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Definition: Colosseum from Philip's Encyclopedia

Ampitheatre in Rome, built ad 72-81 by the Emperor Vespasian. One of the most awe-inspiring examples of ancient Roman architecture, it measures 189 x 156m (620 x 513ft) by 45.7m (150ft) high, and seated c.50,000 people. Citizens of Rome came here to watch gladiatorial contests and, according to tradition, the martyrdom of Christians.

Colosseum

From The Classical Tradition
The largest and best-preserved amphitheater of imperial Rome, begun by Vespasian and dedicated in 80 ce by his son Titus. From the moment of its inauguration, the Colosseum became the symbol of Roman architectural achievement. Over the centuries its stubborn resistance to wear and tear has made it the icon of the Eternal City. Pomponio Leto acknowledged the authoritative status of the Colosseum in a lecture published in 1510, in which he echoed Suetonius by describing it as being in the middle of the city, in media Urbe amphitheatrum , even though the Colosseum then stood on the fringes of the papal capital. Nevertheless, as Pomponio recognized, despite the uncertainties of time and fortune, the Colosseum continues to represent the symbolic heart of Rome. Originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, the Colosseum acquired its now universally familiar name in the Middle Ages, perhaps as an invented term inspired by an adjacent colossal statue built by Nero. Gladiatorial combat there…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From Architectural Excellence: 500 Iconic Buildings Full text Article Ancient World to 500 CE
Colosseum
Architect: Unknown Completed: 80 CE Location: Piazza del Colosseo, Rome, Italy Style/Period: Roman The 70,000-seat Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, is the largest Roman amphitheater ever built. It is elliptical in shape, and its longest axis measures 617 feet (188 m) and its…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From Key Buildings from Prehistory to the Present Full text Article Culture-defining monuments
Rome was the capital of a great empire, which annexed Greece in 146 BCE and adapted Greek architecture. The empire spread across Europe, northern Africa and western Asia – all the lands bordering the Mediterranean and much more besides. By the time the Colosseum was built, Rome was by far the…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From The Classical Tradition
The largest and best-preserved amphitheater of imperial Rome, begun by Vespasian and dedicated in 80 ce by his son Titus. From the moment of its inauguration, the Colosseum became the symbol of Roman architectural achievement. Over the centuries its stubborn resistance to wear and tear has made it…
| 714 words
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Full text Article Colosseum

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, erected c. ad 70–82 under the emperors Vespasian and Titus . The name Colosseum was applied some time after the 8th century because of its immense size and capacity, holding some 50,000 people. Unlike earlier amphitheaters, which were nearly all dug into hillsides for…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From Encyclopedia of Ancient Rome
The Flavian Amphitheater, or Colosseum,...
The greatest structure erected during the age of the Flavian emperors (69–96 C.E.) and arguably the finest architectural achievement in the history of the Roman Empire. The Colosseum was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater, but it became known as the Colosseum after a colossal statue of Nero…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
or Coliseum (both: kŏlӘsē'Әm), Ital. Colosseo , common name of the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome, near the southeast end of the Forum, between the Palatine and Esquiline hills. Begun by Vespasian, c. A.D. 75, and completed by his son Titus in A.D. 80, it is the most imposing of Roman antiquities. The…
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Full text Article COLOSSEUM (COLISEUM), Flavian amphitheater

From Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity
This building, a Roman archaeological invention (See Cozzo 197-253; Futrell 121-161), was a symbol from its conception, part of the political plan to exalt the Flavian dynasty. At the same time it restored a public space used by * Nero for private ends, the construction of the Domus Aurea, the…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization
the medieval name of the Amphitheatrum Flavium, near the colossus of *Nero on the site of the lake of Nero's palace, the Domus Aurea (Golden House). Begun by *Vespasian , it was continued by *Titus , and dedicated in June ad 80. *Domitian was probably responsible only for the complex substructures…
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The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, (oil on canvas)
Artist: Canaletto, (Giovanni Antonio Canal) (1697-1768) Location: Private Collection Credit: The Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, (oil on canvas), Canaletto, (Giovanni Antonio Canal) (1697-1768) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie's Images / The Bridgeman Art Library Dimensions: 61x98…
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Full text Article Colosseum

From The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
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