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:

Creating a better world
Is it art?
Stones on the solstice
28 Mar 2026African buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
25 Nov 2024Maasai giraffes in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
14 Jul 2024Burrowing owl chicks
20 Aug 2024Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
Portable portals into our imagination
In hot water
7 Sep 2024Annas hummingbird
17 Apr 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
Paranormal activity?
26 Jan 2024Big Garden Birdwatch
Black History Month begins
Sep 2, 2023National Hummingbird Day
31 May 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Happy St Andrews Day!
3 Oct 2024National Poetry Day
An oasis in a sea of sand
Butterfly, fly away
12 Jan 2024Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
A cantilevered window to the past
20 Dec 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
A delightful day for donkeys
13 Oct 2024Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
Autumn in Georgia
8 Oct 2023World Octopus Day
27 Jan 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
26 Dec 2023Happy Boxing Day!
Aug 31, 2023Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona