Interesting facts about the Colosseum

Interesting facts about the Colosseum will help you to better know the history and purpose of this structure. Every year millions of tourists from all over the world come to see it. It is located in Rome, being one of the main attractions of the city.

So, here are the most interesting facts about the Colosseum.

1. The Colosseum is an amphitheater, a monument of ancient Roman architecture and one of the most grandiose structures of antiquity that have survived to this day.
2. Construction of the Colosseum began in 72 AD. by order of the emperor Vespasian, and after 8 years, under the emperor Titus (the son of Vespasian), it was completed.
3. Did you know that there were no latrines in the Colosseum?
4. The structure is striking in its dimensions: the length of the outer ellipse is 524 m, the size of the arena itself is 85.75 x 53.62 m, the height of the walls is 48-50 m.The Colosseum is built of monolithic concrete, while other buildings of that time were built of bricks and stone blocks.
5. Curiously, the Colosseum was built on the site of a former lake.
6. Being the largest amphitheater of the ancient world, the Colosseum could accommodate over 50,000 people!
7. The Colosseum is the most visited attraction in Rome - 6 million tourists a year.
8. As you know, battles between gladiators took place in the Colosseum, but few people know the fact that battles between animals also took place here. Lions, crocodiles, hippos, elephants, bears and other animals were released into the arena, which entered into battle with each other.
9. An interesting fact is that according to historians, about 400,000 people and over 1 million animals died in the arena of the Colosseum.
10. It turns out that naval battles also took place in the structure. To do this, the arena was flooded with water flowing through the aqueducts, after which staged battles of small ships were staged.
11. The architect of the Colosseum is Quintius Atherius, who, with the help of slave power, built it day and night.
12. At lunchtime, executions of criminals sentenced to death were carried out in the Colosseum. People were burned at bonfires, crucified, or given to be eaten by predators. The Romans and guests of the city watched all this as if nothing had happened.
13. Did you know that one of the first elevators appeared in the Colosseum? The arena was connected by elevator systems to underground rooms.
14. Thanks to such lifting mechanisms, the participants in the battles appeared on the arena as if from nowhere.
15. The Colosseum has been repeatedly damaged due to the frequent earthquakes characteristic of the region. For example, in 851, during an earthquake, 2 rows of arches were destroyed, after which the structure took on an asymmetrical appearance.
16. The location of the sites in the Colosseum reflected the hierarchy of Roman society.
17. An interesting fact is that the opening of the Colosseum was celebrated for 100 days!
18. From the strongest earthquake that occurred in the middle of the 14th century, the southern part of the Colosseum was seriously damaged. After that, people began to use his stones to build various buildings. Later, vandals began to deliberately break out blocks and other elements of the legendary arena.
19. The arena was covered with a 15-centimeter layer of sand, which was periodically tinted to hide numerous blood stains.
20. The Colosseum can be seen on a 5 cent Euro coin.
21. According to historians, around 200 A.D. not only men, but also women gladiators began to fight in the arena.
22. Did you know that the Colosseum was sharpened so that a crowd of 50,000 people could leave it in just 5 minutes?
23. Scientists estimate that the average Roman spent about a third of his life in the Colosseum.
24. It turns out that the Colosseum was forbidden to visit by gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.
25. In 2007, the Colosseum received the status of one of the 7 New Wonders of the World.

Watch the video: The Colosseum, Rome (November 2024).