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Colosseum
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, is an 80-door great ground. This was dated back to the year 72 AD. This was started in the year 72 AD and completed in eight years. This was opened by Emperor Titus in the year 80 AD. This was built by the Jewish slaves and was synonymous with bloodsports.
The Colosseum is in the middle of Rome. This is an amphitheatre i.e. it is a circular playground without any roof. It was called in the initial days as the Flavian Amphitheatre. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world. The Colosseum is known as one of the wonders of the world and is known for its wonderful building style.
The Colosseum is in circular shape. A large ground with circular shaped stairs. The monument is of 510 feet width and 620 feet length and 157 feet height. Means it is approximately equal to 15 storied building in height.
In olden days, gladiators used to fight in the ground. Thousands of spectators used to watch the fights. From another side, kings and elite used to watch. There was no fee collected from the spectators. On top of that, even snacks and food was provided free to the spectators.
The Colosseum was built by Roman Emperor Vespasian. He was very fond of sports. Not the normal sports. The gladiators used to fight each other. They also used to fight tigers, lions which are hungry. So, the fight used to end with either the gladiator becoming a meal to the lion or tiger or the gladiator killing the animal. During 390 years of gladiator fights in The Colosseum, around 500,000 fighters and millions of animals died.
The seating capacity of The Colosseum is 55000 people in four floors. Thousands of tonnes of concrete and stones were used in its building. Thousands of labourers worked.
The Colosseum was so built that thousands of people can entry and exit in many entry and exit points so that stampedes are avoided. In different floors, 80 doors were made available so that in 20 minutes, The Colosseum was emptied. Large screens were said to be installed to avoid the spectators being subject to rain and sun.
Due to earthquakes and other natural calamities, two-thirds of The Colosseum was damaged. Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvial terrain, to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome.
But still now, this is a famous tourist spot. On an average, 4 million tourists visit The Colosseum annually. On Good Friday a procession of the Cross goes from the Colosseum to Capitoline Hill. There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building.
The Colosseum is generally regarded by Christians as a site of the martyrdom of large numbers of believers during the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, as evidenced by Church history and tradition.