The Colosseum in Rome

This engraving showing a view of the Roman amphitheater known as the Colosseum is from Antonio Lafreri’s “Speculum Romanae magnificentiae.”

The fabric of the grand ruin of the Colosseum had been mined for centuries because it provided an abundance of cut stone. The superimposed half-columns of the Colosseum’s exterior provided the Renaissance with a demonstration of how the ancient Greek architectural orders could be applied to a structure.