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10 Mind Blowing Facts About The Colosseum

Asia London Palomba | PUBLISHED: May 10, 2023

Asia London Palomba
May 9, 2023

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The Colosseum is one of the most visited sites in the world, renowned through its nearly 2,000-year-old history for being home to scores of bloody gladiator and exotic animal games as well as executions of war prisoners and criminals. The ancient structure has been remarkably preserved over the millenia and is now a symbol of Italian history and culture. 

Below are 10 incredible facts about the Colosseum you might not know:

  • The Colosseum’s construction began in 72 AD under Emperor Vespasian, who died before it was completed. Its construction was finished under his two sons, Emperors Titus and Domitian.
  • While most popularly known as the Colosseum, the structure is also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, as it was built during the Flavian dynasty of emperors.
  • Emperor Vespasian waged war on Judea to fund the Colosseum’s construction. It is estimated that between 60,000 and 100,000 Jewish slaves were brought to Rome to construct the amphitheater.
  • The Colosseum is made of three levels, and each level has 80 arches. Most of these arches were numbered so that citizens could know where to find their seats.
  • The Colosseum's structure was covered in marble and had a retractable awning that could open and close to protect spectators from the elements.
  • The Colosseum could seat between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators.
  • Entrance into the Colosseum was free for all, but seating was based on class ranking.
  • Many wild animals were used in games, some in staged hunts in which armed humans killed them, and others used to kill those who were condemned to die in the arena. Wild and exotic animals like lions, tigers, wolves, bears, leopards, wild boars, hyenas, giraffes, and crocodiles were taken from around the empire and brought to participate in games.
  • There is historical evidence that the Colosseum was flooded to reenact theatrical naval battles in which Rome was victorious.
  • Throughout its history, the Colosseum has been used as an area, cemetery, fortified castle, and place of Christian worship.

Asia London Palomba

Asia London Palomba is a trilingual freelance journalist from Rome, Italy. In the past, her work on culture, travel, and history has been published in The Boston Globe, Atlas Obscura, The Christian Science Monitor, and Grub Street, New York Magazine's food section. In her free time, Asia enjoys traveling home to Italy to spend time with family and friends, drinking Hugo Spritzes, and making her nonna's homemade cavatelli.

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Asia London Palomba

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