The Colosseum's Impact On The Culture Of Rome

Ancient Rome is one of the greatest and most influential societies in the history of the world. From the basic rules of how the Roman Empire is set up to the infrastructures in the city, the strict hierarchy of Roman social structure can be reflected clearly all over the whole ancient Rome. In fact that “public architecture presents people with the official view of a society and provides the background against which its individual markers live their lives.”1 With the great desire of Roman for entertainment and their special taste for blood, the amphitheatre is considered as the most popular and most representative type of the entertainment building in the ancient Roman culture. And

“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

The ancient Roman Colosseum is perhaps the most astonishing wonder in the history of Architecture known to man kind. The Colosseum served to provide a place of entertainment for the people of Rome and dole out harsh punishments portrayed through shows ending with death to menaces of society. The basis for the idea behind the Colosseum began with the Roman Emperor Vespasian who overtook the Emperor Nero to gain control of the Roman Empire. Much like Nero and other emperors during his time, Vespasian developed a reputation for conveying harsh punishment upon the citizens that jeopardized law and order in the empire. Therefore in 69 A.D. he ordered master craftsman to employ gangs of slaves to construct a facility that would satisfy the

The Colosseum was a huge Roman building that could hold over 50,000 people at once. This building had several different levels. One of the levels was for animals to be kept in cages until they were ready to fight one another to entertain the citizens. Almost all of the events held at the colosseum

Years prior to the construction of the Colosseum, Rome was dealing with a massive civil war which destroyed the city. At the time of construction, Rome’s emperor was Vespasian’s and his “decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero’s lake can be seen as a gesture of returning a part of the city to the people which emperor Nero had appropriated for his own use” (Roman Colosseum History). However, Vespasian never saw the completion of his Colosseum due to his untimely death. His son, Titus would go on to open the Colosseum to the public in AD 80. The Colosseum remained in service for 450 years. The Colosseum is also known as The Flavian Amphitheatre (Roman). The Colosseum had seating for

On the other hand, The Roman Empire can be divided into four respective imperials which are Monarchy and Republic, Early Empire, High Empire and Late Empire. In this period of time, one of advanced architectural prowess is an amphitheater named ‘Colosseum’ beginning in 70 to 80. This central located architecture could not only hold approximately 50,000 people but also enable them to enter and exit the building easily and effectively. There are 80 entry gates with seat numbers guiding the visitors to the right seat. Moreover, all corridors and staircases went according to the well plan and organizing. Even if the arena was esthetically designed and constructed, it was the first purpose-built the political propaganda in term of entertainment

Much of what we know today about ancient civilizations is mainly derived from a variety of archeological evidence collected by historians, classicists and scholars alike. By examining physical artifacts, a window to deeper knowledge about the world of the past is opened. The Colosseum built under the reign of Emperor Vespasian of Rome and the Göbekli Tepe of the Neolithic Era prevail as one of the most extraordinary structures of the ancient world (#). The excavation of King Tut’s tomb further unveils valuable information about life in ancient Egypt. An architectural structure like the Colosseum reflects the values and cultures of the ancient Roman civilization. This freestanding elliptical amphitheater has the capacity to hold up to 60,000-80,000 spectators (*). As mentioned in lecture by Dr. McGuire, the interior is made up of series of rings extending upward and outward from the center, which reflects the enormous strength of Roman cement architecture. In addition, the five distinct levels seating zones found on the interior illustrate the existence of social stratification in ancient Rome. Majority of Roman entertainments are hosted here at the expense of the leader and the grand scale of the Colosseum further shows that mass entertainment plays an essential part within Roman society. Entertainment includes, but is not limited to, chariot racings, animal acts, and gladiatorial combats. The purpose of the early Colosseum still remains unclear, but some writers believe

