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Roman Coliseum
Where Animals fought against each other and Man!
 
           Nero
The name "Coliseum" came from a colossal statue of Nero that was located in the area near this amphitheater.
It, however, was not called the "Coliseum" until the Middle Ages.  Since it was built by the members of the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian), it was called the "Flavian Amphitheater" in ancient times. 
 
Vespasian
Titus
Domitian
The Flavian Amphitheater of Coliseum was begun under the Emperor Vespasian about 74 AD It was completed in 80 AD and had a capacity of 50,000 people. Usually between forty five to fifty thousand onlookers would sit in their wood or marble seats while watching the fights going on in the arena of the Coliseum. The wooden seats would be for the lower class citizens and the marble for the upper class. There was an extensive system of ramps and staircases under the cuneus (floor) called Vomitoria. There were almost seventy-six entrances to the immense structure that enabled all of the spectators to move freely within the building and allowed them to leave the Coliseum easily. 
The measurements of the inside of the Coliseum were approximately 280 by 175 feet. 
Overall the Coliseum measured about 615 by 510 feet. The stands measured 167 feet wide and 159 feet high. Another part of the Coliseum, which played an important part for safety reasons, was a catwalk that surrounded the main floor. On this catwalk there were skilled archers, who would kill any animals that went crazy.  
Originally, the Coliseum had naval and gladiator battles. However, this became difficult to 
constantly change the floor material. The gladiator battles were much more popular than the naval battles, so the naval battles were removed from the Coliseum. The wood was then set permanently, which gave way to holding pens beneath the floor for animals. When the time for battle arose, the animals cage door would slide open and the animal would have access to a slender hallway to narrow for it to turn back. Once in the hallway, the animal would walk until it would come upon a portcullis that would raise and let the animal into an open elevator. Just outside the cage would be an attendant who would raise the animal to an upper level corridor. There was a ramp, and the animal would run up the ramp and begin battle. The massacre of animals pursued until somewhere in the 6th Century AD.  
There were four stories in the Coliseum, and its arches were framed by superimposed 
orders; Roman Doric on the ground floor, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the 3rd. 
The 4th story consisted of Corinthian pilasters. It also carried masts that suspended on 
awning to protect the spectators from sunlight. The walls on the outside of the Coliseum 
were made of travertine that looked like a creamy colored calcium carbonate material. The 
inner walls were made of tufa (siliceous rock deposits) and the seating area was made of 
concrete.
 
Combat in the Coliseum

As was the case with gladiatorial contests, hunts were at first held in the Forum, the Saepta (an enclosure in the Campus Martius normally used for voting), and in the Circus Maximus (normally used for chariot racing).  When hunts were presented at these sites that were not designed to protect the spectators from wild animals, special measures had to be taken such as barriers of some sort. Caesar on one occasion had a ditch dug around the arena to keep the elephants from attacking the crowd.  The Coliseum, however, was designed for maximum security.  A 13-foot high podium with smooth walls prevented any animals from climbing into the spectators.  Sometimes nets were employed as a protection against animals with extraordinary jumping ability.  The design of the Coliseum also removed any danger from the crowd from the entrance of dangerous animals into the arena.  These beasts were kept in cages in underground cubicles underneath the circumference of the arena, which were then raised by ropes and pulleys to openings in the podium.  The animals were then released into the arena.  Most of the time the animals were killed, but occasionally they were successful against the hunter, who was called a bestiarius ( “a wild beast fighter in the arena”). 
 
In addition to gladiatorial combat, the venatio ("hunt") was another popular spectacle in the amphitheater.
Gladiators were usually recruited from criminals, slaves (especially captured fugitives), and prisoners of war. Because criminals had lost their citizen rights while slaves and prisoners of war had none, they had no choice about becoming a gladiator, if they had the physical and emotional make-up necessary for the profession.  Some free-born men, however, although they had not lost their citizen rights, voluntarily chose the profession and bound themselves body and soul to the owner of a gladiatorial troupe (lanista) by swearing an oath "to endure branding, chains, flogging or death by the sword" and to do whatever the master ordered (Petronius Sat. 117.5). It has been estimated that by the end of the Republic, about half of the gladiators were volunteers. 
 
Gladiator Vs. Leopard
 
Incredible Sites Like This Was Seen!
 
 
Shipping of Wild Animals to Rome
Exotic and fierce wild animals had to be imported to Rome from North Africa or the Near East. The usual method was to have bush beaters and men on horseback chase lions, panthers, leopards, and other large animals into an area surrounded by shields and nets, such as is depicted on this mosaic from North Africa. Note that pens full of animals normally preyed on by large cats are placed behind the trap as bait.  Once the animals were cornered they were backed into crates by beaters using torches and protected by shields.  A leopard seems to be running into one of these crates, but not all these trapped animals were that cooperative.  Below we see a beater for whom a shield was not sufficient protection. 

Roman officials (aediles) in charge of giving spectacles relied on their contacts in the provinces to help them get animals.  In the following letter, M. Caelius Rufus, a protégé of Cicero, who had been elected to the office of aedile, complains to his mentor that he has not sent him more more panthers from Cilicia (modern southwest Turkey), where Cicero was provincial governor (Patiscus was a Roman businessman working in Cilicia) 
(ad Fam. 8.9.3): 

In almost all my letters I wrote to you about panthers.  It will embarrass you that Patiscus has sent 10 panthers to Curio and that you have not sent me many more than that.  Curio gave me 
those 10 panthers plus another ten African ones…if you will only remember and procure panthers from Cibyra and likewise send a letter to Pamphylia (they say that more panthers are captured there), you will accomplish your purpose…for as soon as they are captured, you have people available whom I sent to feed and ship them. 

Cicero responds somewhat humorously (ad Fam. 2.11.2): The matter of the panthers is being dealt with at my command by those who are accustomed to hunt them.  The problem is that there is a remarkable shortage of the animals, and those panthers that remain complain vigorously that the only traps set in my province are for them. Therefore the rumor is that they have decided to leave my province for Caria.  Nevertheless your request is being taken care of and Patiscus is giving it first priority.  As many panthers as are available will be yours…
 
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