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Why the Colloseum of Rome is
special
The Colloseum of Rome in Italy is truly colossal - it stands 50 meters (165
feet) high and measures 185 meters (600 feet) in its longest dimension. The
Colloseum was large enough to hold 50,000 roaring spectators when it was
inaugurated in 80 AD. Today, nearly 2,000 years later, it is one of the most
recognized archaeological monuments on earth.
Why the Colloseum was built
The Flavian Roman Emperors built the Colloseum for entertaining their subjects
(and to distract their minds from the woes of the time). Among the most popular
"crowd pleasers" were bloody contests pitting gladiators against gladiators or
wild beasts. Even naval battles were staged (the arena was flooded for those
events).
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