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Rome, Italy Hints and Tips |
The coliseum was commissioned by the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in the reign of Domitian between 81 AD and 96 AD. It was used for gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights which were staged free of charge by the emperor and wealthy citizens for public viewing as a way of demonstrating their wealth and power. It was built with 80 arched entrances and internal corridors allowing the 55,000 strong crowd to move freely and to be seated within ten minutes of arriving at the Colosseum. In 404 A.D. gladiatorial combats were banned and in 523 A.D. wild animal fights were banned. With the end of the Roman Empire, it fell into disuse, much of the decoration outside the coliseum including the travertine blocks were taken away and recycled by the popes. In 1893-6 the structure below the area was revealed to show the network of underground rooms and corridors where the animals were kept. Nearby lies the Arch of Constantine which is in excellent condition but is dwarfed by the Coliseum.
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