View of Flavian Amphitheater, called the Colosseum, 1776, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian (Rome), Italian, 1720–1778, 19 3/8 x 27 5/8 in. ( x cm) (plate)21 3/8 x 30 3/8 in. ( x cm) (sheet), Etching and engraving, Italy, 18th century, Gladiator combats, wild-animal hunts, executions—all manner of spectacle took place inside the Colosseum, which could hold up to 80,000 people. It was even filled with water to hold mock naval battles. After Rome’s decline, the Colosseum was seen as a ready source of building materials, and people plundered its great façade and interior


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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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