Colosseum
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Colosseum
Bibliography
See J. Pearson, Arena: The Story of the Colosseum (1974).
Colosseum
(Amphitheatrum Flavium), a monument of ancient Roman architecture (A.D. 75–80).
The Colosseum is elliptical in plan, about 190 m long and 156 m wide. It includes an arena and four tiers of seats for spectators (about 50,000). The Colosseum was built for gladiatorial fights and other spectacles. Constructed of tufa, it had external walls faced with travertine. Inside, brick and concrete were used for the construction of the arched galleries, and the platforms were covered with marble. The statues and stucco decorations of the Colosseum have not been preserved. Outside, three tiers of arcades (Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders) and a crowning attic, articulated with flat pilasters, concealed the platforms and the labyrinth of the substructures of the arena. The majestic, grandiose Colosseum, with its powerfully rounded space and the rich plasticity of the arcades, is the most important of the Roman amphitheaters.
REFERENCE
Tsires, A. G. Arkhitektura Kolizeia. Moscow, 1940.colosseum, coliseum
