Stand in the middle of the Colosseum. Imagine the roar of the crowd. Look down. What’s under your feet?

It’s a floor. Unlike the original Colosseum floor, though, this one can move.

The Colosseum is a gigantic, round, outdoor theater in Rome, Italy. In ancient times, as many as 50,000 people packed into it at a time. They focused their eyes on the stage in the center. There, fighters called gladiators struggled to the death. Sometimes these warriors faced dangerous animals such as lions and bears. At other times, they battled against each other. These bloody sights kept the people of Rome glued to their seats.

In the 1800s, archaeologists wanted to dig beneath the Colosseum. There, underground tunnels connected parts of the arena. One led to the gladiator school, where fighters learned their craft. Another ran to a place where ferocious animals were kept. To explore all this, archaeologists had to take out the floor.

The Colosseum has been floorless for two centuries. People have finally decided to replace the missing stage. The new floor will be high-tech and lightweight. Visitors will get to walk on it. They’ll see the whole Colosseum from the gladiators’ point of view.

The project should be completed by 2023. The platform will quickly cover or uncover the underground structures below. This will protect the tunnels from rain. It will allow them to be aired out too. If needed, the floor can be taken out again.  

The new floor may eventually be used as a stage—though not for gladiator fights. That’s too barbaric! Roman entertainment is one part of history we don’t want to repeat.

Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways. — Proverbs 3:31