The Colosseum is the single most recognisable structure Rome ever built, and standing in front of it for the first time — even if you've seen it a thousand times in photos — still delivers a jolt. Completed in 80 AD under Emperor Titus, the elliptical amphitheatre could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators who packed the tiered seating to watch gladiatorial combat, animal hunts, mock sea battles, and public executions. It was, in the most literal sense, the entertainment engine of an empire. The scale is almost absurd: four storeys of travertine limestone and concrete, engineered with a sophistication that modern architects still study closely.
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