The Colosseum, known in Antiquity as the Flavian Amphitheater is an amphitheater in the center of Rome that is capable of seating 50,000 people. It was built by the ruler Vespasian on the remains of the "Golden House" that the previous emperor, Nero, was attempting to build. The colosseum was spared final destruction in the 18th century when it was declared a sacred site by the Roman Catholic Church, due to the martyrdoms that took place there. Since then, it's become the most emblematic building of Roman civilisation and has since then become the most famous landmark of Rome ever since.