Talk:Colosseum

I read the article of the Colosseum this morning and chanced upon the gallery under the Today section of the article. The picture gallery contains repeated "Colosseum 2013" captions which I find confusing. Could someone help me out here? I want to arrange them in a gallery but there should be only one caption for all the images. Regards, Japanese Rail Fan (talk) 13:52, 22 February 2014 (UTC)

A separate section on Christians is not really necessary as the main body of the text already states "In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there (see Christians and the Colosseum). However there is no historical evidence to support Benedict's claim, nor is there even any evidence that anyone prior to the 16th century suggested this might be the case; the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that there are no historical grounds for the supposition." An editor at some point added a section based on the Catholic Encyclopedia entry which was tagged for years as needed refs, so I added them, but now the section has been re-written with the addition of various legends stated as fact. There is no evidence that St Ignatius was torn to pieces by lions at the Coliseum, that is just a legend. I am putting it back to the version which is neutral in my opinion, although I will amend it to say that there is no evidence for or against Christians being executed there. I don't like that painting of lions about to pounce on Christians in the Colosseum either as I feel it perpetuates myths and I changed that also but don't feel strongly enough about that to fight about it.Smeat75 (talk) 03:26, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

User:Smeat75, hello! Thank you for taking the time to look at the section. I would like to discuss your recent edits. If you noticed, every reliable source that I added in the article has the original quote by the author, for you to see if the sentence is verifiable. Now, the former paragraphs never said that Ignatius was definitively martyred in the Colosseum; rather, they say that he likely was martyred there, giving Christians further inspiration to believe in the idea that many Christians were persecuted there. I agree that most Christians were not persecuted in the Colosseum, but as the sources point out, some were executed as common criminals. Your edits restore information that The Catholic Encyclopedia never state in the first place. I suppose that I should find the original quotes from that source to show you that the new revision is more accurate. Indeed, I spent quite some time going back to the source and revising that information. I will not object to your removal of that painting, as long as File:Ignatius of Antioch.jpg is used in its stead. I hope this helps and look forward to your comments. With regards, Anupam^Talk 04:02, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

I just added the original quotes from Keith Hopkins, as well as The Catholic Encyclopedidia of the sentences do not accurately reflect what is said in the sources (I have provided the original quotes for you to read), then you can suggest a revision of the sentence in question here. Thanks! Best, Anupam^Talk 04:24, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

Hello, I am not a registered Wikipedia editor, but i am the author of a source cited in the Christians and the Colosseum section. My book is quoted and cited concerning the cross that is erected at the Colosseum and the plaque. I was incorrect about the placement of the plaque; it is on the exterior of the building, not on the cross as the book seems to indicate. I will update this in the book's second edition, and provide a better translation of the plaque's wording. In the meantime, accuracy on Wikipedia would require removing this reference to the plaque. Thank you. Bryan Litfin — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.132.70.5 (talk) 14:32, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

Re: comments of Anupam above: the paraphrase from professor of ancient history at Cambridge University Keith Hopkins's book on the Coliseum needs to stay, it is an impeccable source, and says there is no evidence for (or against) execution of Christians at the Coliseum. The quote you added says "there seems little doubt that "some Christians" were executed there but you left out the "seems" and "doubt" so I have clarified that, to "it may be" that "some Christians" were executed there. The story about Ignatius being torn to lions, as the quote you added says ("ancient Christian records do not record" martyrdoms at the Coliseum), is not backed by any record whether Christian or pagan, therefore it is a legend without any evidence except that it became an oft-repeated tale.Smeat75 (talk) 17:41, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

I amended the Ignatius reference from "legend" to 'according to Iraneus" but he doesn't say anything about Ignatius being torn to lions at the Coliseum, only in Rome. There is a reference in there which talks about Trajan and Marcus Aurelius sending Christians to their deaths which is just not true but I will not remove it for the moment anyway.Smeat75 (talk) 19:01, 17 July 2014 (UTC)

