Imperial Rome, past glory
The Colosseum, originally named Amphitheatrum Flavium, (Flavian Amphitheatre). Construction started during 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. A great earthquake in 1349 caused the outer south side to collapse and much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings in Rome. Being such an important tourist attraction, restorations are going on.
Photo by Ludo Kuipers, Sun Oct 30, 1994