The Roman Colosseum exists today as a monumental relic of an Empire.
Time has worn away at its 2,000 year-old concrete walls and seats leaving behind a daunting shadow of what it once was. A large earthquake hit Rome in 1231 causing a large section of the amphitheater to collapse. The 1500's brought further ruin when Pope Alexander VI allowed it to be used as a quarry for new buildings. It wasn't until 1744 that Pope Benedict XIV resolved to protect the Colosseum from further damage. Today 17.6 million dollars has been donated for the cleaning and excavation the Colosseum. .
The structure itself was ingeniously constructed with state of the art materials and tools of the time. Construction began in roughly 72BC. An army of people labored day and night on the project and after 9 exhausting years, the Colosseum was complete. In its peak, it had encompassed over 3.5 million cubic feet of stone and rose over 156 feet high. The arena floor measured 287 feet by 180 feet while the overall structure was a sizeable 620 feet long by 513 feet wide. Because the seating sections are no longer present, historians do not know the exact capacity of the building, but most estimate it to have been between 50,000 and 80,000. .
The popularity of the Colosseum was renowned. People of all classes were invited without charge to witness the Gladiatorial games, wild animal hunts and other shows. The marbleized cavea, or seating sections, were divided up into five zones each designated for a certain social class. The Podium was the name given to the terrace closest to the arena floor. This was reserved for the high ranking and sacred people such as high priests and priestesses. The North side of this region sat the royal box reserved for the Emperor and his family; the South side box was reserved for the Hutchins 3.
Perfect of the city and his guests. Above this was a tier for senators and other distinguished citizens.
