CultureEurope
The Colosseum
Fifty thousand spectators, and bread and circuses as state policy
See it on the timeline →In depth
The ticketing with numbered entrances is the model for modern stadium design. It was raised on the site of Nero's private lake — a deliberate political gesture that the emperor's luxury was being returned to the people. Juvenal coined "bread and circuses" as a complaint that Romans had traded political influence for entertainment.
For children
The Colosseum held fifty thousand spectators, who could empty out in minutes through numbered exits. There gladiators fought, often slaves or captives. The emperors paid for the entertainment to keep the people content.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org