Roman Coliseum
Located in the center of Rome, just east of the Roman Forum stands one of the greatest architectural structures ever built by man. In 64 AD, under Emperor Nero, the Great Fire of Rome devastated the empire. Nero decided to take the land for himself and build the Domus Aurea along with a synthetic lake, gardens, and pavilions. A series of vast aqueducts was constructed there in order to supply water to the land. Afterwards, he placed a bronze statue of himself, Colossus of Nero. When Emperor Vespasian came into power, he preserved the Colossus, but he would turn the Domus Aurea was to be demolished and become the sight of the Flavian Amphitheatre. This new theatre was to be a triumphal monument, enjoying success. Vespasian, unlike Nero, wanted to give the land to the public to use, so the Amphitheatre was to be built in the middle of the city and no where else, displaying the importance the emperor stressed about the land being available to the public. Emperor Vespasian began the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, later to become known as the Roman Coliseum. The name of the architect of this vast structure is unknown. The Coliseum, built out of concrete and stone is the largest amphitheater ever built in the Roman Empire and considered one of the greatest compositions of Roman architecture and engineering. The story goes that a half a million Christians died violent deaths just to entertain the people of the Roman Empire. Over one million animals died in the Coliseum as well. The men fought the animals as well as each other, along with other various events in an ancient Roman tradition known today as the Coliseum Games. Today the Coliseum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world with an estimated 3.9 million visitors each year. The architectural layout of the Coliseum changed the way monuments and other buildings were designed and constructed as well as paved the way for modern architecture to be defined by the way the Romans designed
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