Tangeland: The Fugates are coming! Part 9

Although I had been to Rome twice before, this was my first visit to the Flavian Amphitheater, aka the Colosseum.

Rome's Colosseum was the biggest amphitheater built in Roman times and took about ten years to build, with its completion coming in 80 AD. It was begun by Vespasian and was finished during the reign of Titus. It was called the Flavian Amphitheater because both of these emperors were part of the Flavian Dynasty. It could hold about 50,000 spectators, which might not be too big compared to today's stadiums, but was incredible 2000 years ago. The name Colosseum supposedly came from a nearby colossal statue of Nero or Apollo.

Here we are entering the Colosseum. Once again there were people on the outside trying to convince us that we needed to buy their services as a tour guide. We declined. I think we did okay without them.
This trip was the first time that I ever encountered these poor art history prostitutes.

Happy Fugates, mesmerized by the "magic likeness-creating device".

It's sad how they let their stadiums fall apart. Actually, there were fires, earthquakes, and a number of restorations that affected it. Also, in the Middle Ages the amphitheater was used for shops, homes, a cemetery, and a religious order. Some of the building material was also taken and used for other projects over the years.

Breeding ground for mosquitoes.

It has been estimated that 500,000 people and over 1 million wild animals were killed during the games held here.

In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV declared that the Colosseum was a sacred site because Christians had been martyred there. He forbade its use as a quarry and set up the stations of the cross.

The Colosseum had a stage-like contraption set up when we were there. I don't know if it's always there or not. I read that they don't have any large events there because they can only accommodate a few hundred spectators in temporary seating.