Architecture

( Martin, James. "Interior of the Colosseum showing the hypogeum". About.com. December 3, 2008 . ) The Colosseum is arguably the best architecture, not only Rome but the architecture from ancient days. Built to afford an entertainment such as fighting between gladiators, Colosseum was a symbol of the greatness of Roman Empire. The size is humongous compare to other ancient architectures built in the same era. However it is amazing by the fact that it still exists and not demolished by natural causes or war. The construction of Colosseum started in 70 AD and the constructing was finished in 82 AD. It has been standing for past 1926 years. ·  The construction of Colosseum o  Projected by emperor Vespasian o  His son Titus took over Vespasian as an emperor and finished the construction 8 years later o  Vespasian wanted to shore up his shaky regime by building an pleasure palace for the people(Hopkins, Keith. “The Colosseum: Emblem of Rome.” BBC.com. 25 sep. 2003 .) o  How it built §  It is a huge and massive amphitheatre §   The base ·   Eighty massive piers support the outer wall, which is connected to the inner piers and walls by concrete vaults ( Stevenson, Neil. __Architecture: The world’s greatest buildings explored and explained.__ DK Publishing: New York, 1997 ) §   Could carry around 50,000 specters §    It covers an area of 7.5 acres, circumference of 527 meters (1,730 feet) and height of 50 meters (187 feet) ( Caggia, Sergio. “The Colosseum.” Nerone the Insider’s Guide to Rome. < http://www.nerone.cc/nerone/archivio/arch68.htm >. ) §  The main pedestals were built of marble blocks weighing 5 metric tons (11,000 pounds.) Initially the huge marble blocks were held together by metal-pins ("Roman Colosseum". UNRV History. December 4, 2008 .) §  For inclement or very hot weather conditions, an enormous, colored awning (velahrium) could be stretched overhead to protect the crowd ("Roman Colosseum". UNRV History. December 4, 2008 .) §  There were many entrances for people and some extras for the emperor and the nobility ·  Functions o  Can bring the water inside the colosseum for the naval battle o  A large curtain on top of the colosseum to block the bright sunlight ·  Games o  Gladiators o  Animal Vs Humans o  Demo of Naval fighting scene ·  Purpose o  Popularity of emperor often depended on the quality of the gladiator games o   it was a right of the citizens to join banquets offered by the rich and famous( "The Colosseum.net: The resourceful site on the Colosseum". The Colosseum.net. December 3, 2008 . ) o   Emperor and nobility tried to get the social consensus out of the game that they opened( "The Colosseum.net: The resourceful site on the Colosseum". The Colosseum.net. December 3, 2008 . ) ("COLOSSEUM". tripatlas.com. December 2, 2008 .)