The Colosseum is in the United States.
The Colosseum or Coliseum -LRB- -LSB- kɒləˈsiːəm -RSB- -RRB- , also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre -LRB- Latin  : Amphitheatrum Flavium ; Italian  : Anfiteatro Flavio -LSB- aŋfiteˈaːtro ˈflaːvjo -RSB- or Colosseo -LSB- kolosˈsɛːo -RSB- -RRB- , is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome , Italy .. Amphitheatre. Amphitheatre. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. Rome. Rome. Italy. Italy. Latin. Latin. Built of concrete and sand , it is the largest amphitheatre ever built .. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. concrete. Concrete#History. The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum .. Roman Forum. Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in AD 72 , and was completed in AD 80 under his successor and heir Titus .. Vespasian. Vespasian. Titus. Titus. Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian -LRB- 81 -- 96 -RRB- .. Domitian. Domitian. These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty , and the amphitheatre was named in Latin for its association with their family name -LRB- Flavius -RRB- .. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. Flavian dynasty. Flavian dynasty. Latin. Latin. Flavius. Flavia ( gens ). The Colosseum could hold , it is estimated , between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators , having an average audience of some 65,000 ; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles -LRB- for only a short time as the hypogeum was soon filled in with mechanisms to support the other activities -RRB- , animal hunts , executions , re-enactments of famous battles , and dramas based on Classical mythology .. gladiatorial. gladiatorial. public spectacles. Roman Empire#spectacle. mock sea battles. naumachia. animal hunts. venatio. Classical mythology. Roman mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era .. early medieval. Early Middle Ages. It was later reused for such purposes as housing , workshops , quarters for a religious order , a fortress , a quarry , and a Christian shrine .. fortress. fortress. quarry. quarry. Although partially ruined because of damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers , the Colosseum is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome .. Rome. Rome. Imperial Rome. Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome 's most popular tourist attractions and also has links to the Roman Catholic Church , as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit `` Way of the Cross '' procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum .. Rome. Rome. Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholic Church. Good Friday. Good Friday. Pope. Pope. The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin .. Italian version. Italian euro coins. five-cent euro coin. 5 cent euro coins. The Colosseum 's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium , often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheatre .. Amphitheatre. Amphitheatre. Latin. Latin. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty , following the reign of Nero .. Flavian dynasty. Flavian dynasty. Nero. Nero. This name is still used in modern English , but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum .. modern English. modern English. In antiquity , Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum -LRB- with Caesareum an adjective pertaining to the title Caesar -RRB- , but this name may have been strictly poetic as it was not exclusive to the Colosseum ; Vespasian and Titus , builders of the Colosseum , also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli -LRB- modern Pozzuoli -RRB- .. Vespasian. Vespasian. Titus. Titus. Caesar. Caesar ( title ). amphitheater of the same name. Flavian Amphitheater ( Pozzuoli ). Puteoli. Puteoli. The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby -LRB- the statue of Nero was named after the Colossus of Rhodes -RRB- .. Nero. Nero. colossal statue of Nero. Colossus of Nero. Colossus of Rhodes. Colossus of Rhodes. This statue was later remodeled by Nero 's successors into the likeness of Helios -LRB- Sol -RRB- or Apollo , the sun god , by adding the appropriate solar crown .. Nero. Nero. Helios. Helios. Apollo. Apollo. solar crown. solar crown. Nero 's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors .. Nero. Nero. Despite its pagan links , the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers .. pagan. paganism. magical powers. magic ( paranormal ). It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome .. Rome. Rome. In the 8th century , a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted  : Quamdiu stat Colisæus , stat et Roma ; quando cadet colisæus , cadet et Roma ; quando cadet Roma , cadet et mundus -LRB- `` as long as the Colossus stands , so shall Rome ; when the Colossus falls , Rome shall fall ; when Rome falls , so falls the world '' -RRB- .. Rome. Rome. Venerable Bede. Bede. This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus -LRB- as in , for instance , Byron 's poem Childe Harold 's Pilgrimage -RRB- .. Byron. George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron. However , at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote , the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre .. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. masculine noun. grammatical gender. The Colossus did eventually fall , possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze .. bronze. bronze. By the year 1000 the name `` Colosseum '' had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre .. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives , situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma .. Temple of Venus and Roma. Temple of Venus and Roma. The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle Ages .. In Italy , the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo , and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as Coloseumul -LRB- Romanian -RRB- , le Colisee -LRB- French -RRB- , el Coliseo -LRB- Spanish -RRB- and o Coliseu -LRB- Portuguese -RRB- .. amphitheatre. amphitheatre. Italy. Italy. Portuguese. Portuguese language