Describe The Colosseum

The Colosseum is located east of the Roman Forum and consists of mostly concrete and several interior designs such as trap-doors and possible secret entrances for gladiators. This magnificent structure was created by Vespasian, who was the first emperor of the Flavian Dynasty, and finished by his son, Damitian. The Colosseum stood over 150 feet and the actual area itself was about 88 meters by 55 meters (Platner, 2001). This amazing amphitheatre is one of the new seven wonders of the world and is known for its durable materials and design, as well as for its uses. The Colosseum has its original imprint after 2,000 years because of the materials that it was first built with, which include travertine, tuff, tiles, and roman cement. Travertine is a type of limestone made mostly of calcite, and was usually the color of white, yellow or red (Platner, 2001). It was supposed to be used for décor for the Colosseum; however, it was actually used for the …show more content…
The Colosseum consists of four arches used for entrances; the north, south, east and west part of it. There are also 76 other entrances which allowed easier access to the seats for the Roman people (Platner, 2001). The top floor, second floor and the first floor were the locations where the audience was permitted; however, the podium, which is located on the first floor, was the best seats in the Colosseum and only the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins were permitted there. These seats were also saved for the elite Romans, such as senators, priests and the royal family, which meant that the rest of the floors were for the middle and lower class. The ground floor was mostly used for keeping equipment, machines, costumes, cages for the animals, and storage for the Colosseum. The structure of the Colosseum helped it last for two thousand years, therefore, it was a successful build because the structure was stable, and it still functioned