Here are some interesting facts about the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.
Some events at the Colosseum were seriously brutal, though – during certain games held by the emperors, around 10,000 animals were killed in a single day.
Construction of the Colosseum began in 72AD, and it was completed in 80AD.
The first games ever to be held were in 80 A.D, under Emperor Titus (the son of Vespasian), and they ran for 100 days straight. Games continued to be held for centuries to come – gladiatorial games until the fifth century and animal hunts until the 6th century.
Construction began under Emperor Vespasian, but he died before it was completed. Construction was finished under his two sons, Emperors Titus and Domitian. The actual building was done largely by Jewish slaves, overseen by Roman engineers and craftsmen.
The height of the outer ring is approximately 50 meters (164 ft) like of a 16-story building. Its foundations are 12 meters (39 ft) deep. There were 80 arches in the outer ring over 3 levels (240 in total). At ground level, 76 of these arches were used as entrances by regular people. 4 were used by the VIPs of those times: one for the emperor, one for the senators, and another two for the gladiators.
The Romans used 100,000 tonnes (220,462,280 lb) of travertine and 300 tonnes (661,386 lb) of iron to make grips to secure the blocks. Inside the Colosseum, there were approximately 100 fountains for public use.
The Romans could control a huge awning called ‘velarium’ (the same system as that used in modern stadiums) on top of the Colosseum in response to the weather.
The Colosseum could realistically accommodate between 55,000 and 80,000 people. The Romans also thought about evacuation routes as well. All of the exits, called ‘vomitoria’, could evacuate everyone in just a few minutes in case of an emergency… a real architectural wonder.
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The awning the Coliseum had that could be controlled according to the weather is a surprise. Although it shouldn’t be considering the innovative skills of the Roman architects at that time. 🙂
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That and the skill of the Hebrew slaves that were forced to build everything the Roman architects designed. Kinda like them being forced to build the pyramids when they were slaves in Egypt. Mighty handy, weren’t they?! 💪
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They certainly honed their skills over the centuries! Where would civilization be without them?
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Right?!
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I didn’t know the half of that. I’m wondering, though, how did they possibly manage to drain off all of the blood? That ground must be soaked.
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Interesting question.
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Great historical knowledge. I was not aware. So the movies got some of it right. Right? Ben Hur is till the best to portray the coliseum.
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Awesome movie.
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and they did it with no computer help or modern construction equipment as with all the other marvels, cathedrals, castles Etc., absolutely amazing
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Yes, it truly is.
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