The story of the Flavian Amphitheater began under the rule of Nero, the last Julio-Claudian emperor. After the famous fire of 64 CE, Nero rebuilt his house on the Palatine Hill, calling it the Domos Aurea (“golden house”) because of its lavishness. The house, which included a colossal statue of Nero and a huge private lake, was controversial because it took up so much space at the center of Rome, an area that the people preferred to have dedicated to public use.
Fast forward to Vespasian’s rule, which started in 69 CE. With his victory over the Jews, in 71 CE, he, like any new emperor, wanted to make his mark on Rome and destroy the memory of Nero. In order to kill two birds with one stone, he decided to build a public amphitheater on the site where Nero’s private lake had been, thus giving back the land to the people. This also enabled the people, along with the emperor, to enjoy the spoils of war, most specifically those from the triumph over the Jews, which helped to finance the project.
This seemed like the perfect solution, but unfortunately, Vespasian’s goal of erasing Nero’s memory was not successful. By the Middle Ages, the amphitheater had been given a different name: the Colosseum. Despite its vast magnitude, this name did not refer to the size of the building, but instead to the Colossus, which was the huge statue of Nero from the Domus Aurea that remained nearby. The irony of this name is that the building that was erected to erase Nero’s memory actually stands preserving it.
The amphitheater hosted games that included gladiatorial combat, venationes (wild beast hunts), and executions. The ellipse-shaped building is 615 feet by 510 feet. In its time it could hold about 50,000 people. The exterior façade has 4 stories with 80 arches on the first three stories. The arches were numbered on the first floor to help spectators find their seats. The ground floor had Doric engaged columns; the second floor had Ionic engaged columns; the third floor had Corinthian engaged columns; and the top floor had pilasters with corbels in between to carry timber poles that supported sails, used for shade.
The core of the building is made of Roman concrete that had pozzolana (volcanic ash) in it. The Roman concrete lasted for so long because it was considered ugly, and was thus always covered. This concrete was used to build all of the radial barrel vaults that supported the seating and provided passageways for the spectators. The lower (and best) seats were made of marble, while the higher (and worst) seats were made of wood.
The Colosseum was used as a site for elaborate spectacles put on by wealthy Romans and the Emperors themselves to entertain the public and further the respective sponsors’ political goals. Most famous are the gladiatorial combats, but there were also displays of beasts, recreations of naval battles, public executions, and various other shows of power by the Emperor over the people.
Fast forward to Vespasian’s rule, which started in 69 CE. With his victory over the Jews, in 71 CE, he, like any new emperor, wanted to make his mark on Rome and destroy the memory of Nero. In order to kill two birds with one stone, he decided to build a public amphitheater on the site where Nero’s private lake had been, thus giving back the land to the people. This also enabled the people, along with the emperor, to enjoy the spoils of war, most specifically those from the triumph over the Jews, which helped to finance the project.
This seemed like the perfect solution, but unfortunately, Vespasian’s goal of erasing Nero’s memory was not successful. By the Middle Ages, the amphitheater had been given a different name: the Colosseum. Despite its vast magnitude, this name did not refer to the size of the building, but instead to the Colossus, which was the huge statue of Nero from the Domus Aurea that remained nearby. The irony of this name is that the building that was erected to erase Nero’s memory actually stands preserving it.
The amphitheater hosted games that included gladiatorial combat, venationes (wild beast hunts), and executions. The ellipse-shaped building is 615 feet by 510 feet. In its time it could hold about 50,000 people. The exterior façade has 4 stories with 80 arches on the first three stories. The arches were numbered on the first floor to help spectators find their seats. The ground floor had Doric engaged columns; the second floor had Ionic engaged columns; the third floor had Corinthian engaged columns; and the top floor had pilasters with corbels in between to carry timber poles that supported sails, used for shade.
The core of the building is made of Roman concrete that had pozzolana (volcanic ash) in it. The Roman concrete lasted for so long because it was considered ugly, and was thus always covered. This concrete was used to build all of the radial barrel vaults that supported the seating and provided passageways for the spectators. The lower (and best) seats were made of marble, while the higher (and worst) seats were made of wood.
The Colosseum was used as a site for elaborate spectacles put on by wealthy Romans and the Emperors themselves to entertain the public and further the respective sponsors’ political goals. Most famous are the gladiatorial combats, but there were also displays of beasts, recreations of naval battles, public executions, and various other shows of power by the Emperor over the people.