User:Smeat75, I have taken a look at your changes and find them to be acceptable. I will make no changes to the version as you have it written now. All the best, Anupam^Talk 02:50, 18 July 2014 (UTC)

In reading this section the other day, I was disturbed that the topic sentence of the section seemed to only mention one perspective. In an effort to remedy that, I have drafted a proposed re-write of this section. If there are no objections, I will proceed with the edit soon. (my proposed added footnotes are in parenthesis until I actually edit the article). I propose that this section of the article be amended as follows:

"The Colosseum is generally regarded by Christians as a site of the martyrdom of large numbers Saints as evidenced by tradition and Church history, (http://www.the-colosseum.net/history/h1.htm) (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04101b.htm ) (http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/colosseum-christian-martyrs.htm). On the other hand, some modern scholars believe that the majority of martyrdoms may have occurred at other venues within the city of Rome, rather than at the Colosseum, citing a lack of still-intact physical evidence or historical records. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04101b.htm) [38] [39] These scholars assert that "some Christians were executed as common criminals in the Colosseum—their crime being refusal to reverence the Roman gods"[40], but most Christian martyrs of the early Church were executed for their faith at the Circus Maximus. [41] According to St.Irenaeus (died about 202), St.Ignatius of Antioch was fed to the lions in Rome around 107 A.D, but St.Irenaeus says nothing about this happening at the Colosseum, although tradition ascribes it to that place.[42][43][44][45] Pope Pius V (1566–1572) is said to have recommended that pilgrims gather sand from the arena of the Colosseum to serve as a relic, on the grounds that it was impregnated with the blood of martyrs, although some of his contemporaries did not share his conviction.[48] A century later Fioravante Martinelli listed the Colosseum at the head of a list of places sacred to the martyrs in his 1653 book Roma ex ethnica sacra. It was only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the Colosseum came to be widely venerated as a Christian site.[49] In the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was not regarded as a monument, and was used as a what some modern sources label a "quarry,"[38] which is to say that stones from the Colosseum were taken for the building of other sacred sites (http://www.the-colosseum.net/history/quarry.htm). This fact is used to support the idea that, at a time when sites associated with martyrs were highly venerated the Colosseum was not being treated as a sacred site[46],. It was not included in the itineraries compiled for the use of pilgrims nor in works such as the 12th century Mirabilia Urbis Romae ("Marvels of the City of Rome"), which claims the Circus Flaminius – but not the Colosseum – as the site of martyrdoms.[47] Part of the structure was inhabited by a Christian order, but it is not known whether this was for any particular religious reason.

The Christian Martyrs' Last Prayer, by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1883) Martinelli's book evidently had an effect on public opinion; in response to Cardinal Altieri's proposal some years later to turn the Colosseum into a bullring, Carlo Tomassi published a pamphlet in protest against what he regarded as an act of desecration. The ensuing controversy persuaded Pope Clement X to close the Colosseum's external arcades and declare it a sanctuary.[50] At the insistence of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) forbade the reusing the stones of the Colosseum and erected Stations of the Cross around the arena, which remained until February 1874.[51] St. Benedict Joseph Labre spent the later years of his life within the walls of the Colosseum, living on alms, prior to his death in 1783.[51] Several 19th century popes funded repair and restoration work on the Colosseum, and it still retains its Christian connection today. a cross stands in the Colosseum, with a plaque, stating: . . ."

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Elpiniki (talk • contribs) 01:44, 14 August 2015 (UTC)

Elpiniki I had the protection removed from this article. You are free to edit it now. Thanks for posting here before going to the article - that makes space for discussion if anyone has anything to say. Blue Rasberry (talk) 14:24, 19 August 2015 (UTC)

Thanks so much!

I edited it to the best of my ability as I stated above. I am not an expert in HTML, so I apologize for any errors. But, I believe I retained all of the previously existing footnotes as well as adding my own.

Thanks so much for your help on this, Blue Rasberry!

