The Colosseum is big enough that it's hard to take it in from close up. It is better to make our introduction from the Palantine Hill. This was the wealthy area of Rome in ancient times, and given how spectacular the view is today, one can imagine what it must have been like at the height of Roman power.

Up close, you can only see it in pieces and parts. That's Eric in the middle of the picture, at the foot of the Colosseum.

Looking to the side a bit, you can see all four levels. Construction began around 70 AD and the first three levels were completed by 80 AD (impressive, considering how few modern civil engineering projects are finished after just 10 years). It could seat 50,000. Shortly thereafter the emporer Domitian added an additional level to provide "standing room only" space for women, slaves, and other lower-class residents of Rome.

For the Roman citizen approaching the Colosseum, it must have been a truly awesome sight. The underlying stone was travertine, but it was covered in a facade of marble. Statues would be placed in each of the openings along the upper corridors. The ledges at the top were supports for a retractable awning to protect spectators from the elements.

The citizen would have had a ticket in the form of a shard of pottery, inscribed with a number. That number corresponded to an entrance and a row number. This served the same purpose it does today: traffic control, particularly in case of emergencies.

The well-to-do citizens, for example sentors, would be greeted by their name carved in marble marking special seating reserved for them. This seating was highly coveted, and (as the list of honored guests changed frequently) keeping the marble placards up-to-date was a constant project.

The citizen could circle through the corridors to find the vomitorium. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the name of the room for vomiting. Vomit simply means rapid exit in Latin, and the vomitoria were to ensure that the huge ampitheater could be evacuated rapidly.

The citizen would walk through the short hallways into the arena...

... where he could survey the accomplishments of his civilization. In addition to gladitorial combats, mock-hunts with wild animals were conducted here, including many animals imported from Africa for the purpose. The center was covered by a wooden platform (a partial one has been reconstructed here) and could host a complex movable set for use during hunts and plays. Sometimes the plays were reenactments of myths and legends, with condemned men playing the part of characters who came to gruesome ends. The central area could also be flooded, enabling reenactments of sea battles and water performances, including performances by trained swimming horses and bulls. Sometimes the arena was decorated with living trees and plants, possibly just to give the urban population a bit of greenery. Attendents were protected from the hot sun by enormous rolls of cloth which could be unfurled over the seating, the rigging manned by crews of Roman sailors.

The view from here is impressive now, looking out on the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar, It must have been even more so at the height of Roman power.

The apsis of the Temple of Venus and Roma dominates the landscape. This would have been the location of the colossal bronze statue of the emporer Nero, which is where the Colosseum draws its current name. The statue remained (although its head was altered and replaced several times to depict various emporers and gods) well into medieval times.

One can almost imagine rows of wooden bleachers, and the roar of a Roman crowd watching the performance below.