Table of Contents
Colosseum
Colossal
The Colosseum has over 80 entrances and can accommodate about 50,000 spectators. 1)
Lost lives
It is believed that more than 500,000 lives were lost and more than a million wild animals were killed in the Colosseum arena. 2)
1000 Days
Festivals, as well as games, could last up to 100 days at the Colosseum. 3)
Only 10 years
Construction of the Colosseum took only 10 years, beginning in 72 A.D. and was completed in 80 A.D. with the help of over 60,000 Jewish slaves. 4)
Flavius Amphitheatre
The Colosseum's original name was: Flavius Amphitheatre, after the Flavian emperor dynasty. 5)
Gate of Death
The Western Exit was called the Gate of Death because it was the exit from which dead gladiators were carried out. 6)
Plethora of shows
The Colosseum was used for gladiator fights and public spectacles such as animal hunts, reenactments of famous battles, executions, and dramas. gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as animal hunts, re-enactments of famous battles, executions, and dramas. 7)
123 days
In 107 AD, Emperor Trajan would celebrate his victories in Dacia in contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over 123 days. 8)
200 carts
About 200 carts were used to transport marbles for the construction of the Colosseum. About 100,000 cubic meters of marbles were used to build the theater. 9)
Naval battles
The arena floor of the Colosseum was removed and the lower chambers would be filled with water so that sea battles would be held. 10)
Gladiators
Gladiators were mostly slaves or prisoners of war who were accepted as gladiators. They were trained in military gladiator schools and had a higher standard of living than regular slaves. 11)
Thumb signal
To this day, it is unclear whether Caesar's thumbs down means death or salvation for the gladiator. 12)
Nero's sculpture
The name in use today is most likely derived from the statue of Nero's Colossus, a huge sculpture erected at the behest of Nero that stood near the site where the Colosseum was built. 13)
Orders
The Colosseum consists of four stories, and each story was built in a different order. The first story was built in Doric order, the second in the Ionic order, the third in Corinthian order, and the fourth is decorated with Corinthian pilasters. 14)
Social order
There was a clear division of social status in the tribunes - the lowest rows were occupied by senators, the highest by women, slaves, and the poor. 15)