新编英语教程 6 Unit 5 背景知识之Colosseum

Colosseum, largest and most famous ancient Roman amphitheater. The emperor Vespasian, who ruled Rome from ad 69 to 79, began construction of the city’s Colosseum and his son, the Roman emperor Titus, dedicated it in ad 80. The Colosseum was completed by Ve spasian’s younger son, Domitian, who succeeded Titus as emperor in 81. The structure was originally called the Flavian Amphitheater. Modifications and restorations necessitated by fires and earthquakes were made to the Colosseum until the early 6th century. In succeeding centuries the Colosseum suffered from neglect, earthquakes, and damage done by builders. Still, slightly more than one-third of the outer arcades, comprising a number of the arches on the north side, remain standing. The inner skeleton, which supported the cavea (seating space), is also substantially intact. All marble, stucco, and metal decorations, however, are gone.
The Colosseum is elliptical, measuring 189 m (620 ft) long and 156 m (513 ft) wide. Its exterior, 47 m (157 ft) high, is a three-storied arcade surmounted by a fourth story pierced with windowlike openings. Each of the three arcaded stories originally had 80 arches. A broad pavement of travertine (a whitish calcium carbonate frequently used as building stone), bordered by travertine posts, once surrounded the entire Colosseum, which was entered through the arches of the lowest arcade. The outer wall and the skeleton of the interior up to the second story were constructed of large blocks of travertine bonded with metal. Elsewhere, softer stones, concrete, and bricks were used.。