Colosseum Tours & Tickets

The Colosseum could hold up to 50,000 spectators and featured an elaborate system of pulleys and trapdoors for raising wild animals from underground chambers called hypogea.

Built between 72–80 AD under emperors Vespasian and Titus, it took just 8 years to construct using approximately 100,000 cubic metres of travertine stone.

The Colosseum's outer wall originally stood 52 metres tall (taller than the current 48 metres) and was partially destroyed by earthquakes and stone robbers during the medieval period.

Gladiatorial games at the Colosseum could last entire days or weeks, with mock sea battles (naumachiae) staged by flooding the entire arena floor.

The monument was renamed 'Colosseum' during the medieval period after a colossal bronze statue of Emperor Nero that once stood nearby; Romans called it the Flavian Amphitheatre.

Entry fees were free for all citizens, with seating strictly organised by social class—senators sat closest to the arena, slaves and women stood in upper tiers.