A Stage for Brutality
80 AD
80 80
12.28E41.54N
ARC

ROME, ITALY
	Rome rumbled with the discontent of the unemployed, who sometimes numbered up to 150,000. These people were interested in only two things, some Roman commentators complained, bread and circuses.
	And that was the purpose of the large amphitheater called the Colosseum. To divert the people from rebellion, the Imperial Roman government staged brutal spectacles in the Colosseum, in which up to 50,000 people watched gladiators fight each other and wild beasts.
	The Roman historian Seutonius said these spectacles drew so many people that they sometimes had to camp in tents along the roads. The number of people was so great, he said, that people were often crushed to death.
	The Colosseum was begun by the Emperor Vespasian and was inaugurated by Emperor Titus in 80 AD. The stadium, which took 10 years to build, was originally constructed of wood, but was rebuilt in stone. It had four levels of seats, stairways, ramps, and elevators to bring up animals, gladiators and scenery from the vaulted enclosures below.
	The elliptical stadium 160 feet tall, 620 feet long and 513 feet wide, with many entrances and exits. The arena was 281 long by 177 wide. Many modern amphitheaters follow its design.
	Part of the Colosseum fell during earthquakes in Middle Ages, and the ruins were used for other purposes.
	The Colosseum shows the extensive use to which the Romans put the arch. While the principle of the arch was known to the Egyptians, Assyrians and Etruscans, the Romans used it not only for bridges and gateways, but also for building construction, including vaulted and domed ceilings.
	The main advantage of the arch is that it permitted a wider ceilings, so buildings did not need as many vertical columns to support the ceiling.
	The Romans combined this discovery with another -- concrete. They mixed sand, small stones and a cement made of volcanic earth and lime to build strong walls inexpensively.
