Colosseum

One of the most visited tourist spots in the world today, the Colosseum was built originally to celebrate the Roman victory over the Jews in the First Jewish Revolt.

Originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum was built in the reign of Emperor Vespasian to celebrate the success of his son, Titus, in his prosecution of the Jewish Revolt. Built on what was once a lake within Nero's Golden House—and with funds mostly derived from the sales of loot from the Jewish revolt—it was part of Vespasian's vision of a Rome restored to its former glory, which he felt was needed after what was perceived of as the bankruptcy—both financial and moral—of Nero's reign. Work on it began in 72 AD and the amphitheatre was open in 80 (the second year of Titus's reign), and was the largest building of its kind in its day (hence the more popular name, Colosseum, from 'Colossus,' the ancient giantic statue of Rhodes). With four stories, reaching to a height of 45m (150 feet) it could seat 50,000 spectators. It became one of the most popular sites for official Roman entertainment, including blood sports in which many 'pagans' (i.e., Christians) were martyred and fed to the lions. As with all things, the Roman games went out of fashion, the building itself grew old and needing repairs, it suffered a major blow when a great earthquake in 1231 brought down a the entire south-west facade. After that it became a major ready quarry for stones to be recycled into use in other buildings, until its value as a monument was recognized by Pope Benedict XIV who, in 1744, prohibited any more pilfering from the ruins.