User talk:Connor chew

millions of people per year visit Rome in hopes of witnessing just a glimpse into the past, a glimpse into the power and majesty that was the Roman Empire. A whole host of notable historical figures in Italy reigned from inside Rome"s walls, from Julius Caesar to Caligula, from Mark Antony to Constantine. It was the combination of Julius" plans and Augustus Caesar"s execution that were the critical steps towards cementing Rome"s place in history. Before corruption and inept rulers destroyed it, theirs was the height of the Roman Empire, which left the city strewn with some of the most important historical monuments in Italy. The Roman forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Palatine hill and Circus Maximus, the list goes on and on, spiraling into a cavalcade of so many historical sites in Italy that they have to be seen to be believed.

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD[1] under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus,[2] with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).[3] The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,[1][4][5] the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and its breakthrough achievements in earthquake engineering. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[6]