Imperial Rome, past glory

The Colosseum (Colosseo), originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre; its construction started in the reign of Emperor Vespasian in 72 CE and was completed by his son Titus. It could seat 50,000 and was the scene of bloody gladiator fights and shows with wild animals. It was used as a cemetery and a fortress in the Middle Ages and a religious order inhabited part of it as late as the early 19th century. Much of it was removed when it was used as a quarry for marble.