Elpiniki (talk) 02:30, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

At the segment "in effect, placing it both literally and symbolically at the heart of Rome." there is a misuse of the world "Literal", for it seems that when the author wrote it he thought that when a building is constructed in the center of a geographical map, it is "literally" in the heart of the certain geographical map. It still isn't, the "heart" of Rome still is a metaphorical expression. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Marcosoldfox (talk • contribs) 19:55, 11 May 2015 (UTC)

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In the third paragraph under "Physical description" --> "Exterior" it is stated that "The arcades are framed by half-columns of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters." However, as noted by Sebastiano Serlio in Tutte l'opere d'architettura et prospetiva the ground floor arcade is framed by columns of the (Roman) Doric order, not the Tuscan order (see page 158 of the translation by Vaughan Hart and Peter Hicks). Hence, I request that this sentence be changed to "The arcades are framed by half-columns of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters."

N.B.: Serlio treats the Tuscan order separately, and hence his claim that these columns are of the Doric order does not reflect an issue of nomenclature ambiguity between the two orders. Andrew Auman (talk) 17:33, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Question: The source in question is not visible to everyone because it is a book. Is there an online source confirming this? TrueCRaysball | ^#RaysUp 09:05, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

I think hardcopy references are valid. Also onlinr http://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum has the statement "Three of the arena’s stories are encircled by arcades framed by decorative half-columns in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders;"--Jcardazzi (talk) 18:28, 6 August 2015 (UTC)jcardazzi

Done TrueCRaysball | ^#RaysUp 19:36, 6 August 2015 (UTC)

"Along with this free source of unskilled labor, teams of professional Roman builders, engineers, artists, painters and decorators undertook the more specialized tasks necessary for building the Colosseum."

What is the source of this asertion? The assumption here is that all of the slaves brought from Judea were unskilled, and that Romans provided the skill sets for the construction. However, Herod's Temple "...was one of the larger construction projects of the 1st century BCE. Josephus records that Herod was interested in perpetuating his name through building projects, that his construction programs were extensive and paid for by heavy taxes, but that his masterpiece was the Temple of Jerusalem." Construction technology, engineering principles, artistic styles, painting and decorative techniques were all well known and used in Judea, so the slave labour was not necessarily just for heavy lifting physical labour. Crock81 (talk) 23:36, 23 August 2016 (UTC)

Do you have any sources to back up this claim? The article on Herod's Temple claims that Herod built it using Greek, Roman, and Egyptian architects. Plus there are no major building projects in Palestine on that scale beforehand so I don't know if you can really say for sure that they had the same level of engineering skills as the Roman's did. Besides, as amphitheaters were a specifically roman type of building it makes far more sense that Roman engineers were the ones who designed it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:69C1:2A00:9102:9936:85D2:3A26 (talk) 01:18, 28 September 2018 (UTC)

... the article states. Some maybe, but. After the 1349 quake, the population had dwindled to ~17,000. But 'stone-robbers'??

"In the XIV century the Orsini and Colonna families were granted permission to remove stones and marble." Sometime after 1382, "the Arciconfraternita was granted the concession of the materials of the amphitheatre, a great source of profit.... In 1439 the Colosseum travertine was used to build the tribune of St. John's Lateran. It was then that the removal of marble, stones and bricks really started, and it lasted for generations. Many palaces and churches were built with stones taken from the Colosseum. It is reported (Lugli) that, in the year 1451-1452 alone, 2.522 cartloads were taken from the site to be used for buildings of the Vatican and for the walls of Rome." (Source) Some pretty upscale 'robbers'. Twang (talk) 23:17, 1 November 2016 (UTC)

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The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,[5][6] having an average audience of some 65,000;[7][8] it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles (for only a short time as the hypogeum was soon filled in with mechanisms to support the other activities), animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. In the interval, criminals were often brought out to kill each other and later Christians were sent in, defenseless, to face lions and other wild animals. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Freeman, Charles, et al. The World of the Romans. Kew, Vic., 1997. Pivaralj (talk) 05:36, 4 October 2017 (UTC)

