The Architecture of the Colosseum

The Colosseum is one of the most well-known structures in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was built almost two thousand years ago to host games for gladiators. The Colosseum provided for entertainment for the Romans, a form of punishment for those who did not obey the laws, and a place of great architectural beauty.

The Architecture of the Colosseum is very grand, with the capacity to hold up to 80,000 people. The Colosseum is over 160 feet tall, it “has a length of 620 feet and was close to 513 feet wide” (“Colosseum Architecture.”). Because the Colosseum was so big, it would have been very difficult to get so many people in and out of it had it not been for the various arches and stairs built within it. In total there are about 80 arches that each led to various stairways. These stairways then led to all the different levels of the Colosseum, which in turn made it a lot easier and more comfortable for a lot of people to exit it in a short amount of time. The Colosseum also had many arches of which four were “reserved exclusively for royalty and nobles” and the others were for the rest of the people (“Colosseum Architecture.”). Unlike other amphitheaters which had a circular shape, the Colosseum had the unique shape of an oval, which helped the people watching have a better view of the arena. This added to the overall different feel that the Colosseum had.

When first designed the Colosseum did not have any floor, though a wooden floor was added at a later time. The floor was later rebuilt, it was of a similar design as the first floor but instead of wooden poles for support, stone pillars were used. Then, to simulate the ground sand was added. This sand was sometimes even dyed red to “disguise blood” (Hopkins). The arena was also at times decorated very elaborately for ritual murders, which sometimes varied with different tales. The floor was considered “a technical wonder” because although it gave the impression that it was a real floor, under it there was a maze of corridors and rooms, in which performers would get ready for their acts (“Colosseum Architecture”.). Animals were also kept underground and were later lifted into the arena. This was done with the use of elevators run by slaves. The arena floor had many trap doors from which the animals and performers appeared.