Editing Colosseum (section)

=== Construction, inauguration, and Roman renovations ===
[[File:Colosseum Ses Titus 80AD.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Sestertius]] of Titus celebrating the inauguration of the Colosseum (minted 80 AD).]]
[[File:Map of downtown Rome during the Roman Empire large.png|thumb|upright=1.4|A map of central Rome during the Roman Empire, with the Colosseum at the upper right corner]]

The site chosen was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the [[Caelian Hill|Caelian]], [[Esquiline Hill|Esquiline]] and [[Palatine Hill]]s, through which a [[canal]]ised stream ran as well as an artificial lake/marsh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-colosseum.net/architecture/lacus_en.htm|title=The-Colosseum.net:Before the Colosseum|website=www.the-colosseum.net|access-date=19 September 2019|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224235736/http://www.the-colosseum.net/architecture/lacus_en.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the [[Great Fire of Rome]] in 64 AD, following which [[Nero]] seized much of the area to add to his personal domain. He built the grandiose [[Domus Aurea]] on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing [[Aqua Claudia]] aqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze [[Colossus of Nero]] was set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea.<ref name="claridge">{{Cite book | first=Amanda | last=Claridge | year=1998 | title=Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide | edition=First | publisher=Oxford University Press | location=Oxford | isbn=978-0-19-288003-1 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/romeoxfordarchae00aman/page/276 276–282] | url=https://archive.org/details/romeoxfordarchae00aman/page/276 }}</ref> [[File:L-Kolloseum.png|upright=1.2|thumb|left|Cross-section from the ''[[Lexikon der gesamten Technik]]'' (1904)]] Although the Colossus was preserved, much of the Domus Aurea was torn down. The lake was filled in and the land reused as the location for the new Flavian Amphitheatre. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were constructed nearby within the former grounds of the Domus Aurea. Vespasian's decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero's lake can be seen as a populist gesture of returning to the people an area of the city which Nero had appropriated for his own use. In contrast to many other amphitheatres, which were on the outskirts of a city, the Colosseum was constructed in the city centre, in effect, placing it both symbolically and geographically at the heart of Rome.

Construction was funded by the opulent spoils taken from the [[Second Temple|Jewish Temple]] after the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] in 70 AD led to the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|Siege of Jerusalem]]. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, "the emperor [[Vespasian]] ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the booty." It is often assumed, as it is with many other Roman projects at the time,  that slaves and prisoners of war were brought back to Rome and contributed to the massive workforce needed for the construction of the amphitheater.<ref>Elkins, p. 23.</ref> Along with this free source of unskilled labor, teams of professional Roman builders, engineers, artists, painters and decorators undertook the more specialized tasks necessary for building the Colosseum. The Colosseum was constructed with several different materials: wood, limestone, [[tuff]], tiles, cement, and mortar.

Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of Vespasian<ref name=roth/> in around 70–72 AD (73–75 AD according to some sources). The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished by his son, [[Titus]], in 80,<ref name=roth/> and the inaugural games were held in 80 or 81 AD.<ref name="tribunesandtriumphs.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/building-the-colosseum.htm|title=Building the Colosseum|work=tribunesandtriumphs.org}}</ref> [[Dio Cassius]] recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the [[Inaugural games of the Flavian Amphitheatre|inaugural games]] of the amphitheatre. Commemorative coinage was issued celebrating the inauguration.<ref>Sear, David R. (2000). ''Roman Coins and Their Values – The Millennium Edition''. Volume I: The Republic and The Twelve Caesars, 280 BC – 96 AD (pp. 468–469, coin # 2536). London: Spink. {{ISBN|1-902040-35-X}}</ref> The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor [[Domitian]], who constructed the ''[[hypogeum]]'', a series of tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its [[seating capacity]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Alföldy|first=Géza|title=Eine Bauinschrift Aus Dem Colosseum.|journal=Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik|year=1995|volume=109|pages=195–226}}</ref>

In 217, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a major fire (caused by lightning, according to Dio Cassius<ref>Cass. Dio lxxviii.25.</ref>), which destroyed the wooden upper levels of the amphitheatre's interior. It was not fully repaired until about 240 and underwent further repairs in 250 or 252 and again in 320. [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]] banned the practice of gladiator fights in 399 and again in 404. Gladiatorial fights are last mentioned around 435.<ref name="claridge" /> An inscription records the restoration of various parts of the Colosseum under [[Theodosius II]] and [[Valentinian III]] (reigned 425–455), possibly to repair damage caused by a major earthquake in 443; more work followed in 484<ref>The repairs of the damages inflicted by the earthquake of 484 were paid for by the Consul [[Decius Marius Venantius Basilius]], who put two inscriptions to celebrate his works ({{CIL|6|1716}}).</ref> and 508. The arena continued to be used for contests well into the 6th century. Animal hunts continued until at least 523, when [[Anicius Maximus]] celebrated his consulship with some ''[[venationes]]'', criticised by King [[Theodoric the Great]] for their high cost.<ref name="claridge"/>