The Colosseum – Rome

The Colosseum is, well for lack of a better word, colossal. The Flavian Amphitheater is 615 feet long, 510 feet wide, and 157 feet tall. It was completed in 80 AD. The outside is made entirely of travertine stone (3.5 million cubic feet of it) and the blocks are held together by iron clamps. It took 200 ox-drawn wagons working every day for four years to cart in the stone from the quarry in Tivoli.

The inauguration ceremonies lasted 100 days and saw the slaughter of 2,000 men and 9,000 animals.

There was an old adage that said: “As long as the Colosseum stands, so too will the Roman Empire.” Nearly 2,000 years later its still standing.

The Colosseum was originally used for public spectacles including the famous gladiator battles. The Colosseum held approximately 50,000 spectators on stone benches. In the photo below you can see the hypogeum, which is the area below the floor of the stadium where the animals and gladiators would have been prepped before coming out onto the arena floor.

Located beside the Roman Forum, the Colosseum is open daily from 8:30am until one hour before sunset. Tickets cost 12€ per person. To avoid the long line it is best to buy entrance tickets at the Roman Forum or Palatine Hill (all three attractions share the same ticket). For easy access you can take the 81 bus or get off at the Colosseo (line B) metro stop.

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