UNESCO Assignment: The Colosseum Amphitheatre

UNESCO Assignment: The Coliseum Name Institution Affiliation UNESCO Assignment: The Coliseum National historic landmarks include buildings, objects, sites and structures that have been recognized for their outstanding historical importance. These places are held with such high regard because they may be places where prominent people lived or worked, or their outstanding design or construction, places where important national historical events occurred and or maybe places that characterize a people’s way of life(Moore, 2010). UNESCO in collaboration with national governments ensures that these historic landmarks are well preserved and protected. Italy is a country that is blessed with famous landmarks, historic cities and stunning landscapes and offers so much attraction to travelers. The Coliseum/Colosseum is one historic landmark in Italy that has withstood the test of time. The Coliseum is an oval Amphitheatre built at the heart of the Italian Capital of Rome east of the Roman Forum. It was commissioned around AD.72 by Emperor Vespasian and opened in AD.80 by his son and her Titus as a gift to the Roman people. It was further modified when Domitian was ruling between AD.81-86. After its completion, it’s estimated that the Coliseum could hold between fifty thousand to eighty thousand spectators. Croci mentions that “the Coliseum unlike many other amphitheaters built before is a free standing structure made of just stone and concrete. Its distinctive exterior has three stories of arched entrances and each story contained columns of different styles. At the entrance of the Coliseum was the arch of Constantine built in honor of Constantine for his victory against Maxentius” (Croci, 2013). It is said that the audience sat in the Coliseum, according to their social rankings in space like sardines and were protected from the hot Roman sun by unfurled awnings (Croci, 2013). The Coliseum was actively used for four centuries after its completion for brutal gladiator battles, chariot races, animal hunts, executions and public spectacles characterized by mock sea battles where the arena was flooded with water. It underwent radical changes during the medieval pe...