Roman Ruins

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, was built as a gift to the Roman people by Vespasian, who replaced Emperor Nero. Nero’s terrible leadership left his subjects unhappy; Vespasian wanted to open the amphitheater to help raise their spirits.

People flocked to the Colosseum to see free entertainment, including the gladiator fights (the most popular event), animal hunts, battle re-enactments, and animal fights.

Historical accounts confirm that the Colosseum could even be flooded with water so ships could reenact sea battles.

Some parts fell victim to lightning strikes and earthquakes. Others have been destroyed through neglect and vandalism.

If you wander through the interior of the Colosseum, you will see that some areas have been restored and look like they did in ancient Roman times.

To the Colosseum’s left, you see the Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine), built in 315 A.D. to celebrate Constantine’s victory over Maxentius. 

Rome’s largest arch bears many styles of carved reliefs, which were reused from older structures.

Also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, the Colosseum was the largest amphitheater of its time. Built in 80 A.D., the concrete structure could hold up to 80,000 spectators at one time, and features 2 levels of repeated arches.

Since its heyday, natural and man-made events, including lightning strikes, earthquakes and vandalism, have destroyed parts of the Colosseum. Walk around the exterior and you’ll see that some parts have been rebuilt to look as they did in ancient times.

If you attended a Colosseum event in ancient times, you would have been handed a piece of broken pottery with a number indicating where to find your seat, instead of a paper ticket. 

Crowds of up to 80,000 people entered and exited quickly and safely, within a matter of minutes.

The building had 80 entrances, plus a series of well-designed corridors and stairways.

At the center of the arena was a large expanse with a wooden floor covered with sand. Beneath it were underground tunnels and cells, called the hypogeum.

 Today, the flooring is gone, but the brick walls of the hypogeum remain.

The Pantheon was built as a place to worship every god—and the ancient Romans had plenty of gods. Ironically, the Pantheon was converted into a Christian church in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV. 

Around 1870, the building was made into a memorial for several Italian kings and artists.

The fountain in the Piazza della Rotonda, by the Pantheon’s entrance, was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII in 1575. Almost 200 years later, Pope Clement XI had the fountain redesigned, adding the carved dolphins and the obelisk of Ramses II.

Above the Pantheon’s Corinthian-style columns you’ll see a Latin inscription that translates to, “It was built by Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time.” While Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon, he wanted to credit the original builder.

Not far from the Colosseum are the remains of Trajan’s Market. Built around 100 A.D., the market was a very early version of a shopping mall. When it was going at full swing, it contained more than 150 offices and shops.

Both shops and apartments were housed in the multi-storied semi-circular building. Because the building was built into the bedrock of the hillside, some of the shops at ground level vary in size.

The tabernae were the shops located in the market’s lower level that sold food, produce, and domestic goods. The tabernae were barrel-vaulted rooms with arched ceilings. It’s thought that customers stood in doorways to make purchases rather than step inside.

As you can see, the ruins of Trajan’s Market resemble an outdoor theater. The open area in front of the market, which measures 32 meters long and 8 meters high, was actually used for concerts and other performances