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The ColosseumRoman Colosseum The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater was begun by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian. Located on marshy land between the Esquiline and Caelian Hills, it was the first permanent amphitheater to be built in Rome. Its monumental size and grandeur as well as its practical and efficient organization for producing spectacles and controlling the large crowds make it one of the great architectural monuments achieved by the ancient Romans. The three tiers of arcades are faced by three-quarter columns and entablatures, Doric in the first story, Ionic in the second, and Corinthian in the third.  View from Within The amphitheater is a vast ellipse with tiers of seating for 50,000 spectators around a central elliptical arena. Below the wooden arena floor, there was a complex set of rooms and passageways for wild beasts and other provisions for staging the spectacles. Eighty walls radiate from the arena and support vaults for passageways, stairways and the tiers of seats. At the outer edge circumferential arcades link each level and the stairways between levels. The Colosseum was originally used for entertainment purposes, most notably for gladiator battles. It was also the sight of many public executions. Today, Italy firmly opposes any form of capital punishment and has used the Colosseum as a powerful symbol for their fight to abolish the death penalty. If a country abolishes capital punishment or a death sentence is commuted, the Colosseum is flooded in white light. This practice began in 1999 and continues today. The Colosseum was also lit by the white lights in January 2007 as a sign of protest against the execution of Saddam Hussein, a symbolic measure that was very controversial in Italy. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Roman_Colosseum.html 
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