Picture Source: NARA

Originally the coliseum was called the Flavian Amphitheater after its builders, because the emperors Vespasian and Titus, both came from the Flavian family. Construction started in 70 A.D. and was completed in 80 AD This amazing structure was completed in only 10 years without machines of any kind. It seated almost 50,000 people and used to have a huge statue of Nero in the front which may have led to the name coliseum as in colossal. Elevators raised and lowered animals to the floor of the arena from caged areas below. The flooring in the coliseum could be removed and the pit filled with water. Several ships were put in the water and simulated naval battles conducted before a delighted audience.

The lower classes couldn't have been charged much, if anything, to get into the coliseum because since they were citizens of Rome, Rome tried to help them out. They were called plebeians and a welfare program was set up to help them, it was called the annona. There was a school lunch program called the alimenta for children and a food welfare program for the people where they were issued little tokens which were the same as food stamps. This was called tesserae. Special tokens were issued for meat. The government ran warehouses and bakeries and you came with your tokens and exchanged them for food Besides gladiatorial combat the coliseum was also used to carry out sentences of death and punish Christians and anyone else who would not recognize the Roman Gods. The site where the coliseum stands was originally a marshy hollow that Nero had transformed into a fish pond for his Golden House. The arena was made of wood and covered with sand. A high railing was erected to protect the audience from the animals.The area where the privileged sat had roving guards to further protect them. The ordinary citizens sat in the upper tiers, and last of all was a Corinthian colonnade in which the lower orders had standing room only. Awnings were raised and lowered over the seating area but the arena itself and no covering. It is believed that the coliseum stayed intact until the 5th century when 2 earthquakes damaged it. In 1349 another earthquake was responsible for destroying the western portion. Much of the stone (travertine) was carried off from the coliseum. It is said that one contractor carried away over 2500 cartloads in 1452.

Roman coliseum type buildings were not limited to only Rome. Pompei, when unearthed, had smaller coliseums. The Roman's built the world's oldest known amphitheater. About the size of a football stadium, it held 12,000 people. It seems contests between cities were also conducted in it and in 59 AD a riot broke out. Because of the deaths it caused among spectators the Roman Senate forbid games to be held in it for 10 years. Coliseums and amphitheaters were build throughout the Roman world.

The Coliseum was carefully designed. It was extremely easy to enter and leave through passageways that were well thought out. The designers didn't want the huge crowds clogging things up so they designed a system of hallways and exit ramps to facilitate entering and exiting which still rank among the best to this day.

There certainly is no denying the Roman influence that spread all over the ancient world. Roman roads and buildings can be found in almost every country that was known at the time. As we know there are even Roman ruins in the British Isles. Maybe we will find out that the Romans even reached the Americas. Coliseum is also spelled Colosseum, either is correct.