Colosseum Research Paper

The Romans are known for their architecture. One of their greatest pieces of architecture is called the Flavian Amphitheater also known as the Colosseum. It was made from 70 to 80 ce in the city of Rome itself. The Colosseum is a massive arena in the shape of an oval. This an amazing design that allowed for around 50,000 people to come and watch entertainment. The Romans invented concrete and used it to create vaults. Concrete and vaults are two of the biggest contributions the Romans made to architecture.

The Romans were known to love their sports. They loved to watch battles and fights to the death. A similar comparison to todays world would be football. We love to watch two teams fighting against each other to determine a victor and so …show more content…
The architects most likely decided on an oval shape so that everyone in the crowd would have a decent angle to view the entertainment. It has a perfect design. There are four stories of construction, each having its own unique style. The bottom floor has pillars on the outside of the Doric order. The arches can be seen from the outside. When one walks in they are met by a series of barrel and groin vaults that run perpendicular to the outside arches. These vaults are the largest of the amphitheater simply because they are where the majority of the foot traffic will be. The second level has an Ionic Order as seen from the outside. It also has similar vaults like the first floor, but these get a little smaller and shorter. The third level has a Corinthian order with two small vaults wrapped around. The upper level has Corinthian pilasters on the outside with a single vault running along the inside. It seems like the lower seats would have been for the more common people and the upper seats were reserved for the higher class as they would be more exclusive. It may seem simple to create all the vaults with todays technology but to invent them is a different