The stadium was Rome's first permanent venue for competitive athletics; it was patterned after the Greek model and seated approximately 15,000-20,000--a smaller, more appropriate venue for foot-races than the 200,000-250,000 capacity Circus Maximus.
The Stadium was commissioned around 80 AD by the Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus as a gift to the people of Rome, and was used mostly for athletic contests. It was patterned after the Greek model and seated approximately 15,000-20,000--a smaller, more appropriate venue for foot-races than the 200,000-250,000 capacity Circus Maximus.