Colosseum Arena

The building has an elliptical plan and features a triple colonnade of eighty travertine arches on the outside, decorated with Doric-Tuscan style semi-columns on the lower level, Ionic style on the second level and Corinthian style on the third. The attic is adorned with columns in composite style and has holes from the poles that supported the large curtain (the velum) used to protect the spectators from the sun and rain. The attic itself was adorned with 40 bronze shields, symbols of Rome's military victories over its enemies' shields.

The Colosseum measures 189 metres long and 156 metres wide, with a façade 48 metres high. Its central arena is an oval with a main axis 86 metres long, surrounded by a 4.5 metre high wall reaching up to the first steps.

The structure was built from a variety of materials, including tuff and travertine, used especially for the façade. The holes visible on the façade were mainly drilled in the Middle Ages to recover the metal plates that connected the stone blocks.

The arcades on the ground floor gave the audience access to the stairs to the stands. Above the arches, Roman numerals indicate the different areas of the auditorium. The arches of the first two levels were decorated with 160 bronze statues 5 metres high, representing gods and mythological characters. The four main entrances, which were not numbered, were reserved for privileged categories such as magistrates or religious people. The northern gate led to the imperial tribune.

In the central part of the amphitheatre are the underground halls, originally covered with wooden boards that formed the surface of the arena. Machines, animal cages, storage rooms and other facilities were located there. Four corridors, located below the main entrances, connected the basements to the outside. One of them led to the Ludus Magnus, the gladiators' barracks.

Performances were free and seats were allocated according to social class. Those at the bottom were reserved for senators or clerics. Among the names on the list are those of 195 senators from the era of Odoacer (476-483).