The Coliseum

Address	Piazza del Colloseo, Via dei Fori Imperiali
Admissions	:8 - 10 Euro
Hours	November to February, 9 am to 4:30 pm; March, 9 am to 5:30 pm; March 28 to August, 9 am to 7 pm; September, 9am to 7 pm; October, 9 am to 6 pm
Phone	06-39967700

A magnificent structure, even in ruins, the Coliseum is exemplary of ancient Roman ingenuity. Although it was built almost 2000 years ago, the Coliseum boasts several more modern concepts. During its prime, the Coliseum was equipped with a sort of cooling system, fashioned from carefully maneuvered canopy sheets. The pluming still exists today, and was used in ancient times for lavatories and theatrical purposes. When staging a naval scene, the Coliseum’s directors would remove the wooden floorboards and flood the basement area to float ships. The exits were numbered for organizational purposes and connected to stadium seating through tunnels that allowed for a quick and safe evacuation, should any disaster occur. As safety conscious as this may seem, the Coliseum’s beginnings were not particularly humane. Within the first few days of it’s opening, thousands of animals and several humans were sacrificed as a form of entertainment. Gladiator battles were usually fought to the death, and often times, wild animals would rise from trap doors in the floor and join in the fight.

When you tour the Coliseum today, picturing its reign during the Roman Empire takes some imagination. The marble that once covered the Coliseum has been stripped and used for other projects, and most of the Coliseum itself has been torn down. The huge structure had four columns stacked one on top of the other in a complete circle. Now, only a small section of the Coliseum boasts its original four stories. The wood floor is also gone, showing the deteriorating labyrinth of hallways that created the basement space. Despite its current bareness, the Coliseum, called the Flavian Amphitheater in ancient times, is still awe inspiring due to its huge size.