The Colosseum Research Paper

As a matter of fact, the system of entrance and exit of the Colosseum is another important aspect to explore how significant the impact caused by the Roman social structure on the architecture design is. Corresponding to strict arrangement of seating, after arriving at the Colosseum, the spectators are able to find out the specified entrance and exit routs for different social classes.7 Colosseum has an efficient network of vaulted passageways consisting eighty archways serving as entrance and exit.8 Without a doubt, it is certain that the entrance for the emperor is separated from the gates opening for the crowds. Among the eighty archways, there is only one special entrance used by the most powerful men with a great contrast to the public entrance. The walls leading to the special entrance have rich decoration, such as painting and stuccoes.9 Additionally, in order to achieve the efficiency as much as possible, the “admission tokens”10 with numbers of the seats are created to “enable the public spectators to go directly to the proper entrance for reaching their own seats”.

For as long as humans have existed, they have always found some way to entertain themselves. Even the earliest societies have left evidence of some sort of activity or hobby that they used as a form of entertainment. Perhaps the most famous building that was used as a form of entertainment is the Roman Colosseum, also known as the Flavian amphitheater. In ancient Rome, the most popular form of entertainment was the gladiator fights. These fights, usually among animals and trained public fighters, were staged in open arenas in a city's forum. There is evidence

but some of them came from trips they took to Rome to see the ruins and old works from the

The famous historical structure known as the Colosseum is a remarkable piece of architecture that has survived for over nearly two millenniums. It was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the people of Rome and completed by his son, Titus in the year 70 A.D. (History, 2009). Since then, the Flavian Amphitheater has gone through lifetimes of changes with chronicles of events. It is one of the most impressive ancient structures that still stand today and is extraordinary because of a multitude of reasons. The Colosseum’s advanced function, structural soundness, as well as its impeccable design contributes to its grandeur. Its initial opening performance did not fail to commemorate its existence, lasting

The Yankee Stadium and Staples Center are both examples of stadiums that were well influenced by the Roman Colosseum. Many similar techniques were used to build the Colosseum, and were also used in the making of these two stadiums. An example of a technique that was used during the building of the Colosseum is the architectural design of the arches that are in the Great Hall of the Yankee Stadium. They were built from a series of stone blocks that were placed in a certain way to hold them together in the shape of an arch. Another example of important idea that the Romans developed, and used often was organized labor. Organized labor was useful because it was a way of sorting all the workers and their skills into the appropriate and corresponding jobs. It also provided a working system including receiving breaks, lunches and some set work hours along with medical care for when it was needed. Many other different techniques that the Romans created were used in the making of other famous stadiums and amphitheaters and continue to be used today.

“Once the colosseum had been built it seems to have become the model for many, if not most, of those that followed” (Hopkins and Beard 2005, 24). The Colosseum stands proudly upon the villainous Emperor Nero’s once grand Valley of the Golden House, projecting the munificence of Imperial Roman Architecture of the Flavian period. Its ultimate design could be said to be formed through purpose or function. However, this does not do justice to the importance of architecture within Roman society (Thornton and Thornton in Lyes 1999, 2). The functions whether it be religious or otherwise, of the Colosseum were irrelevant to the

Jewish slaves were the forced builders of the Colosseum and it was accomplished with slave labor. Due to failure in the Great Revolt, 20,000 Jewish slaves were brought over to Rome to build the Colosseum. (Mathias, 2011) proposed that another 70,000 Jewish slaves were used to quarry stones for the Colosseum, haling over 292,000 cartloads of stone from the Tivoli which was 17 miles away from the construction site. The construction project was funded by the treasure stolen from the Temple, as the empire was broke at the time due to the Great Revolt. The construction project took 8 long years to build. Unfortunately, Vespasian was unable to

At one point the Circus Maximus was one of the largest facilities in Rome (Circus Maximus). Many people would go here for entertainment. They were most commonly known for chariot races. “At one point the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people, one quarter of Rome’s population” (Circus Maximus). The early history of the Circus Maximus goes back to the sixth century (Circus Maximus). The fifth king of Rime, Tarquinius Prscus, created a track between the Palatine and Aventine hills (Circus Maximus). “ In 174 BC the gates were rebuilt…”(Circus Maximus). There was a lot of rebuilding that had to be done because of a fire

In 79 AD Vespasian came to his final days, dying before the construction of the Colosseum was complete. His son, Titus, was to take over his role as emperor. Titus, new in his role, knew that he too must impress the people as his father had done, and so he announced the opening of the Colosseum would occur one year later. This seemed like an impossible goal for the constructers, and Titus had planned an extravagant opening to ensure that none would think he was less visionary than his father. Upon the opening of the great amphitheatre there were one hundred days of fighting. These one hundred days involved the slaughter of an unfathomable number of animals and men; one source tells us that five thousand animals were killed in the first day. The writer Cassius Dio tells us just how extravagant the opening may have been;

Roman ingenuity in architecture has far surpassed time, and some of the major developments are evident in two of Rome’s most famous structures; the Pantheon and the Colosseum. The Romans were able to construct these massive feats with their technical advancements in the use of the arch, baked brick, cement and concrete; allowing them to build bigger and higher than ever before. The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, is by far one of the greatest architectural engineering gifts left behind by the Romans; the most famous and most recognizable buildings in the world. The amphitheater served as a stage for entertainment, such as gladiator and animal fights, public executions, and even naval battles. Construction of the Colosseum

Historians have always used great structures from the ancient world to find out information about the kind of lives they used to live. The Colosseum in Ancient Rome, Italy was one of the most famous structures. The Colosseum in Rome gives historians a number of insights to the type of civilization that existed during the time of the ancient empire, through the gory battles and violent games that took place. This can be proven by the purpose of the Colosseum and the context surrounding its construction, the political and economic benefit of the Colosseum to the empire, the types of games which were held in the arena and the values which the structure suggests were important to the civilization at the

‘The Colosseum’ is regarded as one of the best work of the Rome architecture and engineering. It is situated in the centre of the city of Rome in Italy and is also known by the name of ‘Flavian Amphitheatre’ (Origins of the Colosseum, 2015). ‘The Colosseum’ is considered as one of the largest amphitheatre in the Roman Empire and also in the world. The building of ‘The Colosseum’ is highly impressive and is an important landmark for signifying the past history of Roman culture. The amphitheatre

    The Colosseum reflect in their society because this is who the Romans were. The seats were arrange where the wealthy would seat in the front, and the further back you got the lower class you were. This was also an opportunity for the gladiator to showcase what they were all about. The Romans liked to be entertained and what better way to do it than to watch a show in the Colosseum. The structure of it was amazing even today the Colosseum is a must see if you are touring Rome.  I personally like how it was built for an event. Just like today that people gather around the television, or some make there way to a stadium. The Roman capture what we like to consider today an event like Football or any sport. Just like today the structure matters just like it did back then. The Colosseum was massive a spectacle. I love the work because it it hard to imagine something like that can be created in the 80 CE. What I especially like and wish that I could of seen are the battles that took place inside the

     The arches of the Coloseum allowed great ventilation, stability, and passageways to keep the crowd comfortable all day. The most amazing construction had nothing to do with the show. The Romans had actually constructed a roof for the Coloseum. The roof was like a retractable sail covering most of the audience during the current event.

The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater of the time period. It was a huge elliptical structure consisting of four stories, over 150 feet high. It measured 620 X 513 feet. The enclosed oval arena measure 287 feet long X 180 feet wide.