GabyA team of archaeologists and architects excavating the Colosseum’s sewer system in Rome has uncovered two-thousand-year-old food remnants. They date to roughly 2,000 years ago and were eaten by Ancient Romans during gladiatorial games and other public spectacles in the amphitheater. The team made the discovery a few months ago but only revealed it now.
Work on the sewage and hydraulic systems at Italy’s most visited archaeological site began in January 2021. Since then, researchers have surveyed about 70 meters of drains and collectors beneath the Colosseum. As a result, they discovered many artifacts and food remains, Arkeonews.
What did the archaeologists uncover?
The Colosseum, the most famous building of Ancient Rome, was designed to hold around 65,000 spectators. It’s no surprise that the ruins of the amphitheater still preserve a vast number of relics from deep antiquity.
The Colosseum hosted public spectacles such as animal hunts, executions, reenactments of famous battles (including naval ones), theatrical performances, and, of course, gladiatorial contests.
During the excavations, the team studied food remains and drew conclusions about spectators’ favorite snacks. They found that people most often ate olives, fruit, berries, and nuts. Specifically, archaeologists recovered fragments of figs, peaches, grapes, cherries, blackberries, olives, and walnuts.
Researchers also unearthed the bones of bears and large cats. These animals were likely used in brutal games — hunted in the arena or forced to fight each other.
In addition to the food remains, the team discovered 53 bronze coins dated to roughly 250–450 AD. They also found a silver commemorative coin (sestertius) dated 170–171 AD, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s reign.
Among the artifacts belonging to spectators and participants were gaming dice, a bone pin, pieces of leather, shoe nails, and rivets.
Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, said the relics give “an idea of the experiences and habits of those who came here for a long time to watch performances.” She posted photographs of the finds on her Twitter page.
Construction of the Colosseum began under Emperor Vespasian (69–79 AD) and was completed by his son and successor Titus in 80 AD.
The largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire stopped being used for its original purpose after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. After that, the Colosseum went through many transformations: it became a fortress for local noble families, a fort guarding the entrances to the Lateran Palace (which served as the popes’ residence from the 4th to the 11th centuries), and a quarry for building stone. By the mid-14th century it had even become a refuge for bandits.
