In 72 AD, the Flavian emperor Vespasian commissioned the construction of this amphitheater, which could hold 65,000 spectators. The construction of the Colosseum in Rome lasted eight years and was financed with spoils from the plundering of Jerusalem. The Colosseum, also known as the Amphitheatrum Flavium, was inaugurated by Emperor Titus with games and festivities that lasted 100 days, during which nearly 5,000 animals perished.

Emperor Domitian, Titus's successor, expanded the amphitheater by adding an extra level and some spaces beneath it. The Colosseum in Rome is thus the largest amphitheater in Roman history and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.