The Colosseum in Rome was completed under Emperor Titus in AD 80. The enormous amphitheater, also called the Flavian Amphitheatre, was built in the valley between the Palatine, Esquiline, and Caelian hills. It could hold tens of thousands of spectators and hosted public spectacles such as animal hunts, executions, and gladiatorial contests.
Construction began under Emperor Vespasian around AD 72, after the civil wars of AD 69. The building was placed on the site of an artificial lake associated with Nero’s enormous palace complex, the Domus Aurea. Titus inaugurated the completed amphitheater with games lasting about 100 days. His successor, Domitian, added further features beneath the arena floor.
The Colosseum’s name comes from a colossal statue of Nero that once stood nearby. Its elliptical design used concrete, stone, brick, and a complex system of corridors and lifting devices. Earthquakes and stone removal damaged the structure during the Middle Ages, but major conservation work has preserved it. The monument became part of Rome’s UNESCO World Heritage property in 1980.