Nearly two thousand years after its opening games, the Colosseum still dominates the center of Rome — the largest amphitheater ever built and one of the most recognizable structures on Earth.
Here's what's actually true about it, from the flooded naval battles to why it's full of holes.
The Colosseum's real name is the Flavian Amphitheatre, after the dynasty of emperors who built it: begun under Vespasian around 70–72 AD and opened by his son Titus in 80 AD.
Its popular name likely comes from the 'Colossus' — a giant bronze statue of Nero that once stood nearby — not from the building's own size.
It is the largest amphitheater ever built: an ellipse roughly 189 by 156 meters (620 by 513 feet), rising about 50 meters (164 feet).
Estimates put its capacity at around 50,000 spectators, with some ancient sources claiming even more.
The inaugural games under Titus in 80 AD reportedly ran for 100 days, with thousands of animals killed in staged hunts.
Ancient sources describe the arena being flooded for staged naval battles (naumachiae) in its early years, before the underground complex was completed.
Beneath the wooden arena floor lay the hypogeum — a two-level maze of tunnels, animal cages, and elevator systems that could raise fighters and beasts through trapdoors.
A giant retractable awning called the velarium shaded spectators; it was operated by detachments of sailors from the Roman fleet.
Admission was free, with numbered entrance tickets (tesserae) and 80 entrance arches getting crowds in and out remarkably efficiently — seating was strictly arranged by social rank.
Gladiators were expensive investments who trained in professional schools; many bouts had rules and referees, and fights were not always to the death.
Gladiatorial combat faded in the 5th century AD, and the last recorded animal hunts in the Colosseum date to around 523 AD.
Major earthquakes — especially one in 1349 — collapsed the south outer wall, and for centuries the ruin served as a quarry: its travertine and bronze clamps were reused across Rome.
The distinctive holes covering the walls mark where metal clamps that once held the stone blocks together were pried out for scrap.
The Colosseum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (as part of Rome's historic centre) and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Today it is one of the most-visited monuments on Earth, drawing millions of visitors every year.
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