During my study abroad trip to Italy, my class had the opportunity to visit the famous Colosseum. We entered the Colosseum on the ground floor, a point of view that meant death during the Roman empire. We also noticed shafts that were under construction underneath the ground level, depicting the intricacy of the design of the Colosseum. We were told that battles were very popular in this dome, often being reenacted in stylized form for entertainment. Among battles were also gladiator fights, executions, and shows. I learned that the Jews were the people that did the labor for the construction of the Colosseum, due to the fact that they were the most recently conquered group for the Roman empire.

When we toured the Colosseum, we noticed that part of the top was being reconstructed. This slightly saddened me because I thought that a part of ancient architecture was being lost with the addition of newer parts. It was also extremely intimidating to stand in the middle of the Colosseum because it gave me a greater understanding of the horrors that were committed in this arena. I thought that visiting this area was an extremely growing experience due to the fact that It helped me better understand the epicenter of ancient western civilization.