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Vibrant hues including red, blue, green and black were used to paint the Colosseum's corridors and frescoes were still discernible during restoration.
Image: Wikimedia
The walls of the Colosseum were covered in graffiti from gladiators and spectators adding unique touches to the arena's past.
Image: Wikimedia
The Roman Catholic Church used Colosseum stones to build St. Peter's Basilica, St. John Lateran, and Palazzo Venezia.
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Emperor Titus celebrated the Colosseum's opening in 80 C.E. with 100 days of games; Trajan topped it with a 123-day festival.
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Titus flooded the Colosseum floor during the opening in 80 C.E. for a staged sea battle with ships engaging in mock combat.
Image: Wikimedia
Only 20% of contests ended in death during the Colosseum's first centuries; by the third century, this rose to 50%.
Image: Wikimedia
The host, or munerarius, sometimes the emperor, decided gladiators' fate from the imperial box during events.
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Emperor Claudius sent stagehands to fight and Caligula threw spectators into the arena during show interruptions.
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Staged hunts in the Colosseum led to the deaths of thousands of animals, including lions, leopards, bears and elephants.
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The Colosseum's lost floor reveals a sophisticated subterranean labyrinth that displays the elaborate architecture of the amphitheater.
Image: Wikimedia
A movable awning and a velarium were features of the Colosseum which occasionally used herb-infused mist to cool spectators.
Image: Wikimedia
Many of the original entrances to the Colosseum are still intact and spectators entered through numbered arches that were separated by class.
Image: Wikimedia