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the Colosseum

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the most famous building constructed by Vespasian

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construction began in 70 AD, two years after Nero died

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Vespasian died in 79 so never saw it complete

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80 AD: his son Titus completed it and dedicated it to Vespasian

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could hold 50,000 people

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made of concrete

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near the Arch of Constantine

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near the Temple of Venus and Roma

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location of the Colosseum

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where it was sited shows how shrewd Vespasian was in establishing a political agenda and courting the favor of the public

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Vespasian razed to the ground the Golden House of Nero

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despite the fact that it had been done by great architects

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despite the fact that it had revolving ceilings

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to discredit Nero

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return the property to the Roman people

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filled in the artificial lake and built the Colosseum

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originally called "The Flavian Amphitheater"

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after the family name of the three emperors: Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian

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not because of its colossal scale

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because of the colossus, an extremely large statue originally of Nero taken from his palace

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Vespasian had the features of Nero erased from the statue and had them made into those of the sun god Sol

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architecture

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elliptical plan

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made of concrete

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series of radiating annular and barrel vaults

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ramps and passage ways

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similar to

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the amphitheater in Pompeii

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Theater of Marcellus (12 BC) down the street

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the architectural experiments here were important in building the Colosseum

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since it was a theater it was semi-circular whereas the Colosseum was an amphitheater and thus elliptical

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first floor

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annular vaults rest on stone piers made of travertine

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second floor

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groin or ribbed vault

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new form of vault that we haven't seen before this time

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two barrel vaults that intersect

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can be seen as the continuation of architectural creativity begun with the innovations of Nero's Domus Aurea, mainly the free flow of space

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today we find it stripped quite bare

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but in its day it was highly decorated

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exterior

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had four stories where the Theater of Marcellus only had three

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structure is concrete, the facing is travertine

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decorative columns (pilasters) on the first three stories as the Theater of Marcellus has

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they do not hold the building up as they would have in Greek or Etruscan architecture

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the meaning of the columns is to conjure up Ancient Greece, using all the orders: 1st story Doric, 2nd story Ionic, and 3rd and 4th stories Corinthian

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the building is held up by the barrel and annular vaults that are made out of concrete

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so these columns are pure decoration, but decoration that has an ideological connection

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travertine blocks on top were used to support the wooden poles of an awning used for when it would rain