Colosseum, Rome, Italy Nov. 12, 2025

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Think modern sports are dramatic? Ancient Romans had front-row seats to spectacles far more intense inside the Colosseum. Commissioned by the Flavian emperor Vespasian in 72 CE and finished by his son Titus in 80 CE, this amphitheatre broke tradition with its predecessors that were built into hillsides for natural support. Instead, the Colosseum was a fully free-standing architectural giant. Crafted from stone and concrete, its arches and vaults supported an arena that could host up to 50,000 spectators. Gladiators, exotic animals and even staged sea battles thrilled the crowds, while hidden elevators and trapdoors created sudden, dramatic appearances.

© Nico De Pasquale Photography/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

A convocation of eagles assembles
Nov. 12, 2023Diwali
Nov. 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

An ugly duckling no more
A sea of humanity
Today, a nation was born
Jun. 19, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
Aug. 12, 2025World Elephant Day
Feb. 10, 2025Banff National Park, Alberta
High above the Aegean Sea
So close, yet so far
This lesson is going swimmingly
Apr. 8, 2024Total solar eclipse
May 19, 2025Victoria Day
Launching hopes and prayers
Dec. 28, 2023Humpback whale, Disko Bay, Greenland
Nov. 23, 2023Teide National Park, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
God’s Own Country
Jan. 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Oct. 4, 2025Nuit Blanche Toronto
Stretching out in the Everglades
One on land, a million in space
May 17, 2024Endangered Species Day
Feb. 6, 2024Lake Tahoe
A curious little otter pup
If these walls could talk...
Lighting the world
Mar. 27, 2024World Theatre Day
Nature at its colourful best
Mar. 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead, Wales, UK
Nov. 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
Sep. 11, 2025Monfragüe National Park, Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain
Don’t look down!