Colosseum

Rome's gladiatorial arena and the world's largest amphitheatre/Ancient Structures

The Colosseum could seat around 50,000 spectators who came to watch gladiators, animal hunts, and mock naval battles. Built between 72 and 80 AD, it had a retractable awning system called the velarium that required 1,000 sailors to operate. Two thousand years later, roughly two-thirds of the original structure has been destroyed by earthquakes and stone robbers.