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. SparklingPessimist ^{Scream at me!} 05:51, 4 October 2017 (UTC)

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The Colosseum or Coliseum (/kɒləˈsiːəm/ Kol-ə-SEE-əm), also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio [aŋfiteˈaːtro ˈflaːvjo] or Colosseo [kolosˈsɛːo]), is an elliptical amphitheater in the center of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete,[1] it is the largest amphitheater ever built. The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under emperor Vespasian in AD 72,[2] and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir Titus.[3] Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (81–96).[4] These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheater was named in Latin for its association with their family name (Flavius).

The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,[5][6] having an average audience of some 65,000 [7][8]. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles (for only a short time as the hypogeum was soon filled in with mechanisms to support the other activities), animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although partially ruined because of damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and also has links to the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[9]

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

The Colosseum The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheatre. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, following the reign of Nero.[10] This name is still used in modern English, but generally, the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum (with Caesareum an adjective about the title Caesar). But this name may have been strictly poetic[11][12] as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).[13]

The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby[4] (the figure of Nero was named after the Colossus of Rhodes).[citation needed] This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the leaders of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.

In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy. The icon read: Quamdiu stat Colisæus, stat et Roma; Quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma; Quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus. ("as long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world").[14] This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for instance, Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheater. They also played Basketball here.

The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000, the name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheater. The statue itself was largely forgotten, and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.[15] 67.245.52.7 (talk) 02:52, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

 Not done. Is there a request anywhere here? CityOfSilver 06:08, 29 November 2017 (UTC)

Can someone add this to the article? It happened in 2015.

http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/15/tourist-forced-to-her-knees-at-knifepoint-at-romes-colosseum-5296614/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 101.178.163.208 (talk) 08:22, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

Anfiteatro Flavio is provided the IPA pronunciation [aŋfiteˈaːtro ˈflaːvjo].

This is wrong. According to this scheme, the Italian pronunciation ought to be angfi-; whereas in fact, it's closer to amfi-.

Could somebody please alter this? I would alter it myself; only I just know somebody would get their knickers in a twist about it! Nuttyskin (talk) 13:45, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

There's far too many of them; see WP:IMGDD; also WP:SANDWICH. And—slightly tongue-in-cheek, but knowing the passion of some editors for filling the "IPC" section over anything else—there's no mention of Ben Hur...! ——SerialNumber54129 08:29, 26 October 2018 (UTC)

File:Il Colosseo.png 19Mantis72 (talk) 23:04, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

The previous URL for official website was a dead link - http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en/archaeological-site/colosseum

I updated it to the link from the Italian version of this page - http://colosseo.beniculturali.it/ - but this appears to be only available in Italian. The closest English page I could find was http://musei.beniculturali.it/en/museums?mid=385&nome=parco-archeologico-del-colosseo-foro-romano-e-palatino - this may be a better choice.

Rattle (talk) 00:33, 28 October 2018 (UTC)

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The opening sentence of the 'name' section is incorrect. The name "Flavian amphitheater" derives from the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) who built the structure -- not from Nero, who was a Julio-Claudian and who died before the amphitheater was built. It's the name "Colosseum" derives from Nero's statue, as is correctly noted below in the same section.

Here's a suggested revision which corrects the mistake:

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as "Flavian Amphitheatre", after the emperors of the Flavian dynasty who presided over its construction[13]. This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum (with Caesareum an adjective pertaining to the title Caesar), but this name may have been strictly poetic[14][15] as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).[16] Theodox (talk) 00:03, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

 Already done Not exactly as suggested but the first sentence now does not say the name derives from Nero. Alduin2000 (talk) 01:43, 13 August 2019 (UTC)

