 By the time the amphitheatre was completed , Titus 's short reign had already endured a series of disasters : two months after he had succeeded Vespasian , Mount Vesuvius had erupted , destroying Pompeii , Herculaneum , Stabiae , and <unk> ; a fire had burned in the city of Rome for three days and three nights causing substantial damage and destroying the Temple of Jupiter that had recently been restored by Vespasian ; and there had been an outbreak of plague which was said to be the worst the city had ever endured . To dedicate the amphitheatre and the baths , and probably in an attempt to mollify both the Roman public and the gods , Titus inaugurated the opening of the Colosseum with lavish games which lasted for more than a hundred days . 
