Colosseum, Rome, Italy 12 Nov 2025

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

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 elevators and trapdoors created sudden, dramatic appearances.

© Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Eagles assemble!
12 Nov 2023Diwali
12 Nov 2024Arches National Park, Utah, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Stripes in sight
Rocky Mountain run-off
Nap your worries away
26 Oct 2024Gespensterwald, Nienhagen, Germany
14 Jun 2024Peggys Cove Lighthouse, Canada
7 Oct 2024World Architecture Day
Nature’s blue wonder
14 Oct 2024Coco Beach, Goa, India
London calling
11 Nov 2023Val di Funes, Italy
Kings of the north
Blue as far as the eye can see
18 Dec 2025Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, United States
Eyes on the skies
21 Dec 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
11 Mar 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
5 Jul 2025Pride in London
4 Aug 2024San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
Sociable climbers
23 Feb 2024Haghartsin Monastery, Armenia
3 Oct 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
14 Oct 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
31 Jan 2025Happy International Zebra Day!
A rock giant
16 Mar 2024Giant panda
12 Jan 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
4 Nov 2025Tower Bridge, London
Spring is coming
A day of swing and celebration
Today, a nation was born