Colosseum

Location: Rome, Italy
Capacity: approximately 50,000 to 80,000 (various stages)

The Colosseum or Coliseum is an oval shaped amphitheater located in the centre of Rome, Italy. Built in AD 72 under the emperor Vespasian and completed in AD 80 under his heir, Titus, it is made of limestone, volcanic rock, brick-faced concrete and travertine. At 620 feet long and 513 feet wide, the Colosseum in Rome was easily the largest amphitheater around when it was in its prime holding an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.

Unlike many other large structures built around the same it wasn’t built into a hillside for support. Instead, it was a fully freestanding stadium with a foundation of concrete and stone with multiple seating configurations and levels.

The stadium was mainly used for gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles and dramas based on Classical mythology and public spectacles . On top of that, the Colosseum’s 80 awning-covered arches lead visitors into an arena that was so well-engineered that it could even be flooded with water to support aquatic events.

The venue stopped hosting entertainment spectacles in the early medieval era and became a venue for different purposes such as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Although there is substantial damaged due to earthquakes and other various man made and natural disasters, the Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and is listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World and an extremely popular tourist attraction.