He also wanted it to be build as soon as possible, so the people would like and respect him. Therefore, the Romans created a new building technique, which was creating standardized parts (Alchin). Even to this day, the Colosseum is an engineering marvel, and the Romans gained inspiration by the Greeks they overthrew. The Colosseum’s dimensions are 620 feet by 513 feet, its length is 157 feet tall, and its perimeter is 1788 feet long. It has four main floors, and the first three floors contained 80 arches, with the roman order, and a plan wall above them that created a classical design (History.Com Staff). The amphitheater was built for entertainment, and its efficient design allowed the audience to quickly get to their seats without having an uninterrupted view (Wilkinson). This monument had more than 50,000 seats for spectators. Some events that were hosted here were gladiator and animal fights (Hopkins). The better seating was for the nobles while the commoners could go and watch the events for free. A fifteen-foot wall protected the audience from the entertainment that was in the central arena. The spectators were also protected from the sun by a Velarium, which is a retractable awning. Furthermore, there were rooms and tunnels below the central arena, which was where wild animals and gladiators would live. Lastly, the south side of the

The Roman Colosseum is one of the great wonders of ancient Rome. Built by Emperor Titus Vespasian in AD 72 and finished in AD 80, the main parts of the colosseum still stand today. The massive arena could hold up to 80,000 spectators. The colosseum provided a large gathering place for many types of events, much like sports arenas do in the modern age.

I also have interviewed Emperor Vespasian on the truth of the Colosseum. He says, “I built the Colosseum for entertainment purposes. It is to give a present to Roman citizens to show them that I care for them. Also, it’s to create a big breathtaking structure showing people the power of Rome and also by using wild animals. Maybe, it was made to distract people from serious problems, like corruption, but mainly for entertainment.”

The Colosseum is one of the finest examples of ancient Roman architecture. “The Colosseum was commissioned around A.D. 70-72 by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian dynasty as a gift to the Roman people” (History.com). The Colosseum entertained the Roman people, both plebeians and patricians, for over one thousand years. The Colosseum used multiple examples of ancient architecture techniques, entertained a variety of events, and attracts many tourists and visitors today.

The Colosseum also had features besides size that made it unique to any other amphitheatre. In Titus’s reign the arena in the Colosseum could be filled with water, meaning that mock naval games (naumachia) could take place. In addition in Domitian’s reign a subterranean system of tunnels and cages were added, with trapdoors providing access to the arena so that people and animals could be transported to the arena in a more dramatic way. Again, interesting features such as these would have gained mass support in roman times for the idea that the Colosseum was the “perfect amphitheatre”. However, modern society may agree as this encouraged the unnecessary deaths of people to be brutalised in a varying manner, keeping the audiences interested and hence providing support for the continual killing of people.

The ancient Romans were well known for demonstrating their innovation and creativeness in their architecture. They implemented many different concepts, both old and new, into the construction of structures used in their society. Among these included the frequent use of concrete, arches, aqueducts, bridges, and roads. Using these concepts, the Romans built some of the most impressive pieces of architecture in the Ancient World. One of the quintessential examples of this is the Colosseum. It is the largest amphitheatre ever built and served as a place to host public spectacles such as gladiatorial contests, re-enactments, and animal hunts. However in its later history it ceased to be used for entertainment and was reused to become a quarry, a fortress, and a religious shrine among others. This marvel of architecture is a testament to the complexity of the Roman culture, and is an everlasting symbol of Rome and functions as a monument towards their legacy.

The Colosseum is an important part of history and an example of astounding architecture. Not many people know that it not only hosted land battles, but also sea battles. Another commonly unknown fact is that the Romans invented elevators strong enough to lift elephants and rhinos into the arena. Although most people think of the Colosseum as a tourist trap, it is a symbol of Roman history and architecture. It was and still is an amazing structure filled with almost two thousand years of history, architectural wonders, and technological advancements. This paper will talk about the Colosseum’s history, innovating construction and architecture. It will also go over how a gladiatorial spectacular would have proceeded when the Colosseum was in the

The Colosseum is a great example of the use of Greek columns in Roman architecture. The colosseum was built when the Roman Emperor Flavian returned the land from the Golden Palace to the Roman people. The colosseum is a massive amphitheater that could seat 50,000 people and has an underground staging area called a hypogeum. The three levels of the colosseum each feature a different Greek