Why was the Roman Colosseum built, what was the purpose of the Roman Colosseum?
Purpose of the Colosseum The purpose of the Roman Colosseum was as follows: • Purpose 1: To provide a permanent purpose-built arena in the centre of Ancient Rome for staging various forms of entertainment for the Ancient Romans – a gift to Roman Citizens • Purpose 2: To create a massive, breath-taking structure conveying the wealth, might and power of Rome • Purpose 3: To seat up to 80,000 Romans, each with an unobstructed view, creating a diversion for unemployed and unruly Plebs • Purpose 4: To provide a showcase for exotic, wild animals taken from all corners of the Roman Empire, once again to convey the extent of Rome’s conquests of different countries • Purpose 5: To ensure the support and popularity of the Emperors Vespasian and Titus (members of the Flavian dynasty of emperors) amongst the Plebs (the ‘Mob’) • Purpose 6: To utilize and showcase the latest Roman engineering and building techniques, including a labyrinth of tunnels under the arena containing 32 animal pens and lift
