The Colosseum is the largest surviving amphitheatre from the Roman world.
The Colosseum, also called the Flavian Amphitheatre, stands in Rome and was built under the Flavian emperors. Construction began under Vespasian around AD 72 and was completed under Titus in AD 80. Domitian later made additional modifications to the complex.
The oval building could hold tens of thousands of spectators and hosted gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, public spectacles, and other events. Its carefully designed passageways and stairways helped large crowds enter and leave efficiently. A massive fabric awning, known as the velarium, could provide shade.
The Colosseum is sometimes confused with Circus Maximus, which was a much longer venue built primarily for chariot racing. The Pantheon is a temple with a famous dome, not an amphitheatre. Earthquakes, stone reuse, and centuries of change damaged the Colosseum, but its surviving structure remains one of Rome’s most recognizable monuments.