Name: How the Roman Colosseum Was Built
Uploaded: 2021-05-20T01:31:53.000Z
Duration: 11 min 19 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

The Colosseum in Rome is one of the most notable and impressive

feats of architecture in the history of the world.

Opened in the year 80 CE by the Emperor Titus,

the arena was used to stage gladiator combat, skirmishes

with wild animals, and even mock naval battles

The unknown architects behind this design

If you've ever wanted to construct your own amphitheater

because today we're going to take a look at how

But before we get started, be sure to subscribe to the Weird

History Channel, and let us know in the comments below what

other historical sites you would like to know more about.

a home, which he humbly nicknamed the Golden Palace.

Clearing the land necessary for construction

meant seizing property from numerous ordinary Romans,

which as you might imagine, wasn't a super popular move.

cycled through four other corrupt emperors.

Looking to reverse the damage Nero and his successors

had done to the Roman people's faith in government,

and aggressively advocated for Rome's citizenry.

It was around 70 CE when Vespasian promised

to build a public amphitheater, which would

In a politically symbolic move, Vespasian

In 80 CE, after 10 years of construction,

Vespasian's son, Emperor Titus, would finally

The venue was inaugurated with a festival

Vespasian chose to have the Colosseum constructed

on what was once the site of a lake in the garden of Nero's

26 feet beneath the surface to divert rivers and streams that

It would also mean the concrete foundations of the Colosseum

would have to run extra deep to prevent collapse.

was repurposed to build up the land around the structure.

This elevated the Colosseum 23 feet above ground level

forcing crowds to look up at rather than down

Don't rush off to see for yourself though.

Due to changes in the landscape in modern times,

the Colosseum sits level with the ground.

were quarried in a place called Albulae, located near what

The site of the quarry was about 20 miles

from the site of the Colosseum, so transporting the blocks

To help things along, the Romans built a road specifically

for the purpose of moving the stone from the quarry

Each cart load contained 30 to 50 stones.

And historians estimate workers would have transported

in the use of concrete to build larger and sturdier structures

were made from concrete, which allowed the massive building

to maintain an open and airy atmosphere, while still

The foundations were also made of concrete.

Starting at the outer wall, the foundation

limestone to create calcium oxide, also known as quicklime.

created a putty that acted as a binding agent in the cement.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

How the Roman Colosseum Was Built

eventually

simultaneously

structure

typically