Heard a tour guide in Rome say the Colosseum floor was once covered in sand

I was on a trip last year and our guide pointed at the arena's base. She said they used sand to soak up blood from the gladiator fights, which is where the word 'arena' comes from. It's from the Latin word for sand, 'harena'. I'd never made that connection before, even though I've seen pictures of the place a hundred times. Has anyone else learned a simple fact that totally changed how you see a famous site?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.sage25d ago

What else did they use sand for?

verar2126d ago

Seems like a bit of a stretch, honestly.

jake_knight2419d ago

Yeah, what makes it feel like a stretch to you? Sometimes these historical facts get simplified so much they lose the real story. I'd love to see the actual evidence they're talking about.

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