Colosseum

The Flavian Amphitheatre was constructed from 72AD to 80AD under firstly the Emperor Vespassian and then his son Titus. The Colosseum remains one of the iconic symbols of the Roman Empire to this day.

It's name derived from the family name of he Emperors, Flavius. The use of the word Colusseum is believed to have originated from the large colossus that was erected nearby by Nero circa 64-68AD in the grounds of his grand Domus Aurea palatial estate.

Nero's biographers generally don't paint a pretty picture, he was after all the man who "fiddled while Rome burned", an act for which there is little evidence, and so we are lead to believe that following his death, successive Emperor's attempted to remove his stamp from the city, the most obvious of which was the Golden Palace. The site used to construct the amphitheatre was that of the artificial lake in the grounds of Nero's palace.

With a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. It is believed that on occasion, the floor of the amphitheatre was flooded to stage mock sea battles. Wild animal were transported from across the Empire to Rome so that her people could witness hunts within its walls.