Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The arena originally had a wooden floor covered in sand to prevent the combatants from
slipping and to soak up the blood. It could also be flooded for mock sea battles. Trapdoors
led down to the hypogeum, an underground complex of corridors, cages and lifts that ex-
tended beneath the arena floor.
The Seating
The
cavea
, for spectator seating, was divided into three tiers: magistrates and senior offi-
cials sat in the lowest tier, wealthy citizens in the middle and the plebs in the highest tier.
Women (except for Vestal Virgins) were relegated to the cheapest sections at the top. And
as for modern games, tickets were numbered and spectators were assigned a specified seat
in a specified sector.
The podium, a broad terrace in front of the tiers of seats, was reserved for emperors,
senators and VIPs.
Hypogeum
The hypogeum, along with the top tier, can be visited on guided tours. These cost €8 on
top of the normal Colosseum ticket and require advance booking.
The hypogeum extended under the Colosseum's main arena and served as the stadium's
backstage area. Here, scenery for the elaborate performances was put together and hoisted
up by a complex system of lifts and pulleys. Gladiators would enter the hypogeum direc-
tly from the nearby gladiator school and wild animals would be brought in from the 'zoo'
on the Celio Hill and kept in cages built into the walls.
