Exhibition at the Colosseum highlights the habits of the audience in Ancient Rome

Always seeking to offer "new perspectives" to the public, the Colosseum Archaeological Park presents a new exhibition where the protagonists are the spectators who frequented the ancient Roman amphitheater to watch gladiator fights, wild animal hunts and other entertainment of the time.

The exhibition reveals some of the habits of the audience of those times, who, while waiting for the shows in the arena, dedicated themselves to personal care, gambling, and even casting curses on rivals. Thus, the Flavian Amphitheater museum displays hairpins, combs, sewing needles, spools of thread, and toothpicks for personal hygiene. There are also dice, board game tokens, coins typical of the late Roman Empire, as well as lead tablets for casting bad omens.

However, one of the biggest highlights of the exhibition is the technology of the elevators that took gladiators and animals to the arena.

The archaeological material, now on display to museumgoers for the first time, is the result of research conducted by the Park beginning in 2022, which also included the excavation of the hydraulic collector, revealing 70 meters of stratigraphy. Numerous artifacts were found there, including animal and plant remains, amphorae, lamps, coins, and everyday objects.

The new section is part of a broader Colosseum remodeling project, which aims to reorganize historical and cultural information points along its visitor route while redistributing tourist traffic. To this end, by 2026, the Colosseum's historical milestones will be recreated, "strengthening the dialogue between the monument, its architecture, and the materials it contains throughout its various periods of use and reuse."

"The importance of renewing and updating exhibitions in line with research and specialized studies is a priority for every museum institution," explains Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, highlighting the importance of offering the public "ever-new perspectives" when visiting the monument.