Colossus of Nero

The Colossus of Nero was a monumental bronze statue of the emperor Nero erected in Rome in the first century AD, notable for its exceptional size and for lending its name to the nearby amphitheatre now called the Colosseum.

There is no surviving full statue to visit; interest centers on the historical importance and the statue’s former location near the Flavian Amphitheatre, and on archaeological and literary references that record its size and transformations. Contemporary accounts and later writers describe the statue as roughly 30 metres tall, making it one of ancient Rome’s largest statues.

The statue was erected in the mid-first century AD and stood beside Nero’s palace complex. After Nero’s death it was reworked to represent a sun god and remained a prominent landmark until it disappeared in late antiquity; fragments and later textual references preserve knowledge of its existence.

Historically it stood on the northern side of the Roman Forum area, adjacent to the site of the Flavian Amphitheatre in what is now central Rome, though no intact remains of the statue survive on site.

• Approximate height: Often cited height is about 30 metres, making it a truly monumental bronze statue for its time and scale.
• Name origin: The statue's presence near the Flavian Amphitheatre is the origin of the name 'Colosseum' applied to Rome's amphitheatre by later generations.