Lasposan Coliseums

Purpose / Function

The coliseums serve the dual purpose of being for sites of the annual coming of age ceremony for the Lasposan youth and as dueling arenas. All around, though, the coliseums are intended as entertainment hubs for the masses.
Duels held in these buildings, cerimonial ones aside, are typically because of larger disputes between individuals or families, or are held as punishment for petty crimes.
The annual coming of age ceremony also features dueling, but this one does not place so much emphasis on winning or losing so much as skill and sportsmanship displayed. The intent is to bring that year's 17-year-olds from young adults and have them be accepted in society as proper adults with the rights to own land, start their own businesses, etcetera.
The buildings also host any number of sporting and entertainment events such as plays, displays of strength of skill in competitions or in fighting various wild animals, and the occasional public execution (except for hanging).

Architecture

The coliseums are typically built of granite and marble, sporting grand archways along the exterior. The interior is always circular, with high walls separating the arena itself from the stands above.
The arena floor is made of cobblestones, but is covered over by a layer of sand. The walls are interspersed by large, gated openings to allow entry.
The underground is comprised of tunnels and chambers that, in some cases, can lead directly to the city's sewer systems or catacombs. These areas can be made also of granite, or often are simply dirt tunnels shorn up with wooden posts in the smaller cities. Each chamber is large enough to accommodate armories, or barracks, or even several lions.

History

Lord Claudio II of Galwich commissioned the first coliseum to be built in 935 as a show of power, for the purpose of holding public executions. His successor, Lady Maria, saw potential in the design and had the arena converted to a playhouse. Over time, the arena came to be a general hub for public entertainment.
In 1023, King Ferdinand VI, upon visiting the arena, decided he loved the concept so much that he decreed that every city should have one of their own. In 1048, it became custom for the annual Coming of Age ceremony to be held at the arenas.
Queen Iscora's reign expanded the Laspos territory immensely, and so too the spread of the coliseum across the kingdom. She cemented the coliseums as an integral part of Lasposan culture by having her political enemies, captured from seized territories, fight until they either swore fealty to her or died.
The coliseums are still in frequent use today, popularized by them being open to the public for viewing and funded by the monarchy themselves.

Type

Arena

Owning Organization

Laspos