1. The Colosseum By Jordan Browne 1

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3. The Colosseum Originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre It is the biggest amphitheatre in the Roman world. It covers 6 acres of land It was built for entertainment, especially bloodsport. 3

4. History It was designed by Vaspasian and Titus It began under the power of emperor Vaspasian ( 69 -79 B.C) It was completed under his son Titus ( 79 – 81 B.C) The structure took 8 years to build It is considered one of the best examples of Roman engineering in history. 4

5. Description It is 189m long, and 156m wide. It is 48m high It was oval in shape It had three storeys of arcades ( galleries) It had tunnels under the arena to keep animals for fighting and prisoners for executions. 5

6. Tunnels under the Colosseum 6

7. Arcades in the Colosseum 7

8. Construction It was built of bricks concrete and stone covering. It was built on an artificial lake, created by emperor Nero in a valley. It had a canvas roof that could be raised and lowered on ropes. 8

9. Inside the Colosseum 9

10. The Arena Comes from the latin word “harena” – sand The arena is 87m long, and 55m wide Modern estimates say it seated 50,000 people The arena floor was wooden and covered in sand Lifts from the tunnels under the arena brought animals up to be killed The arena could be flooded by a nearby aqueduct for mock naval battles 10

11. Arena Seating The seating was in tiers according to Roman society. At opposite ends of the arena were two boxes. One box was for the Emperor of Rome The other was for the Vestal virgins On either side of these were platforms for the Senators The tier above the Senators was for nobles and knights 11

12. Seating continued The top level was for ordinary citizens This level was divided into lower for the rich and upper for the poor. Men and women were seated apart Some groups of people were banned completely such as grave diggers, undertakers, actors and former Gladiators 12

13. Events held in the Colosseum The Romans enjoyed watching violent things Mock naval battles Gladiator fights Animal fights Executions Public speaking Fights were to the death 13

14. Facts......... The Colosseum has been standing for 1931 years The second biggest amphitheatre is called Capua The third is El Jam The Colosseum was used as an army barracks in the 6 th century It is now preserved as a historic monument 14

15. Q & A 15

16. The End 16