Brendan Haggerty

The Roman Colosseum

The Colosseum is one of the greatest works of ancient architecture. The building is

a true testament showing the advancement of Roman architecture. Another thing the

Colosseum was at the time was a large culture center for many to come and experience

the games. The Colosseum brought people from all over Europe and even from different

countries. Bringing in this many people showed just another reason that the Colosseum

was not only great because it was a ar masterpiece but because it was a cultural center for

thousands. All of this put the Colosseum at the center for Roman entertainment and fun.

The colosseum was constructed to show Rome’s power, also for political, economic, and

cultural reasons. The Colosseum was a true great piece of art that displayed Roman

architecture and technology. The Colosseum was also a testament to what Roman society

was like, which made it so truly great.

The Colosseum is one of the most widely recognized pieces of Roman architecture

which started construction under the rule of Vespasian. Vespasian’s son, Titus, who was

his successor, finished the construction of the Colosseum. Titus finished the building to
give homage to his beloved father, he did give homage to his father by creating the

largest amphitheater of Roman time. It is so crucial to recognize why the Colosseum was

built, it was built under the rule of emperors who were attempting to show great political

power. These emperors also built the Colosseum to show the greatness of Rome, and to

make the people of Rome happy. Keeping Roman citizens entertained was a major part of

an emperor’s duty, thus creating many amphitheaters and the Colosseum itself. Within

these buildings gladiatorial fights, persecutions, and even naval battles took place. These

buildings for Roman entertainment would give the emperor a foot in the door with the

Roman citizen happiness. The Roman emperors would be seen in different lights if they

attended the Roman gladiatorial games. It was the Roman emperor who chose whether a

Roman gladiator should live or die based off of their performance, this gave public eyes

to the emperor. The emperor would typically chose based off of what the citizens wanted

to do, supporting the citizens. Roman emperors would do this to improve their image

from the eyes of the public. The Colosseum was constructed under two rulers during the

Flavian dynasty, the Colosseum became a symbol for their power. The construction of

the Colosseum is very crucial because it was made to gain respect from the Roman

peoples. Titus, who finished the construction of the Colosseum did so mainly because he
wanted to promote himself, in means through the Colosseum. That is why Titus is one of

the most rememberable Roman emperors.

The makeup of the Colosseum is what makes it so truly interesting. The main idea

of building the Colosseum was to make it different from other Roman buildings, and it

truly was. An oval was the shape of the Colosseum. The oval arena was put directly into

the center of the Colosseum. The rest of the building was created with many arches, the

building had three floors to it. Under each level of Arches were deities, to pay homage to

the Gods. The statues were probably there for a more artistic reason than a truly religious

reason. That is a most basic description of the makeup of the Colosseum.

To conclude, it is sure to say that the construction of the Colosseum showed the

achievements of Roman architecture and culture. The Colosseum was the greatest

constructed building under Roman architecture that still stands today. Despite it being

broken many times, it still fosters imagination. The Colosseum was one of the most

important roman places, in which it could entertain, through watching gladiatorial fights,

naval battles and many other events. The colosseum shows us the technological

advancements of the Roman empire. It shows us the superiority of the Roman empire.

Overall, the Colosseum played an important role politically and culturally.