Colosseum, Rome, Italy Nov 12, 2025

Think modern sports are dramatic? Ancient Romans had front-row seats to spectacles far more intense inside the Colosseum. Commissioned by the Flavian emperor Vespasian in 72 CE and finished by his son Titus in 80 CE, this amphitheatre broke tradition with its predecessors that were built into hillsides for natural support. Instead, the Colosseum was a fully free-standing architectural giant. Crafted from stone and concrete, its arches and vaults supported an arena that could host up to 50,000 spectators. Gladiators, exotic animals and even staged sea battles thrilled the crowds, while hidden lifts and trapdoors created sudden, dramatic appearances.

© Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Nov 12, 2023Mallard ducks
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 18, 2025Göreme Historical National Park in Cappadocia, Türkiye
May 30, 2026Plains zebra foal in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Feb 6, 2024Lake Tahoe
Mar 23, 2024Large anvil clouds, Amazon, Brazil
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Vancouver Island, Canada
Jun 6, 2024Greater flamingos at Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, Camargue, France
Nov 18, 2024Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales
Mar 31, 2026Paradise Cave, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
June 14, 2026Mallard duck
Oct 15, 2024Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
Apr 11, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Jan 1, 2026Arctic fox
Oct 28, 2023Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
Oct 24, 2025RMS Queen Mary, California
Feb 5, 2026Salt evaporation ponds on the island of Gozo, Malta
Feb 8, 2024Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA
Dec 29, 2024Borobudur temple, Java, Indonesia
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week
Feb 18, 2026Przewalskis horses
Oct 17, 2025Rock River Falls, Michigan
July 25, 2026Isla Cristina, Huelva, Spain
Jan 6, 2026Nuuk, Greenland
Mar 8, 2025Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, Germany
Jan 12, 2026Eurasian otters
Sep 21, 2024Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
Jun 30, 2025Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia
Apr 30, 2024Cheetah in Tanzania
Dec 6, 2024Helsinki, Finland