New discovery inside Colosseum
2013-01-10 22:17
Rome - Italian archaeologists have found brightly
coloured fragments of frescoes depicting heroic and erotic scenes inside a
corridor of the Colosseum in Rome, along with samples of ancient graffiti.
"We have found traces of decorations in blue, red
and green," Rossella Rea, director of the 2 000-year-old amphitheatre,
told AFP.
The fragments "seem to depict the glory of the
gladiator world, with laurels, arrows, victory wreaths and even erotic
scenes," the Repubblica newspaper said.
The frescoes were found in a corridor currently closed to
the public while archaeologists were working to restore an area between the
second and third floor of the Colosseum, which has fallen into disrepair in
recent years.
"We have also found writing dating back to the 17th
century as well as the signatures of spectators and foreign visitors" who
had come to watch the Colosseum's famed gladiatorial contests and mock sea
battles, Rea said.
"We hope to be able to find other traces in this
corridor but that depends on the funds available to continue with the
restoration," she added.
The frescoes are located in an area covering several
square feet in a corridor which is around sixty metres long, and should be open
to the public by summer 2014, Rea said.
The Colosseum, which was completed in 80 AD by the Roman
emperor Titus and is now one of the most visited sites in the world, is in a
pitiful state.
Bits of stone, blackened by pollution, have fallen off in
previous years, and some experts have voiced concern that the foundations are
sinking, giving the amphitheatre a lean.
The number of visitors to the Colosseum, which measures
188m by 156m and is 48.5m high, has increased from a million to around six
million a year over the past decade thanks mainly to the blockbuster film Gladiator.
- SAPA
