BCE by the emperors of the Flavian dynasty. This eleptic amphitheater may not impress with its size now, but in ancient Rome it certainly belonged to the largest chunks of contemporary architecture. Its length is almost 200 meters and the height is less than 50. The Colosseum could fit as many as 50,000 people! Despite the fact that a large part of the structure is already destroyed, tourists can still see the most important parts of the amphitheater.

In addition to the arena and a large audience, the lowest floor housed buffets, showers, cloakrooms, animal cages and rooms for gladiators. There were 80 numbered entrances to the Colosseum (some of them have survived to this day), which made it possible to leave the arena in 6 minutes. On rainy or sunny days, it was possible to cover the entire audience. It makes a great impression even without reminding you that the building is over 2,000 years old.

Colosseum - the center of Roman entertainment

From the beginning of its creation, the Colosseum was associated with entertainment. Hunting for wild animals, naumachie (staged sea battles) and famous gladiatorial fights took place there.The opening of the building was inaugurated by the Emperor Titus - he announced the well-known, uninterrupted games. During this time, several thousand animals died during hunting, and over 900 gladiators fought.

The future of the amphitheater was very turbulent, and the building itself was damaged many times over the years. The first serious damage took place in the 3rd century CE. because of a fire that completely destroyed the highest wooden levels of the block. The Colosseum also survived two earthquakes.

The Colosseum is a showcase of Rome, which, despite its bloody history, is eagerly visited by tourists from all over the world. Everyone wants to feel the unique atmosphere of the ancient games on their skin, to see only a fraction of what the inhabitants of this city saw thousands of years ago. Good Friday is also celebrated in the amphitheater - the Way of the Cross is held here every year under the guidance of the Pope.