JUNE 2005 – The interior of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. © Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
This shot shows the interior of the Colosseum, a giant oval theater in the historical center of Rome in Italy.
Certainly it is one of the most spectacular buildings in Rome. Emperor Nero had died in 68 AD, and the new Emperor (Vespasian) wanted to make use of Neros grounds to benefit the whole roman population. So he started construction works on this new, gigantic Anfiteatro in 72 AD. Only eight years later, in 80 AD, the theater – which could seat between 50,000 and 80,000 visitors – was inaugurated by Titus with games and shows that lasted for 100 days and nights. During that time numerous gladiators and about 5,000 wild animals were slaughtered.
The arena had a wooden floor that covered the “function rooms” in the basement, for example, the cages. All the walls are still in pretty good shape despite being roughly 2,000 years old! The large runway in the middle is not visible on recent satellite images any longer. It might have been erected just for an event.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | June 2005 |
| Location | Rome, Italy |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Image Source | Fuji Slide Film |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 6505 x 4206 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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