what was the colosseum in rome used for?
Gladiator
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 Construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre , presently better known as the Colosseum , was begun in 70 under Vespasian and finally completed in 80 under Titus . In addition to providing spectacular entertainments to the Roman populace , the building was also conceived as a gigantic triumphal monument to commemorate the military achievements of the Flavians during the Jewish wars . 

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 Construction of the Colosseum started under Vespasian in a low valley surrounded by the Caelian , Esquiline and Palatine hills . The site became available to Nero by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64 and redeveloped for his personal enjoyment with the construction of a huge artificial lake in the Domus Aurea , and a colossal statue of himself . 

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 In its heyday , Scupi covered 40 hectares and was closed by a 3 @.@ 5 m wide wall . It had many monuments , including four necropoles , a theatre , thermae , and a large Christian basilica . 

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 The stone in the Capitoline Temple was believed to have been among the altars located on the Capitoline Hill before the Temple was built under Tarquinius Priscus ( traditional reign 616 – 579 BC ) or Tarquinius Superbus ( 535 – 510 BC ) . When the augurs took the auspices to discover whether the god or goddess of each altar was content for it to be moved , Terminus refused permission , either alone or along with Juventas the goddess of youth . The stone was therefore included within the Capitoline Temple , and its immovability was regarded as a good omen for the permanence of the city 's boundaries . 

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 The Hippodrome in Constantinople remained in use for races , games , and public ceremonies up to the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 . In the 12th century , Emperor Manuel I Komnenos ( r . 1143 – 1180 ) even staged Western @-@ style jousting matches in the Hippodrome . During the sack of 1204 , the Crusaders looted the city and , among other things , removed the copper quadriga that stood above the carceres ; it is now displayed at St. Mark 's Cathedral in Venice . Thereafter , the Hippodrome was neglected , although still occasionally used for spectacles . A print of the Hippodrome from the fifteenth century shows a derelict site , a few walls still standing , and the spina , the central reservation , robbed of its splendor . Today , only the obelisks and the Serpent Column stand where for centuries the spectators gathered . In the West , the games had ended much sooner ; by the end of the fourth century public entertainments in Italy had come to an end in all but a few towns . The last recorded chariot race in Rome itself took place in the Circus Maximus in 549 AD . 
