In this time, the excessively unstable and overtly lavish leader built himself a Golden House, Domus Aurea in the Latin, equipped with grandiose gardens and a man-made lake. Before Vespasian gained power at the end of the Year of the Four Emperors, Nero-adopted son of Claudius-controlled ancient Rome for thirteen years. The Monumental Structureīegun under the imperial rule of Vespasian (69-79 AD), many tourists who visit the Colosseum are unaware of its previous history. Known during its initial construction as the Flavian Amphitheater in honor of the first Flavian emperor, the Colosseum quickly made a name for itself as the place to be-rich and poor alike flocked to its stands, regardless of whether or not one could see the actions of the participants in the arena below. These are only a few of the events, if they can even be called such, that happened in the walls of the Colosseum.
Gladiatorial fights, sea battles, criminal (and Christian?) executions.