COLOSSEUM

 

కొలోస్సియం మొదట ఫ్లావియన్ అంపీథియేటర్ గా గుర్తింపబడింది, ఇది రోమ్‌ నగరంలో
ఒక పెద్ద ప్రేక్షకాగారం. కొలోస్సియం నిర్మాణం దాదాపు క్రీ.శ 70-72 లో
ప్రారంభించబడింది, క్రీ.శ 80 లో పూర్తయ్యింది. చక్రవర్తి వెస్పాసియన్ ఈ పనులు
ప్రారంభించాడు,, చక్రవర్తి టైటస్ వాటిని పూర్తిచేశాడు. చక్రవర్తి డొమిటియన్
క్రీ.శ 81-96 మధ్య భవనానికి కొన్ని మార్పులు చేశాడు. ఇది 50, 000 మంది
కూర్చొగలిగినది.ఇది 156 మీటర్ల వెడల్పు, 189 మీటర్ల పొడవు, 57 మీటర్ల ఎత్తు
ఉంటుంది. ఇది రోమన్ సామ్రాజ్యం చే నిర్మించబడిన అతిపెద్ద ప్రేక్షకాగారం.

కొలోస్సియం Oval, 188 మీటర్లు, 156 మీటర్ల చిన్న అక్షం  దీర్ఘ అక్షం;
సెంట్రల్ ప్రాంతం 86:58 ఉంది. 57 మీటర్ల ఎత్తు 527 మీటర్లు, మరియు చుట్టుకొలత
5-7 మిలియన్ల వీక్షకులు సదుపాయాన్ని, 2.6 హెక్టార్ల విస్తీర్ణం
కలిగివుంది.

Colosseum, also called Flavian Amphitheatre, giant amphitheatre built in
Rome under the Flavian emperors. Construction of the Colosseum was begun
sometime between 70 and 72 CE during the reign of Vespasian. It is located
just east of the Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what was Nero’s Golden
House. The artificial lake that was the centrepiece of that palace complex
was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much
symbolic as it was practical. Vespasian, whose path to the throne had
relatively humble beginnings, chose to replace the tyrannical emperor’s
private lake with a public amphitheatre that could host tens of thousands of
Romans.
Flash...   The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The structure was officially dedicated in 80 CE by Titus in a ceremony
that included 100 days of games. Later, in 82 CE, Domitian completed the
work by adding the uppermost story. Unlike earlier amphitheatres, which
were nearly all dug into convenient hillsides for extra support, the
Colosseum is a freestanding structure of stone and concrete, using a
complex system of barrel vaults and groin vaults and measuring 620 by 513
feet (189 by 156 metres) overall. Three of the arena’s stories are
encircled by arcades framed on the exterior by engaged columns in the
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders; the structure’s rising arrangement of
columns became the basis of the Renaissance codification known as the
assemblage of orders. The main structural framework and facade are
travertine, the secondary walls are volcanic tufa, and the inner bowl and
the arcade vaults are concrete.

The amphitheatre seated some 50,000 spectators, who were shielded from the
sun by a massive retractable velarium (awning). Supporting masts extended
from corbels built into the Colosseum’s top, or attic, story, and hundreds
of Roman sailors were required to manipulate the rigging that extended and
retracted the velarium. The Colosseum was the scene of thousands of
hand-to-hand combats between gladiators, of contests between men and
animals, and of many larger combats, including mock naval engagements.
However, it is uncertain whether the arena was the site of the martyrdom of
early Christians.

In medieval times, the Colosseum was used as a church, then as a fortress
by two prominent Roman families, the Frangipane and the Annibaldi. The
Colosseum was damaged by lightning and earthquakes and, even more severely,
by vandalism and pollution. All the marble seats and decorative materials
disappeared, as the site was treated as little more than a quarry for more
than 1,000 years. Preservation of the Colosseum began in earnest in the 19th
century, with notable efforts led by Pius VIII, and a restoration project
was undertaken in the 1990s. It has long been one of Rome’s major tourist
attractions, receiving close to seven million visitors annually. Changing
exhibitions relating to the culture of ancient Rome are regularly
mounted.