It was originally constructed of wood, and later of stone, and was used by the Romans for gladiatorial combats, fights of wild beasts, and other spectacles. The exhibition area was encircled by seats. The first amphitheater was constructed in 59 BC by the Roman Maximus Gaius Scribonius Curio. The first partial stone amphitheater was built in 30 BC by Augustus, before he became first emperor of Rome. This amphitheater remained the only one in Rome not entirely of wood until the erection of the Colosseum by the Roman emperor Vespasian, whose son and successor, Titus, dedicated the edifice in AD 80. The upper part of the Colosseum itself, however, was originally of wood; it was replaced by stone after 223. The example of Rome was followed by all the cities of any importance throughout the Roman Empire. The Colosseum at Rome seated 87,000 persons.Modern scholars, however, believe that only about 50,000 persons could be seated. The colosseums of Pozzuoli, Capua, Verona, and Tarragona in Italy are about the same size.
The Colosseum remains one of Rome's most impressive sites. From the inside, pictured here, visitors can still imagine the roar of 50,000 spectators witnessing a host of bloody sports events. Beneath the floor of the Colosseum, now gone, were numerous cells which held wild animals, gladiators, convicted criminals, and Christians.
Inside the Colosseum, pairs of gladiators regularly fought each other for public amusement. There were formal rules and there was, as in hockey or baseball games today, even musical accompaniment from organs. The Thracian, armed with a curved sword, was conventionally set against a Samnite, who had a crested helmet and was protected by a long shield. In other competitions, the retiarius, a fighter whose principal weapon was a net, was arrayed against a secutor armed with a short sword and small rectangular shield. Since the retiarius fought bare-headed while their opponents' heads were protected by helmets with face masks, the Emperor Claudius (AD 41-54) would invariably order their deaths pollice verso (thumbs down). This was because the Emperor took delight in watching and observing the fighters' facial contortions.
THE WAR GAMES
Around lunchtime there would be a break, and people would eat their lunches. Some people brought picnics with them bread and cheese and vegetables mostly. Other people bought food from the vendors who were walking around the stadium selling wine and water and stuffed pastries. While people were eating lunch, in their seats, there would be a half-time show that sometimes had singers or dancers or a little play, or sometimes had criminals being killed. Sometimes the criminals were just brought out and had their heads cut off or were stabbed, but other times they were tied to posts and the bears came and attacked them, or they were pushed off a high tower, or something creative like that. Because the gods loved to see justice done, they also liked to see criminals being killed.
After lunch sometimes there was another show, where men fought men. In big cities, these fights were to the death. In smaller towns, probably the men usually just fought until someone was hurt, though sometimes men did get killed. The men who were fighting were often, though not always, slaves.
