Colosseum

Contenu masquer

1 Description and history

2 Gladiator fights and games

3 Arch of Constantine

4 Information, access and timetable

5 Guided tours and skip-the-line entry

6 Selection of accommodation near the Colosseum

7 Photo gallery

8 Address and map

En italian : Colosseo

The Colosseum has become the emblematic monument of Rome, the largest amphitheatre in the Roman world. It is an extraordinary building that always fascinates even on return. Its charm is rediscovered at various times of the day and in all seasons, under the animation and the sun of a summer day, until the silence of foggy winter evenings.

Description and history

Originally named Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum of Rome was built from the year 72 AD after the will of the emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son Titus in the year 80 AD, and later completed by Domitian.

Colosseum by night

Located near the eastern access of the Roman Forum, the access for 55,000 spectators was facilitated by its 80 vaulted entrances.
It’s shape is elliptical, measuring 188 meters in length and 156 in width.
Reaching 48 metres high, the travertine exterior façade is formed by three superimposed colonnades, each with eighty travertine arches. These are separated from the Dorico-Tuscan style semi-columns at the bottom, Ionic above, and Corinthian at the second. It is dominated by a composite attic, within the holes of which were used to fix the posts that supported the large curtain, the velum, which protected from the sun and rain. Around this fourth level were raised above 240 masts. At the time 40 bronze shields adorned the attic, symbolizing the shields of enemies defeated by the Roman armies.
The central arena of oval shape was 86 meters long and surrounded by a wall of 4.5 meters high.

From the Middle Ages and for centuries, it has been a career of materials. Its stones were used in particular for the construction of the Saint Peter’s Basilica. The many holes visible on the facade date back mainly to the Middle Ages, when the metal plates that bound the stone blocks were recovered.

Gladiator fights and games

Colosseum was an economic project and also a way for the imperial family to gain popularity. There were gladiator and animal fights to entertain the Roman people. During the inaugural games of the year 80, more than 5000 animals and more than 2000 gladiators perished.
Gladiators were mostly slaves, prisoners of war or convicted criminals, and mostly men.

All the Roman social classes, rich and poor, gathered here to attend the shows, and the emperor was often present. A day of games was traditionally considered successful if at the end the sand of the arena was soaked enough with blood to be covered with a new layer of sand.

Arch of Constantine

Outside the Colosseum stands the Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), built in the year 315 AD on the Via Triumphalis to commemorate the victory of Emperor Constantine over Maxentius at the Milvius Bridge.
It is the highest arch in the city with 21 meters high. It is characterized by the many carved reliefs from older Roman monuments. This practice became more and more widespread from the 4th century AD, perhaps to build faster or due to a lack of qualified sculptors in Rome, or probably for these two reasons.

Information, access and timetable

Colosseum (Colosseo in Italian)
Piazza del Colosseo, metro station B
Ticketing website, information site, official site of the archaeological park

Open every day, except December 25 and January 1, from 9 until 16:30 in winter, until 18:30 in summer. The ticket office closes one hour before the site closes.
Ticket includes entrance to: Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine. It is valid only for the day booked. Warning: only one entry is allowed on each site (you cannot re-enter after leaving).
Full rate 16 € (+2 € booking), reduced rate 2 € for residents of the European Union between 18 and 24 years (+2 € booking); 2 € booking for holders of an adapted Roma Pass; Free for residents of the European Union and others under 18 years as well as other cases.