Short History Lesson

Layout & Architecture

Gladiators

Beasts

Bibliography

The Roman Colosseum, a colossal amphitheater, was built in the first century under Flavian rule.  Many events such as gladiator games, beast fights, naval battles, and much more took place inside the huge elliptical arena.  People of all ages and classes attended these well-known spectacles.  The Colosseum is a huge Roman architectural achievement and the fact that it is still standing today only amplifies the importance of this structure.  Hundred of thousands of people attended the ancient games, and even more continue to visit the arena today. 

According to Richard Watkins, author of the book Gladiator, a typical day at the games was filled with plenty of excitement and eager fans waiting to see the upcoming events.  A day at the games was preceded by weeks and weeks of promoting the performers and the special events on the schedule.  Spectators would show up hours before the event to bet on their favorite gladiator, eat and drink.  After a few hours, all the seats were filled an the anxiously awaited crowd was ready to hear the sound of the trumpets signaling the beginning of the show.  The crowd's attention was at the entrance of the arena where the parade marched around and celebrated the beginning of the day of events.  For more information, please navigate through the links on the sidebar to get a glimpse of the main events and history of the Roman Colosseum.

A reconstruction of the original Colosseum.  Notice the statues under the archways, the four stories and the colossal statue which gave the structure its name.  http://search.britannica.com/frm_redir.jsp?query=gladiator&redir=http://www.vroma.org/%7Ebmcmanus/arena.html

These pages were complied by the following students of the University of Akron:

Matt Clore (Senior), Heather Graham (Sophomore) and Courtney Mullen (Junior)