Colosseum

Our next stop in Rome is the Colosseum. The Colosseum is actually an amphitheater located in the center of the city of Rome. The Colosseum is best known for its great architecture. This amphitheater was a massive structure and considered one of the greatest works of the Roman Empire. Back then, the amphitheater could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators to watch the great gladiator fights, hunting, plays, and battles based on classical mythology. During this time, this was one of best ways to be entertained. The amphitheater forms a oval with four story walls. As you can see from the many arches incorporated into the structure, the colosseum was constructed in a way that would allow the thousands of people attending the events to exit in less than 10 minutes.  The thousands of people were all seated by their class. When the colosseum was first built, there was no floor. Later on, they created two different floors. First a wood, then a stone. When the stone floor was built they built a whole other level underneath it, where the performers would get ready. Also on this floor was one of the first elevators ever created where over 200 slaves would lift the elevator up two stories with the performers and the animals on. The Colosseum had fights all day long. While the Colosseum was in use, about 500,000 people died, lowering the population. Sometimes games there lasted up to 100 days. The last known fight in the arena was 435 AD.