T he beauty of Roman architecture meets the brutality of the human condition. The Colosseum is the place where ancient Romans were entertained by vicious blood sports. On the day the arena opened 5,000 animals were killed to the delight of the audience. The arena cold hold 50,000 people. Though we think of covered stadiums as a modern idea, the Colosseum could be covered to protect people inside from rain. The best sailors were plucked from the royal navy to work the intricate rigging that operated a series of giant awnings over the arena. The Colosseum was a gift to the Roman people from their rulers as a way of making ammends for the ruthlessness of emperor Nero. He confiscated the land the Colosseum stands on from the people in order to construct an artifical lake for his Domus Aurea. That lake was drained when emperor Vespasian decided to give the land back to the people in the form of the Colosseum It was a 115-foot-tall statue of Nero, known as the Colossus, that lent the arena its name.
The statue was destroyed by Pope Gregory the Great. The Colosseum's current state of disrepair can be attributed to both earthquakes and pillaging. Long after the fall of Rome its marble was used to build palaces. It was Pope Benedict XIV who stopped the looting. In 1749 he declared the area sacred ground because of all the Christian martyrs that had been sacrificed there. Historians now believe the Christian sacrifices were carried out elsewhere, but his declaration stands and has helped preserve what's left of this mighty building for future generations.
The last gladiator matches were held in 523.
The Colosseum has a circumference of 1,730 feet.
The Colosseum is 164 feet high and had 80 arched entrances.
The arena is 29,000 square feet.
In July, 2000: nearly 1,500 years after the last performance at the Colosseum, The National Theater of Greece performed Oedipus Rex in the arena. The actors complained of bad acoustics, a small stage, and background noise from traffic and airplanes.
