The Roman Colosseum was an amphitheater of very impressive architecture between the Esquiline and Caelians Hills of Rome. The ruins that can be seen today represent the architectural genius of Romans. It is a symbol of cruelty. Humans and animals were mercilessly killed, just for the entertainment of the Emperor.
The Colosseum was built on the site of a lake in Emperor Nero's famous landscaped gardens of his Golden House, the Domus Aurea. The size and design is the architectural work of a great man. It was oval in shape. 617 feet long and 512 feet wide and 1629 in circumference.
The exterior wall was 187 metres high and was made of travertine stone. Only a part of this wall is visible today. There were four storeys, each of the lower three had 80 arches. The top storey wall supported great masts with huge canvases attached to them. The central arena itself, an oval measuring 289 feet by 180 feet, was covered in sand to soak up blood. Under it were changing rooms and animal pens. Colosseum can hold upto 50000 people and 45000 could be seated and 5000 standing. In the middle of the long curve on the north side was a raised platform for Emperor's box.
Colosseum represents a great work of architecture. But it will always remind the world of the cruelty of the Roman Emperors and it is a shame on the work they did for their own entertainment.
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