Analysis of Art Objects from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome Essay

Analysis of Art Objects from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome - Essay Example Its construction began in 70 AD during the reign of Emperor Vespasian. It took ten years to construct and Emporer Titus, Emporer Vespasian's successor inaugurated it after its completion. The Coliseum underwent further modifications between 81 AD and 96 AD under the reign of Emperor Domitian (Connoly 31).Architectural DesignThe Colosseum, as opposed to Greek theatres constructed before it, was a free-standing structure; the previous theatres stand on the sides of hills. Its interior and exterior architecture resemble two Roman theatres. It is elliptical in shape, 156 meters wide and 189 meters long. The base area is 24,000 square meters and the outer walls are 48 meters high. The outer perimeter of the Colosseum measures 545 meters. The central arena is oval in shape and has a width of 55 meters and length of 87 meters. A wall, 5 meters high, surrounds it. The outer wall consists of travertine stone. Iron clamps rather than mortar held the travertine stone together. This outer wall s uffered damage and collapsed during the 1349 earthquake.The Colosseum had 80 entrances due to its huge capacity (50000-80000), 76 of which were for ordinary spectators. The Roman Emperor together with his aides used the northern main entrance to enter and exit the Colosseum. The elite of Rome used the other three axial entrances. These four axial entrances had rich decorations, mainly painted stucco reliefs. The spectators would seat in a tiered arrangement which reflected the different social classes in Rome at that time.