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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Roma : The Colosseum

The greatest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire. Who doesn't know about the Colesseum. It is a world renoun icon of Rome. A must for all visitors to Rome.


Three tier of columns. Conrinthian, Ionic and Doric.

The Colesseum was constructed between the 70 to 72 AD by emperors of the Flavian Dynasty. It took two emperors and eight years to design and build it.

This place was more or less a war zone stadium. Shown only the best players and those who can't go on, will meet thier destiny. The light at the end of the road. The usual entertainment was combat between gladiators,  the killing of prisoners by animals, and even battle between ships.


The Colosseum could seat up to 55,000 people and they would be seated according to their social status. In those times, it was impossible to ever change your social status. The emperor and his family would sit on the lowest level, the upper classes on the next level up and the commoners and women at the very top levels
Admissions to the Colosseum was free but everyone must a ticket. It is because the arena has a seating chart for each of its spectators. Each ticket was marked with a seat number, a tier number and a sector number which indicated the correct entrance gate.

Public entrances were numbered providing easy access to the allocated seats, while entrances for the higher authorities did not have numbers.

The emperor could also access the Colosseum through a special tunnel which is connected to the Imperial Palace.
 I warn you, no climbing.



The best seats in the Colosseum are on the Podium. They were reserved for the most elite Romans which includes the emperor and royal family, nobles, senators, important priests or visiting dignitaries. The Emperor had his own special seat in the Arena, named The Imperial box was raised above the podium.

The Arena floor is usually covered with sand, presumably to soak bloodshed and make it easier to clean away during and after battle.


The maze looking structured walls below the arena floor (half shown on the picture above) was used as holding cells for gladiators or animals.


Ok, you must be bored looking at pictures of buildings and sceneries.

So here's a family picture after a kind lady helped us took one because somebody doesn't know how to operate the camera.

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