The Colosseum

The Colosseum

The Rome audio-guided tour leads you in front of the Colosseum, the Colossus of Rome, the largest amphitheatre ever built by the Romans.

The Flavian amphitheatre

The Flavian amphitheatre owes its nickname of Colosseum not to its size, but to a colossal statue that adorned its entrance, representing first the emperor Nero, then the sun god. The term Colossus became Coliseum in the Middle Ages, then a common name to designate amphitheatres. The monument was built from the years 70 after Jesus Christ, at the request of the emperor Vespasian, and completed under the reign of his son Titus, around 80. Its construction, financed by the booty of military campaigns, was also a gesture of propaganda: Vespasian returned to the people a space that Nero had confiscated for his own use. Oval, nearly 190 metres long, the Colosseum could hold several tens of thousands of spectators come to attend the combats and the spectacles. It is today one of the most visited symbols of Rome.

What there is to see

The Colosseum impresses with its monumental oval architecture, its tiered arcades and its underground passages where the spectacles were prepared. An absolute symbol of Rome, it bears witness to the genius and the excess of the Empire. It is an essential stage, spectacular from the outside as well as inside the arena.

Practical information

The Colosseum is in the heart of ancient Rome, near the Roman Forum and the Palatine hill. The visit is generally subject to a charge, often in combined access with the Forum and the Palatine, according to hours to be checked on site; the crowds there are very large.

Why is the amphitheatre called Colosseum?

Because of a colossal statue that adorned its entrance; the term Colossus gave Coliseum in the Middle Ages.

Who had the Colosseum built?

The emperor Vespasian, from the years 70 after Jesus Christ; it was completed under his son Titus, around 80.