The Colosseum and Imperial Fora

When first constructed, the Colosseum was a vast amphitheatre capable of seating 45,000 - 50,000 blood thirsty spectators, the largest of it's kind ever constructed. It was inaugurated by Emperor Titus in 80AD, when he declared 100 days of celebratory games involving the massacre of some 5,000 wild beasts. The Colosseum remained in use for the next 500 years and was host to mock sea battles, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, dramas based on classical mythology as well as other public spectacles, before gradually having it's marble and stones stripped for use elsewhere.

The foras were monumental public squares, constructed in Rome between 46BC and 113AD, the ruins of which litter today's Rome. These squares were places to discuss politics, economy and religion in ancient Rome. The most famous of these are the Forum of Julius Caesar, the Forum of Augustus and the largest and most grand, Trajan's Forum, with it's carved column commemorating in graphic details the emperor's victories.