The name Colosseum been considered to come from a colossal statue of Nero, that was situated nearby. The statue was given a different signification, by Nero's successors, and probably became a statue in honor of Helios or Apollo. The head of the statue, imagining Nero was also replaced several times with the heads of the succeeding emperors. The statue was considered to have magical powers.
The monument eventually crashed and by the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" became synonymous to the amphitheatre. During the Middle Ages, the name of the amphitheatre was corrupted to Coliseum.
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