The Colosseum. Construction of the Colosseum took 8 years from AD 72 to AD 80. It’s the largest amphitheater ever built with seating capacity estimated at up to 80,000. The original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium (or Flavian Amphitheater). It was used for gladiatorial fights, animal hunts and, according to some accounts, even simulated sea battles.