Have you ever wondered why you’re planning a trip to the Colosseum and not the Amphitheatrum Flavium? Or even the Colosseum and not the Coliseum?
When I was planning my trip to Rome, the Colosseum was at the top of my list. I knew what it looked like from pictures, I knew it was a UNESCO world heritage site and I knew it was one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. But I had no idea it wasn’t originally named the Colosseum. How was this possible? Was I asleep during my history class? Has it just been known as the Colosseum for so long that no one remembers the original name?
To answer these questions we have to take a small step back in time. Actually, like a colossal step back!
Building the Colosseum aka Amphitheater Flavium
The amphitheater was built by Emperors of the Flavium Dynasty and was originally named the Amphitheater Flavium. You can still see the large stone plaque on the Colosseum today.
The Colosseum was built in record time between 72 – 80 AD. Emperor Vaspasian began the project but it was finished by Titus, his son. But to fully understand how this magnificent structure got the name Colosseum, we have to back up a few more years to 68 AD.
The Colossus of Nero
The Emperor Nero decided to have a bronze sculpture of himself erected outside his private home. And apparently, bigger was better even back then. The Colossus of Nero statue was raised in 68 AD and stood at an impressive 98 feet tall. To put that in perspective, the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall and the Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall.
Now the Colossus of Nero statue was no where near being in it’s final state. In fact, shortly after Nero’s death the Emperor Vespasian added a crown decorated with rays of sunlight and renamed it the Colossus Solis, after the Roman sun god Helios. After Vespasian, other emperors were all too happy to remove the head of the statue and have their own likeness crowning the top. I have no idea how they did this, but according to historical records they did.
The Colossus Move & 24 Elephants
Around 128 AD, the Emperor Hadrian decided to have the statue moved from it’s original location outside of Nero’s home to the northwest corner of the Flavian Amphitheater. The moved required the strength of 24 elephants and an untold amount of slave labor.
So now we have the Flavian Amphitheater standing at 159 feet tall and with a 98 foot tall bronze statue that had become known as simply the Colossus right next to it. I wish it was still here today so I could see it.
This must have been quite a symbol of power in those days, this massive statue standing proudly next to the magnificent theatre that could hold 50,000 spectators.
So impressive that an 8th century monk named Bede wrote, “As long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world.”
The Interior of The Roman Colosseum
Roman Nickname
It wasn’t long before the Flavian Amphitheater was associated with the Colossus due to it’s close proximity. When spectators would talk about going to the next fun and I’m sure blood filled show, they would simply say, “let’s meet at the Colossus.” It’s much easier to say Colossus and let’s face it, we all love a good nickname. Plus, the original name was a little long. Then, as most nicknames do, the name evolved into Colosseum.
Demise of the Colossus
No one really knows what happened to the great Colossus of Nero. It is possible it was destroyed by an earthquake or simply toppled and the bronze harvested for other uses. Regardless of it’s demise, the statue made a permanent change to the city of Rome. The great Flavian Amphitheater’s name has been forever changed to the Colosseum for almost 2000 years because of this gigantic 98 foot statue.
When you visit the Colosseum today you can still see the base and general location where the Colossus stood. If you have a great tour guide, they should point it out to you. We were on the Rome Super Saver: Colosseum and Ancient Rome with Best of Rome Afternoon Walking Tour with Viator. Totally recommend! This tour gives you a lot for your money!
Have you seen the base of the Colossus? I remember our tour guide pointing it out, I was fascinated by the story but was so mesmerized by the Colosseum next to me I didn’t get a picture.
Don’t you just love Rome?
The Colosseum in Rome on a Cloudy Day
