Emperor Titus inaugurated the Colosseum in Rome in AD 80.
Construction began under Titus’s father, Emperor Vespasian, around AD 72, on land previously occupied by part of Nero’s vast palace complex. Titus opened the amphitheater with games that reportedly lasted 100 days. His brother and successor, Domitian, later added further underground facilities and modifications.
The building was officially called the Flavian Amphitheatre, after the Flavian dynasty. It could hold tens of thousands of spectators and hosted gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, public spectacles, and other performances. Its elliptical design used concrete, stone, arches, and a complex system of passages to move crowds efficiently.
The popular name Colosseum probably developed from the colossal statue of Nero that once stood nearby, not from the building’s shape. Earthquakes, stone reuse, pollution, and centuries of neglect damaged the structure, but much of its outer framework survives. It remains a major symbol of ancient Rome and one of the best-known amphitheaters in the world.