Roman Building I

Question: What was the first professional sports arena large enough to accommodate 50,000 spectators?

Answer: If your answer is the Roman Colosseum, you're only partially right.

Completed in 80 A.D., the Flavian Amphitheater hosted Rome's most elaborate gladiatorial and animal combat spectacles until 523 A.D and was the largest structure of its type. The name Colosseum was not transferred to the Flavian Amphitheater until after 1000 A.D. Can you imagine Aloha Stadium still standing in the year 2418, much less in operation after 443 years? The Flavian Amphitheater is so ancient, that the term "arena", which has become synonymus with sports complex, originally referred to the blood soaked sand that covered the combat floor of the Amphitheater.

Its monumental size and grandeur make it one of the great architectural monuments achieved by the ancient Romans.

The Amphitheater covered about six acres and was constructed with a careful combination of concrete and marble for its foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades of the lower two levels, and brick faced concrete for the upper levels and most of its vaults. Contrary to popular belief, there is no documentation to support the story that Christian were fed to the lions at the Flavian Amphitheater.

The four story, elliptical shaped structure of windows, arches and columns, stood 160 feet high and measured 615 ft x 510 ft. and included three arcade tiers, each supported by 80 arches. Below the arena floor, within the 80 walls that supported the Amphitheater, an efficient drainage system, dens for wild beasts, and a complex system of passageways, stairways and mechanical appliances, including 36 elevators, were housed to provision and produce spectacular events. In addition to a retractable roof, the Flavian Amphitheater also featured more than 100 water fountains.

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