Colosseum - Wikipedia
Construction was funded by the opulent spoils taken from the Jewish Temple after the Great Jewish Revolt in 70 AD led to the Siege of Jerusalem. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, "the emperor
Vespasian ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the booty." Along with the spoils, estimated 100,000 Jewish prisoners were brought back to Rome after the war, and many contributed to the massive workforce needed for construction. The slaves undertook manual labor such as working in the quarries at Tivoli where the travertine was quarried, along with lifting and transporting the quarried stones 20 miles from Tivoli to Rome.
[16] Along with this free source of unskilled labor, teams of professional Roman builders, engineers, artists, painters and decorators undertook the more specialized tasks necessary for building the Colosseum.
Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of Vespasian
[4] in around 70–72 AD (73-75 AD according to some sources)
[16] The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished by his son,
Titus, in 80,
[4] and the inaugural games were held in A.D. 80 or 81.
[16] Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the
inaugural games of the amphitheatre. Commemorative coinage was issued celebrating the inauguration.
[17] The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor
Domitian, who constructed the
hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its
seating capacity.
[18]