INTRODUCTION:

It’s an amphitheater from the time of the Roman Empire, built in the first century and located in the center of the city of Rome.

HISTORY:

The Construction of the Colosseum began under Emperor Vespasian, around A.D. 71. The inauguration took place in the year 80 under the reign of his son Titus. Finally, the emperor Domitian finished the construction in 82, adding a last floor.
In the colosseum took place: gladiator games, naval battles, fights with animals...

When the gladiator games fell into disuse, the building suffered four earthquakes. Despite losing the southern part almost completely during centuries of looting, it still dominates the landscape of modern Rome today.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STRUCTURE

- MATERIALS: blocks of travertine, wood, brick, stone, concrete, stucco, and marble.

- SHAPE: large, oval-shaped structure. Three floors, each one made up of 80 …semi-circular arches supported by columns.

- TYPE OF STRUCTURE: It’s a mass structure because it relies on its own weight.

- SPECIFIC FEATURES TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: There were frequent lightning strikes and earthquakes, but this was not considered during the construction of the famous amphitheater and that resulted with its partial destruction

CURIOSITIES:

- It's the most visited monument in Italy: It has over 7 million visitors per year

- In ancient times it became a pool: Naval battles took place in the Colosseum, which was used as a swimming pool thanks to the pipes connected to aqueducts and underground wells that filled the huge arena, in seven hours.

- Part of its walls have created other Roman buildings: Some of its marbles were used to construct many Roman structures, such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Palazzo Barberini.