Coliseum in Rome Named after Sun God Colossus Statue of Sol Invictus

The Flavian Amphitheatre, was originally built by the Flavian dynasty, Vespasian and his son Titus, the general that burned down Jerusalem in 70 CE.

The Flavian Amphitheatre or the Coliseum in Rome eventually took on the name of the Colossus of Nero that changed its name and facial image over many centuries and stood in two different places outside the Coliseum.

Hadrian moved the colossus statue to make way for the largest temple in Rome dedicated jointed to the goddesses Roma and Venus  (roma – amor) built across from the coliseum.

The colossus was renamed in favor of the dominant Roman Sun god Sol Invictus.  Sol Invictus was an image that the Emperor Constantine used next to his own in coinage implying his equal status with the sun god.

The giant statue stood anywhere from 90 to 110 (27m to 33m) feet tall, approximately two-thirds of the height of the coliseum.

The bronze from the statue and most of the marble of the Coliseum was removed and recycled into the building of Saint Peter’s Basilica across the river Tiber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus