a horse and carriage near the Arch of Constantine

 the Arch is just in front
of the Colosseum

The Arch is 21 meters tall and 7.4 deep.

view of the Palatine from
in front of the Colosseum

gazing up at the southwest
corner of the Colosseum

Certain blocks of the structure were isolated for cleaning in recent years.

Matt's semi-fierce
Russell Crowe impression?

Our tour guide was awesome.

Lots of fancy old temples are
just west of Il Colosseo.

Construction of Il Colosseo began in 72 AD.

12:32 pm

Most of the ground-level arches are blocked off with fencing so
you can't walk in through them.

The building was properly called the Flavian Amphitheatre.

It became known as the Colosseum not
because it was big...

...but because of a colossal
bronze statue of Nero that
used to stand next to it.

Some of the stairs inside are pemanently off limits.

Il Colosseo was capable of seating 50,000 spectators...

...but including "standing room only" crowds, it could max out around 87,000.

The top level was finished
and the building inaugurated
by Titus in 80 AD.

Over 9,000 wild animals
were killed here during
the inaugural games.

Dana in a corridor

The games here pitted man
against beast, beast against
beast, and man against man.

Besides the legendary gladiator games, the Romans dreamed up all sorts of live entertainments
to hold here...

...mock sea battles, dramatic
plays based on mythology,
animal hunts, and recreations
of historical battles.

The numerous vaulted spaces
in the arcades under the
seating were converted into
housing and workshops...

...and are recorded as still
being rented out as late
as the 12th century.

An earthquake in 1349
greatly damaged the Colosseum.

After that, the interior of the amphitheatre was extensively stripped of stone...

...which was reused elsewhere
to build other structures.

The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level...

...76 of which were used by ordinary spectators.

The northern main entrance was reserved for the Emperor and his aides.

Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row.

They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected
the rigidly stratified nature
of Roman society.

Matt with the Palatine behind

At the top of this photo, you see
a recreation of the
wooden floor which would've
covered the hypogeum.

The hypogeum was a two-level subterranean network of tunnels
and cages beneath the arena.

This underground area was where gladiators and animals were held before contests began.

In the late 1500's there was a short-lived plan to turn the building into a wool factory...

...to provide employment
for Rome's prostitutes.

After its abandonment,
the Colosseum became home
to a religious order
for hundreds of years.

Half a million people died playing
games in Il Colosseo during its prime.