colosseum leveled book l

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ColosseumA Reading A–Z Level L Leveled Book

Word Count: 458

WritingWrite a newspaper article for students about the Colosseum. Include the most important information from the book in your article.Social StudiesOn a map of the world, label the following: Italy, Rome, Mediterranean Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, and Adriatic Sea. Add a compass rose to your map. Label where you live and tell a partner how to get from where you live to the Colosseum.

Connections

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LEVELED BOOK • L

Written by Zazu Kirchner

Colosseum Colosseum

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What is the Colosseum, and why is it still popular today?

Focus Question

Written by Zazu Kirchner

Colosseum

CorrelationLEVEL L

K1820

Fountas & PinnellReading Recovery

DRA

ColosseumWorld Landmarks Level L Leveled Book© Learning A–ZWritten by Zazu Kirchner

All rights reserved.

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ancient archescranesdefeatempire

gladiators ruin stadium symbol

Words to Know

Front cover: The Colosseum is a giant stone building that is almost two thousand years old.

Title page: Between four and six million visitors explore the ruins of the Colosseum each year.

Photo Credits:Front cover, back cover: © Phant/Dreamstime.com; title page: © Pablo Hidalgo/123RF; page 4: © iStock.com/scaliger; page 6: © Giuseppe Anello/123RF; page 7: © Evan Reinheimer/Moment/Getty Images; page 8: © iStock.com/theJIPEN; page 9: Worcester Hunt Floor Mosaic, from Antioch, Roman/Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA/Bridgeman Images; page 10: Adam Eastland/Alamy Stock Photo; page 11 (top left): © Gianni Dagli Orti/REX/Shutterstock; page 11 (center): © Gary Ombler/Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images; page 11 (top right): © Woverwolf/Dreamstime.com; page 11 (bottom right): © iStock.com/PaulFleet; page 12 (main): © DK Images; page 12 (inset): © DEA PICTURE LIBRARY/De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images; page 13: © Spencer Arnold/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; page 14: © Cora Mller/123RF; page 15: © DEA/PUBBLI AER FOTO/De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images

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Colosseum

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

TYRRHENIAN SEA

ADRIATIC SEA

ITALY

AFRICA

EUROPEASIA

ColosseumRomeH

Table of Contents

What Is the Colosseum? . . . . . . . . 4

The Romans and Rome . . . . . . . . . 5

Building the Colosseum . . . . . . . . 6

Important Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Colosseum Today . . . . . . . . . 14

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Colosseum • Level L 4

What Is the Colosseum?

The Roman Colosseum was built almost two thousand years ago . It still stands in the center of Rome, the capital of Italy . The Colosseum is about the size of a modern sports stadium . Romans went to the Colosseum to watch different types of games .

Men called gladiators fought each other in some games . In other games, men fought wild animals . Sometimes, wild animals were made to fight each other .

The Colosseum has over eighty entrances and exits.

5

Roman Empire

The Romans and Rome

Rome once ruled a large empire . Romans fought many battles to defeat other countries and make their empire larger . One emperor of Rome built the Colosseum for the Roman people . He wanted them to enjoy games . He also wanted the building to stand for the power and glory of the Roman Empire .

ATLANTIC OCEAN

SPAIN

GAUL

BRITAIN

MACEDONIA

AFRICA

ARABIA

SYRIA

ASIA MINOR

EGYPT

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

AFRICA

ASIA

RomeH

Roman Empire in the First Century ce

GREECE


Building the Colosseum

First, large amounts of soil had to be removed from the ground to build the Colosseum . Then, workers began to build . Ancient Romans made wooden cranes to lift and move stones . Heavy stones were used at the bottom of the building . Lighter stones were used toward the top of the building .

This modern crane is an example of the kind ancient Romans used to lift heavy stones.

7

Important Parts

The Colosseum was made in the shape of an oval . Seats rose in curved rows around an open space where the games took place . The Colosseum had four floors . Arches were built on three of the floors to help hold the weight of the stones above .

This view from above shows the giant size of the Colosseum. It could seat fifty thousand Romans at once!


Special lifts raised the gladiators and animals who waited underground up onto the floor of the Colosseum. The door to an animal’s cage and a trapdoor in the Colosseum’s floor opened at the same time.

Beneath the Colosseum were rooms where people and animals waited to come out to the stadium floor . A cover gave shade to the people watching the games .

The ruins of the underground rooms below the Colosseum

9

The Games

The games at the Colosseum started in the morning . They lasted until darkness fell . In the morning, wild animal parades took place . Sometimes men would fight strong animals like lions and alligators . Other times, animals fought each other .

Nine thousand wild animals were brought to Rome for the opening games of the Colosseum. The games lasted for one hundred days!

Do You Know?

This ancient work of art shows hunters trying to capture wild animals to show at Roman games.


In the afternoon, gladiators fought battles . Gladiators were trained at a special school . Some gladiators had been taken in wars . Others were slaves . If they won enough fights, they might win their freedom . Some gladiators were freemen who chose to fight . They wanted glory .

This work of art shows two different parts of a gladiator fight. The men wearing white make sure the fighters follow the rules.

11

Gladiators used many different types of weapons and armor . They had to make sure that the crowds watching them saw enough action .

Powerful people, such as the emperor, sat in special ringside seats apart from everyone else .

These are some of the types of weapons and armor gladiators used.


1

4

2

5

3

6

Colosseum

1 The outer walls were filled with statues of famous Romans.

2 Gladiators and animals were led out from cages under the arena.

3 The wooden floor was covered with sand.

4 Women and slaves watched from the very top.

5 The cover was attached to ropes that were connected to more than two hundred wooden beams at the top.

6 People used eighty arches on the first floor to enter and exit the arena.

13

In the beginning, these games were very popular . However, over time people lost interest in the Colosseum .

The building became a ruin . People began to take its stones away to make other buildings .

This photo shows the Colosseum in 1860.


The Colosseum Today

Today, the Colosseum is a ruin from ancient Rome . It is one of the most popular ancient buildings in the world .

Millions of visitors come to see the Colosseum each year.

15

The Colosseum has been chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World . It is an important and lasting symbol of the ancient Roman Empire . People will be able to visit it for a long time to come .

Today, the Colosseum is an important part of Rome, as it was in the ancient past.


Glossaryancient (adj.) from a very long time ago (p . 6)

arches (n.) curved parts of structures that are over openings and often serve as supports (p . 7)

cranes (n.) tall machines with long, swinging arms used to lift and move heavy things (p . 6)

defeat (v.) to win a victory over another (p . 5)

empire (n.) a collection of nations or people ruled by one person or government (p . 5)

gladiators (n.) fighters in ancient Rome who fought in public to entertain other people (p . 4)

ruin (n.) the remains of an old or destroyed building or other structure (p . 13)

stadium (n.) a place with many seats where people watch sports or other activities (p . 4)

symbol (n.) an object, picture, or sign that stands for an idea, letter, or word (p . 15)

colosseum leveled book l

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