To What Extent Did Vespasian Build The Roman Colosseum

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Emperor Vespasian has made the decision to start to build the Roman colosseum. The building of the Roman Colosseum began today on 73 A.D. and in 79 A.D. the colosseum was finished and sadly the emperor Vespasian has passed away. Vespasian 's older son Titus saw the completion of building the Colosseum and the inauguration games in A.D. 81. Titus in 70 A.D sacked the city of Jerusalem and that 's how he paid for the colosseum. The design of the Roman Colosseum applied the latest in Roman arts, engineering, architecture and other creative endeavours. The invention of concrete enabled this massive building to be built quickly, efficiently and to great effect. All of this was done to the highest artistic standard and in a highly skilled manner. …show more content…

Concrete was a a recent invention when the Colosseum was built and the Romans were still learning how to use it. As concrete was so new they did not know how strong it was or long it would last. The Romans cautiously combined concrete together with stone. Concrete was made by mixing a strong volcanic material with rubble, sand and a mixture of limes. The Colosseum had four tiers. The ceilings of the passages and corridors which circled the arena on each tier consisted of vaulted arches made of concrete but the supports they rested on were made of strong, heavy limestone. The timescale was tight - the Flavian family wanted the amphitheatre built as quickly as possible. Hundreds of skilled stonemasons were required to complete the building. The Romans used a new building technique - standardized parts. Stairs and seats were constructed off-site. The Design of the Colosseum was constructed according to specific plans and dimensions. The Colosseum is an entirely free-standing structure, oval in shape, 615 ft long, 510 ft wide, 187 ft high and had a base area of 6 acres. The Roman architects and builders had to design the Colosseum to provide the biggest arena in the world capable of holding between 50,000 - 80,000 people. Just one series of games might last for 100 consecutive

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