The user Nerbys seems to have changed all references to AD within the article to CE in violation of MOS:ERA. This change should be reverted, but since the page is semi-protected I can't do that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by KeyShift (talk • contribs) 18:18, 11 April 2020 (UTC)

the first citation now takes you to one of those spam wordpress blogs. should be replaced with http://web.archive.org/web/20120504051824/http://roman-colosseum.info/colosseum/building-the-colosseum.htm right? thx — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:204:E780:D3B0:3504:3491:737B:1F19 (talk) 23:54, 1 September 2020 (UTC)

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The date formatting in years of this article is greatly inconsistent, as in the preface / introduction a year was marked as "AD ##", later "## AD", "## BC" abd even "## CE". Considering the controversial nature of the BC&endash;AD year notation doctrine, I request that all dates be revised to "## CE / BCE".

Thank you, and have a good day. 32.208.214.144 (talk) 01:35, 12 April 2021 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{edit semi-protected}} template. That seems like a non-trivial change. Please get consensus from other editors first. RudolfRed (talk) 02:40, 12 April 2021 (UTC)

The image on the infobox has been changed some months ago for some reason. I think the classic photo by Diliff (this is the cleaned-up version, while this is the original) is still the best one—it also has been recognized as a quality image and as a featured image by the Commons community. That said, if it were another featured picture of the exterior, I would definitely consider it. I would like to hear other opinions on this. --Lion-hearted85 (talk) 18:39, 19 May 2021 (UTC)

Undoubtedly much better this one, in daylight, more definition.Greetings.--KingPhoto (talk) 18:22, 21 May 2021 (UTC)

In the Name section, there are three paragraphs at the end with detailed information about the statue Colossus of Nero and how its name has been confused with the Colosseum amphitheatre. Shouldn't much of this text be moved to Colossus of Nero with just a reference to the naming confusion remaining in this page? Jimdmurphy (talk) 13:24, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Hello all!

This article has been chosen as this fortnight's effort for WP:Discord's #team-b-vital channel, a collaborative effort to bring Vital articles up to a B class if possible, similar to WP:Articles for Improvement. This effort will run for up to seven days, ending early if the article is felt to be at B-class or impossible to further improve. Articles are chosen by a quick vote among interested chatters, with the goal of working together on interesting Vital articles that need improving.

Thank you! Remagoxer ^(talk) 22:16, 31 March 2022 (UTC)

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, A series of earthquakes during the fith century damaged the structure.It also suffered form neglect.By the 29th century nearly two third of the original building destroyed. 2A02:C7C:5172:5700:1CE9:4730:5275:8968 (talk) 17:50, 20 November 2022 (UTC)

Should anything about the ongoing restoration be added to the article? https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-italys-monuments-are-getting-a-makeover Startrain844 (talk) 18:35, 2 February 2024 (UTC) The colleseum is in Italy Rome — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2806:2F0:91A1:F5B4:D9FD:F387:4D8:1D18 (talk) 21:43, 20 March 2024 (UTC)

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Frangipane family and Annibaldi family

Add text, with these references:

In 1084, the Frangipane family turned part of the Coliseum into a fort/residence.

https://the-colosseum.net/wp/en/chronology/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Colosseum

"In 1144 the Roman people banned the baronial families from the city, in an effort to free Rome from the influence of the Pope and of the nobility and to establish a Senate like that of the ancient Romans. The Colosseum was then occupied and declared a property of the free municipality of Rome."

In 1159 the Frangipane came back and reoccupied the building.

In 1216, the Annibaldi family challenged the Frangipane family for the possession of the Coliseum

In 1230, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II compelled the Frangipani to give half the amphitheater, the half closest to the Lateran Palace, to the Annibaldi.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170119145415/http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/45618

At the end of the 1200s, the Annibaldi took over the Colosseum, but were obliged to return it to the Church in 1312."

