How Much Would it Cost to Build the Colosseum Today?

How much did the Colosseum cost to build? And how much would it cost to build an exact replica today? In this video, I tackle both questions...

Special thanks to Magnificus, Tim Wilkinson, and Jim Williams for their help.

Please consider supporting toldinstone on Patreon:

If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans.”

If you're so inclined, you can follow me elsewhere on the web:

Chapters:
0:00 How much did it cost build the Colosseum?
9:11 How much would it cost to build an exact replica?
14:00 Conclusions

[stevejohnson]

Just a thought. Lets build our replica as an artificial reef on the most desolate stretch of seafloor we can find. It would be costly but think of the confusion it would bring to future archeologists.

[philliphartman]

Carpenter here: I think the wide range is an accurate estimate. It will all depend on how true to the original it would be. I think if somebody wanted to build something that was the same scale as the original but that used thin slabs of finished stone to clad, ignored all modern building codes, and used sculptures that were just plaster casts of existing statues, you could do it for $150m or less. But once you start adding in things like electricity, stair height limitations, guard rails, sprinklers, alarms, elevators, ramps, automatic doors, authentic travertine, hand-crafted marble sculptures, parking spaces, sewage systems, storm drains, insurance, gold decorations, hand-chiseled signs...well...sky is the limit in terms of price.

[spankflaps]

Speaking as an architect with 25 years experience, I’ve done loads of pricing, tenders, quantity surveying, and have visited the Colosseum.
I would say in todays money it would cost $2.5 - 3 billion to build a replica. The marble supplying and finishing would be by far the most expensive element. Then you’ve got the roof canopy, hypogeum machinery, arena decking, iron clamping, plant, scaffold, shuttering, it goes on and on.
The new Wembley Stadium cost $1 billion 15 years ago. It’s a similar size to the Colosseum and holds 90k people. Obviously modern steel framed buildings are much more cost effective, otherwise we would still build everything out of concrete, brick and marble.

[charlesclifton]

While in Rome, back in the mid 70s, I decided to leave my hotel and "find" the
Colosseum. I took the subway via the "B" line and got off at the "Colosseo"
station. All of this I had to look up on recent City of Rome subway maps but
what I remember as clear as the day Kennedy was assassinated was the absolutely
jaw-dropping sight of the structure as it sits directly across the street from the
subway station. Keep in mind that as the Colosseum exists today, much of it's
outer structure (wall) is gone.... still, it is huge and (to me) beautiful. This was a
fascinating video ... thank you.

[bobdinitto]

The scope and scale of the Colosseum project is absolutely awe inspiring when you consider that it was done with manual labor and no modern machinery. That the ancients were so adept at organizing and managing such large building projects is a testament to human ingenuity, perseverance, and engineering discipline.

[IvoryOasis]

It's sad organizations and education institutions didn't reply to you.... your one video exposes more people to these issues than they do in their lifetimes.

[HowardxDuck]

I’m not surprised at the large difference in estimated cost. I work at an architecture firm and we see massive variations in estimates and quotes all the time. You are right that we would not get an exact answer unless we actually built it. Everyone has a different way to measure the cost of a project

[danknight]

A question we did not ask, a question we needed the answer.

[spankflaps]

I got a price from an Italian sculptor (10 years ago) for a white marble statue twice the size of those that were in the Colosseum, but it was a very simple/contemporary design - it was $750k.
Also note that the marble blocks for the Parthenon restoration cost $1.5 million each, for a lump the size of a small car.
That’s why the Parthenon replica in Tennessee is built from limestone.

[aaronandcaitlinnelson]

The lego colosseum was a hilarious touch. Thanks to those who volunteered to help make the video, it was great!

[TetsuShima]

It is quite curious how the founding of the Colosseum was the only remarkable thing Titus did as Emperor, as the only other things he could do during his reign was trying to repair the massive damage from the eruption of Vesuvius and the Second Great Fire of Rome. Then, he just miserably died of fever shortly after the foundation of the Colosseum, making his disturbed brother Domitian (who also modified it by adding the hypogeum) the first Emperor to actually enjoy the gigantic amphiteatre

[justinian-the-great]

It should be noted that to even get to building the actual Colosseum, a lot and I mean A LOT of pre-building job had to be done. First of all they had to clear the area for building. The area where Colosseum was to be built was actually already occupied by Nero's gigantic Domus Aurea (Golden House). So that monstrosity of a complex that spanned over multiple hills of Rome had to be demolished. Just the cost of demolishing it and then clearing the ruble must've been in millions of sesterces. Worse than that, the exact site where Colosseum was to be built is where Nero built a large indoor lake, which would have to be drained, which would probably be one of the hardest task in overall construction of the arena. Add in multiple smaller work that had to be done, like for example leveling the ground around Colosseum, and just the costs of pre-building would be enormous. Thus it's even harder to accurately measure the then building cost of the Colosseum.

[SnaketheJake]

I’m an engineering student currently. Despite the fact that this was another amazing video from you, it was really cool and enlightening seeing people (engineers) with experience doing basic cost analysis. Something I’ve struggled in my courses so far. Thanks for that.

[NonDrv]

I just want to say how amazing the line " the turrets and battlements of a castle in the air" is.

[pikXpixelart]

This truly is an interesting video! Both chapters could be A+ videos on their own (original labor, modern labor) but having both in one really makes this a groundbreaking video. Even if these are just rough estimates, I think it's a really interesting take on it.

[Aaron-edxs]

They built a modern sized stadium with no electricity, no power, and it effectively had running water. What a catastrophically impressive achievement. I wish to see it someday

[BarfyMan-shzf]

I absolutely love this! The transportation of travertine blocks was mindblowing. It must have been a sight to behold seeing thousands of massive blocks being transported. When it was finished it probably felt like the Gods would be in attendance themselves. Could you imagine all that white marble shining in the sun and all those thousands of people filling the stands? Eventhough we live in the best (most comfortable) time in history, I often wish to have been born in a time like this. When I see these things I can certainly understand how people believed in miracles and godly emperors. How else can you build something so magnificent by hand without the blessing and favor of the Gods? Thank you again, you are my favorite youtuber by a mile!

[InvestBetter.]

I'm very surprised no one, on Earth, has ever used the Roman Coliseum as a model for future stadium building. It is a beautiful design, and probably the most famous arena ever made.

[SobekLOTFC]

You know, Lego have pirate and medieval themes- I think they're leaving money on the table not having an antiquity/Roman theme.

Great job as always Garrett!

[iamgermane]

An NFL stadium today costs about $2 billion US dollars.