The Colosseum. Beautiful. Iconic. Arguably the most impressive building in all of Rome. Of course, it’s also in ruins. But the stunning amphitheater is filled with thousands of years of history, and that in itself is what keeps the Colosseum one of the most visited attractions in the world. To this day, about six million people visit it annually, hoping to get a taste of the rich history embedded in the building’s bones.

In this article, we’re going to share the 17 most interesting facts about the Colosseum.

17 Random Facts About the Colosseum

The Colosseum was the largest amphitheater in the world.

Accommodating nearly 50,000 people at any given time, the Colosseum measured at 620 by 513 feet (you could fit four regulation-sized football fields in this). Unlike many earlier amphitheaters, which had been dug into hillsides to provide adequate support, the Colosseum was a freestanding structure made of stone and concrete.

The Colosseum went by another name.

Built between 72 and 80 AD, the Colosseum was originally named Flavian Amphitheater. It is located just east of the Palatine Hill, on the grounds of what was once Roman Emperor Nero’s Golden House. The artificial lake that was the centerpiece of that palace complex was drained, and the Colosseum was sited there, a decision that was as much symbolic as it was practical. It stood tall and proud until a devastating earthquake quite literally shook Rome to its core, destroying part of the Colosseum.

The Colosseum met its demise in 847.

Storms, lightning, earthquakes, and fire all contributed to the eventual ruin of the Colosseum. Storms and fire damaged the structure, but it was a tremendous earthquake that finally caused parts of the upper stories and eventually the whole southern wall to fall. Though seriously damaged by two earthquakes in the fifth century, it is thought that the Colosseum remained more or less intact until the sixth century when the devastating earthquakes of 847 and 1231 caused most of the structure to fall.

The Colosseum was built by the hands of slaves.

In 80 AD, Vespasian’s son Titus officially opened the Colosseum. Titus had actually brought 60,000 Jewish slaves to Rome who worked day and night to build the Colosseum. Confirmation of this can be seen in the Arch of Titus, which shows a menorah from Jerusalem. To this day, the Talmud prohibits Jews from walking beneath the arch.

The first event held in the Colosseum lasted 100 days.

In celebration of the eight years it took to build this amphitheater, the emperor Titus decreed that it would be opened with a massive celebration. This celebration, called the gladiator games, lasted 100 days. It started early in the morning and continued until it became too dark to see the combatants. During this set of games, thousands of gladiators and convicts were killed. Additionally, over 9,000 animals died.

The Colosseum saw activity for hundreds of years.

The Colosseum saw some four centuries of active use, until the struggles of the Western Roman Empire and the gradual change in public tastes put an end to gladiatorial combats and other large public entertainments by the 6th century A.D. In the centuries to come, the Colosseum was abandoned completely, and used as a quarry for numerous building projects, including the cathedrals of St. Peter and St. John Lateran, the Palazzo Venezia and defense fortifications along the Tiber River.

The Colosseum was a graveyard for half a million people.

It’s estimated that the games played in the Colosseum for hundreds of years had taken the lives of about 500,000 people and over one million wild animals.

Events at the Roman Colosseum were free.

Roman citizens were allowed into the Colosseum to see gladiator games, mock battles and dramas. However, the ticket you received indicated your rank in society. The best seats were close to the arena floor, typically reserved for the senators of Rome. The next level was for knights and nobles, and above that sat the freedmen. At the very top of the Colosseum were the women and slaves.

The Colosseum had 80 entrances.

Its façade stands at 160 feet tall, and was divided into three floors where entrance arches were located. The 80 entrance arches on the ground level were numbered, except four principal entrances with propylaeum, which were reserved for the emperor, the imperial family and the vestals.

The Colosseum has an underground labyrinth.

In ancient Rome, tens of thousands gathered at the Colosseum to watch enslaved men, condemned criminals and wild animals fight to the death. These grisly gladiator clashes required great feats of engineering: To make caged creatures and prize fighters emerge from underground as if by magic, the Romans devised a labyrinth of secret tunnels beneath the arena’s wooden, sand-covered floor. The structure consisted of staging areas, ramps, pulleys, ropes and other mechanisms that allowed workers to create a seamless show aboveground.

The Italian government is going to rebuild the Colosseum’s floor.

There were reportedly 36 trap doors. In late 2020, BBC reported that the Italian government is taking steps to have the Colosseum’s floor restored to its original glory. Proposals to rebuild the Colosseum's floor were submitted in February 2021 and the project is expected to be completed by 2023. The project will have a total budget of 18.5m euros (that’s $22.5 million).

The Colosseum housed a botanical garden in the 1800s.

When botanist Richard Deakin examined the Colosseum in the 1850s, he found 420 species of plants growing among the site’s ruins. While there were plants native in Italy, what struck him as strange were the rare flowers he hadn’t seen before. Botanists found that these rare flowers had been brought as seeds on the fur and in the stomachs of animals like lions and giraffes. Romans shipped these creatures from Africa to perform and fight in the arena. As the animals fought and died in the arena, they left their botanical passengers behind to flourish and one day overtake the building itself.

The Colosseum had a “Gate of Death.”

Yes, you read that right. Gate. Of. Death. The Romans loved extraordinary and gruesome spectacles, so it’s not surprising that the vast majority of shows at the Colosseum included fierce brutality, fights between wild animals and humans, and even executions. The dead bodies were taken out through the west exit, known as the Gate of Death, toward the setting sun.

The Colosseum was used in modern times to protest the death penalty.

The Colosseum was once a place that encouraged and promoted death with its battles and executions. Thousands of years later, Rome is ready to right its ancestors’ wrongs. Up until the year 2000, special lighting was be switched on for 48 hours each time a death sentence is commuted. The campaign, promoted by Italian human rights and pacifist groups, seeks to step up pressure on governments. Italy has been one of the most outspoken nations in seeking abolition of the death penalty.

The Colosseum is a popular backdrop to concerts.

Because of its ruined state, you can’t actually hold a viable concert inside the Colosseum. But a select few artists have had concerts with the amphitheater as their backdrop. Paul McCartney, Ray Charles, the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Sir Elton John are among the few who have performed here. (You may have also recognized the Colosseum in The Lizzie McGuire Movie.)

Marble from the Colosseum was recycled.

The total amount of marble used for the construction of the Colosseum was estimated at 100,000 cubic meters, but it all but disappeared from the amphitheater. In the 2,000 years since it was built, Italians have taken the marble and used it for other buildings in Rome. While it was still in the Colosseum, the marble was used for seating the more affluent guests, as well as on the columns and friezes. They also used 1.1 million tons of concrete, stone and brick.

The Colosseum is a modern wonder of the world.

In 2000 a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to determine the New Seven Wonders of the World. Given that the original Seven Wonders list was compiled in the second century BC — and that only one entrant is still standing (the Pyramids of Giza) — it seemed time for an update. Here are the other six wonders standing with it: the Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá, Petra, Machu Picchu, Christ the Redeemer, and the Taj Mahal.

Buying Guide

Want your own taste of the Colosseum in your home? Fruugo sells a DIY 3D puzzle — pre earthquake.
And you know what would look great beside your fully formed puzzle? A Roman gladiator figurine.
Design Toscano recently released an Ancient Roman Gladiator Helmet Statue. If you’ve got a Tuscan theme in your home, this could be the cherry on top that ties your place together.
Keep the Colosseum close to your heart (on a necklace) with the Cold Colosseum Charm from Jet Set Candy.
And if you do decide to see the Colosseum for yourself, you should probably brush up on your Italian first. Download Duolingo and get to learning.