https://web.uniroma2.it/en/contenuto/the_families

https://the-colosseum.net/wp/en/middle-ages/

https://web.archive.org/web/20101127201031/http://piercedhearts.org/treasures/holy_sites/coliseum.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20170531160321/http://omeka.wellesley.edu/piranesi-rome/exhibits/show/colosseum/afterlife-post-antiquity-to-17

https://omeka-dev.carleton.edu/cgmr/exhibits/show/uninhabited_rome/fortification_in_disabitato

http://omeka.wellesley.edu/piranesi-rome/exhibits/show/colosseum/afterlife-post-antiquity-to-17

Mid-13th Century, Pope Innocenzo IV claimed the site for the Catholic Church.

https://gizmodo.com/the-family-that-turned-the-roman-colosseum-into-a-fort-5915422

In 1349, the Colosseum was partially destroyed when a great earthquake hit Rome.

https://www.livescience.com/roman-colosseum

Add for further reading:

https://the-colosseum.net/wp/en/sources/

https://the-colosseum.net/wp/en/papers-studies-essays-etc/

https://www.the-colosseum.net/docs/Col%20Structural%20behaviour%20Croci.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.248.161.240 (talk) 18:08, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

 Not done for now: Please ensure to sign your posts, IP. Please also indicate where exactly you would like each of the text portions above to go. Once done, feel free to flip answered=y back to answered=n. —Sirdog (talk) 22:42, 28 September 2024 (UTC)

I would like to be able to further read citation 22: "Elkins, p. 23." However, I am having trouble locating the source, and the reference is relitively sparse. Does anyone know more about this source? Jppickar (talk) 19:20, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Full cite is in the bibliography at the end of the article:

Elkins, Nathan T. (2019). A Monument to Dynasty and Death: The Story of Rome's Colosseum and the Emperors Who Built It. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 9781421432557.

meamemg (talk) 17:28, 19 September 2024 (UTC)

The reference to Elkins, p. 23 does not support the assertion before the semicolon in the sentence citing Elkins: "This claim is disputed;..." (referring to the building of the amphitheater theatre by Jewish prisoners/slaves). What sources credibly dispute this claim? Theramlio (talk) 16:43, 9 February 2025 (UTC)

In one section the text says: "The central arena is an ellipse 87 m (287 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide" and in another it's said to be "The arena itself was 83 meters by 48 meters". So which is it then? Or is there some sort of an area around the arena? GMRE (talk) 17:23, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

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Delete or rephrase "Since 1 November 2017, the top two levels have been opened for guided visits. The fourth level held the marketplace, and the top fifth tier is where the poorest citizens, the plebeians, gathered and watched the show, bringing picnics for the day-long event", no longer functioning this way? Anonymous selangorian (talk) 13:48, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

 Not done. It's not clear what changes you want to make (or why). –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 14:27, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Please read the "Restoration" part, it's clearly implying that the Colosseum has been restored (TRUE) and currently holds a marketplace, and a site for plebeians to watch and gather (obviously, FALSE). It should be deleted unless any rephrasing is suggested. Anonymous selangorian (talk) 15:02, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Still  Not done. I think it's pretty clearly talking about the historical use of the structure. Feel free to suggest alternate wording if you think it would clarify, but there's no good reason to delete it. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 15:36, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Oh, I see. I have clearly not read it properly. Thanks for clearing it up and sorry for any misunderstandings. However, should at least have the wordings fixed? I'm not good at it tho. But anyways, thanks. Anonymous selangorian (talk) 15:45, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Can someone more knowledgeable check, source and fix the information regarding the shape? Throughout the article, it is claimed, with no sources, that it is an ellipse. From what I understand, the current academic consensus is that it is in fact a polycentric oval, and the same is true of the different levels and the arena. Apparently, this preserves the right angles, which would be impossible with concentric ellipses. ~2026-15058-27 (talk) 18:53, 9 March 2026 (UTC)

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Add citation to "Honorius banned the practice of gladiator fights in 399 and again in 404." Michelle Alessandra (talk) 13:10, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

 Additional information needed Can you say what exactly needs to be cited? EvenLeoEme (talk) 16:16, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want made. Please detail the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. meamemg (talk) 18:46, 13 March 2026 (UTC)