A Colosseum for Your Pens

Nearly two thousand years ago, the Romans built an arena so large and so well engineered that it still stands in the middle of a modern city. They called it the Flavian Amphitheatre. We call it the Colosseum. Now it can stand on your desk.

Built for a crowd

The Colosseum opened in AD 80 under the emperor Titus, with games that reportedly ran for 100 days. Its stone and concrete tiers seated tens of thousands of spectators. Eighty entrance arches moved the crowds in and out so efficiently that modern stadiums still borrow the idea. Beneath the arena floor, a maze of tunnels and lifts could raise animals and scenery up into view, like a stage trick from below.

Earthquakes and centuries of stone scavenging took a heavy toll, but rows of its arches survived, and those arches are what our organizer is built around.

Our Colosseum desk organizer

We 3D print this organizer in clean, classic white, so it reads like marble and fits any desk. It stands 5.5 inches tall and reaches 7 inches at its widest. The tiered arches ring an open interior sized for everyday desk clutter:

• Pens, pencils and highlighters
• Scissors, rulers and letter openers
• Paintbrushes, makeup brushes or crochet hooks
• Stylus pens, charging cables or a few treats

It's as much a sculpture as it is storage, and it's the kind of piece people pick up and turn in their hands.

Who it's for

History teachers and Latin classes. Architecture students. Anyone who came home from Rome with a phone full of photos. Writers, artists and home-office workers who'd like their desk to feel a bit grander. It also makes a memorable graduation gift for a student heading off to study history or design.

Complete the history shelf

Add a bust to the desk. Our gold Napoleon brings a 10-inch emperor to the scene, and his height has its own famous myth.

Browse more designs in our 3D printed guide.