The Colosseum in Rome was not just for gladiatorial battles, but also for game hunting simulations and naumachias, or mock naval battles. The structure, completed in AD 80, could hold up to 80,000 spectators and was later used for various purposes.
The Roman Colosseum is probably best known for its gladiatorial battles, but the elite of the Roman Empire also enjoyed watching game hunting simulations and pitting convicted criminals against each other, all played out in front of an enthusiastic and boisterous crowd. The researchers also found traces of drains believed to have been used to flood and then drain the Colosseum. This would have allowed mock naval battles, or naumachias, to be staged in the Colosseum in water 9 to 1.5 meters deep. Naumachias, which translates to “naval combat,” appear to have taken place only four or five times in history, and only for very special celebrations. The Roman historian Cassius Dio (235 AD) wrote of one such epic and bloody sea show which was staged in the famous amphitheater in 86 AD
The place to be in 80 AD:
The first recorded naumachia, in 46 BC, was a commemoration of the military triumphs of Julius Caesar against Pharnace of Pontus and King Juba of Numidia. A dock was built near the Tiber River and boats with 4,000 oarsmen and 2,000 fighters were launched, eager to recreate the battles.
The now dilapidated Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, is an oval structure located in the center of Rome. Construction began under Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed by his successor, Titus, in AD 80
It has been estimated that the Colosseum could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, who also came for public speeches and stage dramas. The life of the structure as a place of entertainment ended in the early Middle Ages, to then be used as a housing complex, fortress, quarry and Christian sanctuary.
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