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Soon after his brilliant new home was built, Nero was condemned to death, and the doomed ruler committed suicide on 9 June 68 CE. <ref> Suetonius,<i>The Lives of the Twelve Ceasars</i> (Loeb Classical Library, 1914), p. 179)</ref> In his stead, the Emperor Vespasian had taken control of Rome one year prior (July 69 CE), and his task was to reassure the citizens of Rome that imperial rule was not only reliable but also just. As part of this reassurance, and in an effort to win favor with the Romans, Vespasian embarked on the construction of a massive entertainment amphitheater, a wish of Roman citizens for many years.
Construction on the complex began in 72 CE, with Vespasian selecting a location at the juncture of three of Rome's hills: the Palatine, the Esquiline, and the Caelian. Conveniently, to facilitate this location, Vespasian requested the demolition of much of Nero's <i>Domus Aurea</i> such that his theater would quite literally rest on the ruins of Nero's reign. The amphitheater was a massive project and was designed to seat over 55,000 people. The construction of the amphitheater was funded with the spoils seized from the Jewish Temple after Roman crushed the Jewish Revolt of 70 AD. Stolen Jewish artifacts not only funded the building of the Colosseum, but Jewish slaves seized during the revolt built the building.<ref name="tribunesandtriumphs.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.tribunesandtriumphs.org/colosseum/building-the-colosseum.htm|title=Building the Colosseum|work=tribunesandtriumphs.org}}</ref>
====A Lingering Colossus====
