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The Colosseum

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The Colosseum was—and still is—colossal.

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It's "the" great example of ancient Roman engineering.

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It was begun in 72AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian

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when the Empire was nearing its peak.

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Using Roman-pioneered concrete, brick,

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and their trademark round arches,

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Romans constructed much larger buildings than the Greeks.

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But, it seems, they still respected the fine points of Greek culture.

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They decorated their no nonsense mega-structure

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with all three Greek orders of columns: Doric...Ionic...and Corinthian.

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Stepping inside, you can almost hear

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the roar of ancient Rome.

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Take a moment to imagine the place in action.

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Romans filled and emptied the Colosseum's 50,000 seats as quickly and

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efficiently as we do our super stadiums today.

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It's built with two theaters facing each other

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—that's what an amphitheater is—

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so twice as many people could enjoy the entertainment.

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Canvas awnings were hoisted over the stadium to give protection from the

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sun.

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These passageways underneath the arena were covered by a wooden floor.

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Between acts, animals and gladiators were shuffled around out of sight.

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Ancient Romans, whose taste for violence exceeded even modern America's, came to

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to the Colosseum to unwind.

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Gladiators, criminals, and wild animals fought to the death, providing the public

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with a festival of gore.

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To celebrate the Colosseum's grand opening, Romans were treated to the slaughter of

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5000 animals.