The Colosseum in Rome was started by Vespasian in 72 A.D. and completed by his son Titus in 80 A.D.
It served the same purpose as our stadiums today, but the games were more violent.
Gladiators fought to the death and wild animals were killed.
The Christians also suffered persecution in the Colosseum.

Over the years earthquakes caused great damage to the structure, but a great deal of it remains to this day.

The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy By Edited by Irving Hexham / Zondervan Corp. Travelers can deal directly with what even the best general travel guides only touch on: Christianity's enormous influence on Europe-- and, through its history and culture, Europe's influence on Christianity. This unique series guides you on a pilgrimage to the heart of our Christian heritage. Saints and secularists, martyrs and kings, castles and cathedrals, public squares and rolling hillsides, great works of art, literature and architecture: the legacy of the Christian faith takes on immediacy and impact as you see firsthand the places where believers through the centuries lived and died, shaping our world with their faith.

Paul, a Prisoner in Rome